First Taste

Press critic Katharine Shilcutt paid her visit to newly opened barbecue restaurant Oak Leaf Smokehouse. She liked the ribs, pulled pork and smoked chicken but found the brisket to be "far too dry for my tastes." No problems with the chocolate cake, however. "Fluffy and moist and oozing with chocolate frosting, it made me utter a silent apology to my mother and grandmother, whose own baked goods had just been topped by this massive slice of heaven." [Eating Our Words]