"Vietnamese barbecue restaurant Madame Vo BBQ has the ability to “follow or leap over Vietnamese tradition at will,” Times critic Pete Wells writes today in his one-star review. He find that the restaurant’s signature seven-course beef tasting is the way to go, calling it the “surest route to happiness” at the three-month-old East Village spot: Wells also loves the oxtail congee, writing that “everything about it is wonderful.” Other dishes that didn’t quite hit the mark include “pointlessly indulgent” short rib and bone marrow spring rolls as well as “mushy” grilled prawns. The restaurant, from wife-husband team Yen Vo and Jimmy Ly, is three months old, and Wells finds that that shows in some food and the sometimes “inattentive” service. But overall, he thinks Madame Vo BBQ “may eventually run as smoothly as its older sibling.” One star." - Stefanie Tuder