Neighborhood Services Downgraded; Vietnamese BYOB

Here's where the critics ate this week:

DALLAS MORNING NEWS -- Leslie Brenner downgrades the Neighborhood Services Bar And Grill from four to two stars. Undersalted food, rogue tastes of ketchup and inattentive service does not a happy critic make. That is, until she was recognized and "the service was outstanding, and the food was quite improved." The final burn, to Chef Nick Badovinus: "a chef who runs four restaurants ought to have someone capable minding each kitchen."

D MAGAZINE -- Nancy Nichols says Herrera's is still real good.

DFW.COM -- Malcolm Mayhew likes the atmosphere at Arlington's Grease Monkey, where the burgers are "solid, if not occasionally over the top," and not as good as neighboring restaurants' offerings. He liked the grilled chicken and strawberry salad and the onion strings but could have done without the chicken nachos.

DALLAS OBSERVER -- Scott "Hipster Dreamboat" Reitz goes all DIY at a BYOB joint, pairing beers with Vietnamese food at My Lan in Garland, where he met an "ultra helpful" and "ultra curious" 21-year-old exchange student server who demonstrated proper rice paper rolling technique. Reitz says the dishes can be uneven but calls their BBQ Pork "addictive" and likes the Banh Canh soup, calling the restaurant, combined with the nearby Hiep Thai Market, a "compelling culinary adventure."

DALLAS MORNING NEWS -- Kim Pierce gives two stars to the Coffee House Cafe up in far North Dallas, "an area of town that isn’t exactly crawling with comfort food and nonchain coffee spots." She likes the "wonderful ricotta-lemon pancakes" but didn't like the "Japanese-method cold brew," which was "smack-down strong and bitter." She found the burger "disappointingly dense and meaty" and the service uneven. They need more practice, she writes, but "you can see the team is taking shape."

Neighborhood Services. [Photo: James W./Yelp]