2 Stars for Il Corso Trattoria; Burger Wars--CG v. DGB

Jodi Mailander Farrell visits Il Corso Trattoria in Coral Gables, which she says serves "traditional Italian fare — pizzas, pastas, risotto and trattoria-style entrees. But it tries to make everybody happy by throwing in barbecue and buffalo chicken wings on its antipasti menu and including ubiquitous Miami desserts like tres leches among its sweet endings. An oversized, laminated menu with photos of dishes screams “budget,” but a final bill of $200-plus for a group of four says otherwise." She liked "perfectly cooked flat iron steaks," brick oven pizzas and "near perfect house made creme brulee," but didn't like a lot more. Bottom line: 2 stars. [Miami.com]

Lee Klein does a burger taste test between CG Burgers and DGB, an "onslaught of acronyms . . . enough to make me want to just go eat at Five Guys Burgers (or do I mean Five Napkin Burger?)." As for the two, well, "Both are impressive-looking for burger joints — actually, they're not joints at all, but lofty emporiums." And the burgers? "At DGB, the signature Damn Good Burger is not damn good. It's a single, somewhat thin eight-ounce patty (hard to believe this is a half-pounder) on a soft potato bun burnished with the namesake acronym." At CG, the "classic" hamburger comes on a choice of sesame seed or whole-wheat bun. Both are fresh and soft. " That said, the DGB "bánh mì is more distinct than any of CG's offerings and has that great fat/vinegar lift that makes the Vietnamese sandwich so tasty." In the French fries department, CG wins with a "Big advantage for the fries; onion rings are a draw."[MNT]