Critics' choice: Variations on family values

Ha's Snack Bar

New York City

For "a vision of what French cuisine might be if Vietnam had occupied France rather than vice versa," head to Ha's, said Priya Krishna in The New York Times. The 24- seat Lower East Side storefront space was created by married chefs Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns-Ha, and though they swear the Snack Bar is just a warm-up for a larger restaurant they'll soon open, "theirs is a singular, game-changing talent."

It turns out that buttery escargots have always needed a dab of tamarind. And tuna crudo craves rhubarb and lime leaf. The Has "pack so many smart ideas into even the simplest of dishes," and you can follow up the black pudding or sweet-and-sour seafood stew with "showstopping" desserts such as bruléed coconut bread pudding. Though the room itself is "as quaint and charming as a Paris bistro," you'll probably be seated on a stool with little space to spare. But until the Has' larger place opens, "I'm willing to trade some mild back pain for food that's as improvisational as it is elegant." 297 Broome St.

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Sora Craft Kitchen

Los Angeles

When you order wisely at this surprising 16-seat find, "you'll feel Turkish ground beneath your feet," said Bill Addison in the Los Angeles Times. Okay Inak, who grew up outside Istanbul, has "a modernist knack and a roaming imagination," and he has made a promising start at this one-man operation that he and his wife self-funded.

His kitel are a variation on kibbeh that trace to southeastern Turkey, where his mother grew up. They're meat dumplings made of bulgur, and he serves them with fine-dining finesse, resting them on thickened yogurt drizzled with dill-scented herb oil. A soup called corti taplamasi "also pulls from Inak's mother's repertoire," and features cabbage fermented for three weeks— "an optimum length of time during which the sour, salty tang hits peak deliciousness."

Inak has worked at top kitchens in New York City, so it's not surprising that he also serves an impressive grilled branzino. "But I doubt you'll be rushing here for staples. You'd hurry to taste regional Turkish dishes you can't find anywhere else." Don't miss the kirecte kabak, an "otherworldly" dessert made from butternut squash soaked in limewater. 1109 E. 12th St.

Legami

Charleston, South Carolina

Even for a seasoned family, running a large restaurant presents challenges, said Parker Milner in the Charleston Post and Courier. Slowly, Legami "has grown into a place worth seeking out" whenever you're seeking a good meal in Charleston's nightlife district. But Gianni and Susie Ropolo and their two adult sons have had to adjust as they go. The Ropolos had already established three successful Italian seafood joints in New England before taking on a two-story corner property on King Street, and in the early going, dishes often arrived lukewarm while "excessive flourishes" marred the kitchen's attempts to fuse Italian and Carolina flair.

But Legami has "steadied itself," erasing shakier dishes for standouts such as scallops in a roasted corn sauce and tagliolini draped in king crab. A handful of executive chef Andrea Congiusta's offerings "still take aspirational cooking a step too far." But his brasato al Barolo, "a pot roast gone wild," gracefully mixes comfort and creativity. When I think of Legami at the six-month mark, "I'm wowed by moments like these." 492 King St.