Which buzzy city kitchens are still hot — and which are not

Steve Cuozzo

Restaurant reviews have short shelf lives. Whether you agree or not with a movie critic or a book critic about a particular work, at least it's the same movie or book months or years later.

But restaurants change over time, and often in no time. In the spirit of catching up with reality, here are revised judgments of some places I've written about in the past few years.

The happy news: three upgrades to 3 stars.

The bad? Well . . .

Zandy Mangold

The Peruvian-style lobster is no longer claws for celebration at La Mar.

LA MAR CEBICHERIA PERUANA

OLD RATING: 2 1/2 stars, in October 2011. NEW RATING: 0 stars

Chef/owner Gaston Acurio, whose fans call him the "Latin Mario Batali," got off to a galloping start with his ceviche-driven South American empire's US debut. I winked at bland décor and goofy and barely-there service for the pleasure of Peruvian-inspired dishes intensely assembled around aji chilies in myriad complexions.

But leap-of-faith reviews may prove unfaithful. Today, La Mar Cebicheria's floor team is better staffed and trained. But shrill sauces seemingly made on the fly make it impossible to taste seafood. Once-sparkling quinoa salad lost the golden scallops that first adorned it; sludgy potato causa weighs down dish after dish.

Arroz criollo with "Peruvian" seafood combination evoked the greasiest Cantonese fried rice (which would cost half of La Mar's $22), and sangria tasted like Hawaiian Punch.

Mario should sue for defamation.

11 Madison Ave.; 212-612-3388

J. Scott Wynn

Tje neef at BLT Steak has improved with age.

BLT STEAK

OLD RATING: 2 1/2 stars, in April 2004. NEW RATING: 3 stars

Why bother blessing a place with half-a-star more than I did in a review nine years ago? Because — this happens more than critics like to admit — I was being too picky, as I've realized every time I've been there since.

It didn't bode well when founding chef Laurent Tourondel left after his split with former partner Jimmy Haber a few years ago. But Haber understood the importance of his growing empire's flagship, and BLT Steak has kept up its game — not only in the beef that's the heart of the mix-and-match menu, but in everything from spicy,

soy-and-lime-dressed tuna tartare to the famous house popovers.

No wonder the place continues to thrive despite burial beneath a scaffold that seems to have been up since the Giuliani administration. May BLT Steak long outlive it. 106 E. 57th St.; 212-752-7470

Getty Images

Michelin-starred chef Laurent Manrique could stand to spend more time at Millesime, a brasserie now overshadowed by a raucous neighboring lounge.

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