The Other Critics

The Mildred’s ‘Serious About Scratch Cooking’; There’s More to Han Dynasty Than Just Heat

• At South Philly’s The Mildred, LaBan finds the kitchen running “reasonably close to its three-bell potential,” with a “quality of ingredients and ambitious preparations” that shows owners Michael Santoro and Michael Dorris are as “serious about scratch cooking,” as they are with presenting “comforting soul and a sense of adventure.” Still, “brackish and over-baconed” house-made chitarra pasta tossed with cockles and uni butter in nori powder, and a “redundantly sweet” vegetarian tortellini show some dishes need “some fine-tuning.” [Inquirer]

• At the Cherry Hill outpost of Han Chiang’s Han Dynasty, Adam Erace assures readers that there’s more to dishes like the chicken in chile oil than the “slow, smoldering burn.” Flavor, and lots of it. He recommends ordering extra portions of the crispy spicy cucumbers, “at once spicy and refreshing in their chile oil bath,” and the pork dumplings. Risk averse diners, he writes, should try the double-cooked style No. 4 with chicken, which “gets the blood pumping but won’t make you break a sweat.” [Courier-Post]

The Mildred’s ‘Serious About Scratch Cooking’; There’s