On the heels of my Instant Reaction to the new Lounge ON 20, the Sac Bee's restaurant critic also gave his two cents on the opening days of the revamped restaurant. Says Blair Anthony Robertson:

This is Bruich's first full-time gig in a restaurant and it remains to be seen how he will handle the pressure, the commotion, the madness and the magnitude of the nightly grind in a professional kitchen. If I have concerns about this chef, they center on whether he has put in the time and done the reps necessary to pull off cooking under any conditions. As in art, literature or gourmet cooking, a trailblazer must understand the past before he can create a new future.

Deconstructed apple pie? Sure, cool. But what's your regular apple pie like? Have you mastered the perfect and elusive flaky crust? Peppers shaped like liquid pearls? Awesome. But how many bell peppers have you chopped and sautéed the old-fashioned way?

Read his entire review in the Sac Bee.

Other News:

Garlic Shack expects June opening - The Garlic Shack is expected to open in Midtown in about two weeks once a renovation and inspections are complete, the restaurant's owner said Friday. Suzanne Hurt in Sac Press.

A Sweet Evening at Rick's Dessert Diner - I stopped into Rick’s Dessert Diner on Wednesday evening and was happy to see that it was as thronged as usual – this midtown institution is a favorite hangout of the city’s sweet-tooths, serving up a mind-boggling assortment of cakes, pies, cookies, tarts and other sugary treats. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.