Empellon Is Absurdly Noisy, Fishtag Partakes In "Psychological Warfare"

Alex Stupak's West Village Mexican restaurant Empellon "needs sound-dampening fabric or ceiling panels in much the same way Greece needs cash," says The Times's Sam Sifton in his one-star review of the joint. Luckily the "The restaurant’s food and drink are a balm for nerves scraped raw by its din." Just "Spoon melted Jack cheese topped with morels and garlicky guaje seeds into a warm tortilla from the Nixtamal shop out in Queens. Eat that pillow of intense and vaguely sweet earthiness: swoon." So basically go for the food but bring earplugs. Or, as Sifton does, "Hope this place makes it"—at least long enough for Stupak to better sound proof the Counter space when he takes it over for another Empellon this fall. For what it is worth, the restaurant says the deafening noise problem should be "fixed in the next few weeks."

Meanwhile in other reviews, the New Yorker's Table for Two checks out Michael Psilakis's restaurant Fishtag (which has previously been his restaurants Gus & Gabriel, Kefi, and before that was Onera) and finds "plenty of seafood to go around, much of it not bad." But the menu strays a bit too far from seafood ("You might ask for a decoder ring" because "apparently, Psilakis cannot restrain himself") and "The food arrives on dishes of wildly divergent sizes, which can seem like psychological warfare."

Finally (it was a slow week for pro restaurant reviews) the Village Voice team hits up Queens, stopping at The Astor Room in LIC and Phayul in Jackson Heights. Lauren Shockey finds the Astor Room's concept of a throwback restaurant intriguing but says that "Unfortunately, owner Chris Vlacich fails to re-create the unbridled bliss of the Roaring '20s." However, "given the drinks scene and hospitable service, a visit won't be a total bust" and with a new chef taking over and prices coming down there seems to be hope for the restaurant. If only the decor were less depressing.

As for Phayul? Robert Sietsema digs the restaurant's Tibetan fare. "Though Tibetan food is traditionally meaty, starchy, and bland, many dishes on Phayul's menu flaunt amazing quantities of hot peppers." The restaurant is "strong in Tibet's most traditional cooking" but "reconfigured Sichuan fare is a major presence on Phayul's menu" as well. Which makes sense as there are lots of Tibetans living in Sichuan. It can be hard to find the second-floor restaurant, but it is worth it.