Week in Reviews

It was a Bauer road trip this weekend, as he set sail for the Monterey area to check out three new restaurants there. "After tasting them all, I can honestly say things are looking up." He took in the "calming, civilized" tasting menu at Marinus, where the chef "knows instinctively how to tailor his food to bring out the best in the wine," then marveled at "nearly flawless" Sierra Mar, whose presentation-crazy chef "could be called the Dominique Crenn of the Central Coast." Finally, he enjoyed "compelling" Aubergine's mix of fancy and foraged fare, despite a few bummer wine pairings. No ratings for these visits, probably because he only went once each. [Chron]