Bauer Warms to Cook, Roth Okay at Super Duper

Cook. [Photo: Flickr/caribidis77]

Michael Bauer revisits Cook in St. Helena, a restaurant he last reviewed shortly after it opened in 2004, for an update. He writes that, "in many cases, the spirit of the place supersedes what's on the plate. The food is satisfying, but not altogether flawless." His favorite might be a "perfectly cooked" chicken breast, his least the "undercooked" green beans that accompany a wild salmon dish. In the end, Bauer finds it "fills a niche" but the bottom line is the same as it ever was: 2 Stars. [Chron]

Anna Roth takes on the burgers and such at Super Duper and is happy to not see any old-timey hokiness in the decor or on the menu: "Instead, it feels honest, modern, and most of all, earnest about the values it's promoting," she says. Burgers are decent (with bacon being the "only bum note" she found), fries are "merely okay" and shakes pass muster mainly because they are thin enough to actually pass through a straw (thick shakes are a pet peeve for Roth). Incidentally, it looks like she may have checked out the most recently opened location in SoMa. [SF Weekly]

THE ELSEWHERE — East Bay Express finds unfussy dim sum at L&L Chinese Seafood in El Cerrito; Marin IJ batters up to check the food at Jane's 1st Base Cafe at the San Rafael Pacifics ballpark; The Merc travels to Berkeley to check the hype on Mexican spot Comal; and the Chron gives Cassava Bakery + Cafe in the Richmond District the Bargain Bites treatment.