Two Stars for Superica, Illegal Food, The Cockentrice

Behind a paywall at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wyatt Williams reviews Superica, Ford Fry's "Mex-Tex" restaurant in Krog Street Market. Williams gives Superica two out of four stars and says Fry and chef Kevin Maxey find success by getting back to their roots:

It strikes me that Fry and Maxey, who both grew up in Texas, might have been trying to make Tex-Mex restaurants all along, big crowd-pleasers with recognizable and boozy pleasures. Now that they've turned back to the Tex-Mex of their youth, we might be seeing a clearer picture of the chefs they are.

Over at Creative Loafing, Jennifer Zyman awards a "good" rating of two out of five stars to The Cockentrice, Kevin Ouzts's Krog Street Market eatery. Zyman says the meat-centric restaurant has value, but needs balance:

Ouzts needs to find more balance between excess and lightness. It often feels like he is speaking through his food, saying, "Look what else I can do." A restaurant cannot solely exist as a showcase. But Atlanta needs restaurants like the Cockentrice to challenge us as diners. Such creativity — even if it is unbridled — pushes us beyond the monotony of tired trends and makes us better as a restaurant town.

The AJC's John Kessler reviews Illegal Food in Virginia-Highland, awarding the former Joystick Gamebar pop-up two stars. Kessler says Illegal Food's burgers live up to the hype:

Chef Steven Lingenfelter unleashed "The Hank" upon Atlanta at Joystick Gamebar in the Old Fourth Ward, where Illegal Food once operated as a kind of in-house caterer and served up a menu of signature patty creations and hand-cut fries. In March, he moved to the freestanding location in Virginia-Highland that was home to Bar Meatball and a kazillion restaurants before. Here he repeats the formula that made for his initial success: a concise, creative burger-and-fries menu augmented by a page of cheffier specials that change nightly. It's a winning package, and once Illegal Food works through a few timing and service issues, it should handily break the space's curse.

THE ELSEWHERE AND THE BLOGS: Atlanta Intown's Megan Volpert declares Pea Ridge Kitchen & Bar is the restaurant for Decatur families. Eat It, Atlanta takes issue with Krog Street Market, but likes the Italian grinder at Fred's Meat & Bread. Friday Date night agrees that Krog Street Market is a hassle, but likes Fred's, Yalla, and The Little Tart Bakeshop. Bella Vivere is a "huge fan" of Zero C Frozen Yogurt in Duluth. Hot Dish Review says Riccardo Ullio has a successful Latin concept in Escorpion. Burgers, Barbecue & Everything Else likes the burger at Bone's, but wouldn't call it the best in the city. Fried Chicken Lips thinks Atlanta needs more restaurants like Dish Dive.