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From seafood to pizza and from high-end dining to neighborhood cafes, you'll have no trouble eating well in Boston. New England cuisine abounds with seafood and local produce, but there's no particular "Boston style." Thanks to constant turnover, though, every chef in town seems to have supervised or worked for nearly every other chef. Many kitchens show signs of similar influences, particularly in the mingling of ethnic elements and ingredients.
Boston has shaken a reputation for stodgy food and stodgier restaurants, even among hard-core snobs and wannabe New Yorkers. Pockets of Gotham-esque see-and-be-seen action enliven the market in various neighborhoods. The hottest places as of now (they could be different as you read) are Toro, in the South End (617-536-4300); Bin 26 Enoteca, Beacon Hill (617-723-5939;); and the 24-hour Miel Brasserie Provençale
As in any city of neighborhoods, the local standby occupies an honored place. Depending on the neighborhood, this dependable establishment may be a pocket-sized bistro, an ethnic counter, a diner, or an elegant dining room. Just never dismiss a restaurant because you can't find it in a guidebook. Your friends who can't shut up about the great place around the corner may be ahead of the curve.
Below are a few more favorite establishments:
- The first two steps of the quintessential arrival in Boston are unpacking and ordering a lobster, and not necessarily in that order. The best place for lobster and anything else fishy is Legal Sea Foods. Sure, you might think the best seafood would be at a little place in a back alley rather than an internationally famous (oh, the horror) chain. Just trust us on this one.
- Speaking of alleys, Casa Romero is a place you can walk past a thousand times and never notice. In an alley a stone's throw from Newbury Street, this romantic hideaway serves flavorful traditional Mexican cuisine.
- In chain-store-choked Harvard Square, Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage is a welcome slice of authenticity. A mom-and-pop place that serves yummy burgers (beef, turkey, and veggie) and phenomenal onion rings. A quirky delight.
- For fine dining in an elegant town-house setting, try Mamma Maria — the best restaurant in the North End. It's a romantic special-occasion destination that deftly combines the traditional (great osso buco and short ribs) with super-fresh ingredients and creative techniques (excellent seafood specials).
- At the other end of the culinary spectrum but only a few blocks away, Pizzeria Regina is the classic North End pizza parlor. The ferocious brick oven produces a superb crust that perfectly complements the tasty toppings. Just don't get in the way of the whirling-dervish waitresses.
One final food-related tip: In Boston, if you hear someone order a "regular coffee" and decide to pretend to be a local and follow suit, it will come to you with cream and sugar already added.
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