Cedars Bakery, Dosa Factory and Magnolia's Umami

The Chronicle's Alison Cook awards Lebanese spot Cedars Bakery two stars, due in large part to the manakish, which she admits she can't resist even on the drive home. "But I'm not here for sandwiches, not even the shawarma that's offered on weekends. Nor am I there for the bare-bones tea-and-coffee service, which could be considerably better, were that a priority for the owners. I might wish that it were, or that the dark olives on my labne (yogurt cheese) and tomato pie were not out of a can. But mostly I just rejoice at the manakish that Cedars Bakery does supremely well."

The Houston Press' Kaitlin Steinberg tried out The Dosa Factory, which has apparently lost some of its popularity since opening last fall. Steinberg raves about the condiments, which seem to be the high points of the dishes. "The dosas filled with anything labeled sauce or gravy — even the pizza one filled with tomato sauce — are the most memorable items, and the sambar offered gratis with every meal is thin enough and flavorful enough that you could easily mistake it for soup and be quite pleased to down an entire bowl all on its own."

John DeMers checks out just opened Cook & Collins and explains why the flatbreads are so good. "Since some of the same people opening Cook & Collins were and/or are involved in launching Crisp in the Heights, it's no big shocker that the pizzas here are terrific – five different spins on "flatbreads" that include the eye-opening version of Hawaiian called Pig Popper Sweet Heat."

More reviews: H-Town Chow Down's Albert Nurick enjoys Korean fusion spot Umami in Magnolia and is surprised to find decent bulgogi so far from Long Point. Urban Swank contributor Joanna O'Leary heads to Mia's Table, about which she writes: "All this is to say that although Mia's Table falls a bit short in culinary quality and consistency, its other virtues obscure these failings. Mia's should consider lowering its prices by about 15% and streamlining its menu to become a truly great fast-casual restaurant."