I will have a lot more to say here, but I have not been able to find the time to devote to this subject. This page has been under construction for years now! I really do not know when I will pick up and continue with this page.
The first Boston restaurant I have reviewed just must be mentioned on this skeleton of a page, and that is Olives in Charlestown. For now, I list it first, out of alphabetical order.
Since I am not averse to driving to eat, I include in this page places as far away as about an hour from Boston, such as in Providence, RI. Places which are further away, such as in Springfield, MA are on my "Mike Wolfberg's Guide to Other Restaurants" page.
| Olives 10 City Square, Charlestown, MA, 617-242-1999, closed Sundays |
W-10, F-27, D-22, S-21 | |
|
This is an outstanding
food establishment, not just for Boston, but for anywhere.
They make this a difficult place to deal with logistically.
Although they do not take phone reservations for groups of less than 6,
they will allow you to make reservations in person when they open their
doors. This happens at 5:30 Tuesday through Friday and at 5:00 on Saturdays.
The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays.
At least on Fridays it is common that a short line
will have formed before the doors open. Unless you are agreeable to sit at
the bar to eat dinner, don't bother just showing up at dinner hour expecting
to be seated in a short amount of time. As long as you are willing to
go along with these difficulties, the place is worthy of such nonsense.
This is a chef-run operation, with an open kitchen in the sense that it is quite visible from the dining area. The quality of ingredients and cooking is outstanding. Presentations are artistic. Plates are usually complex, with a main course or two along with veggies. Servings are generous; it is tough to finish an appetizer (in addition to bread and olives), main dish, and dessert. They have a wood-burning grill and a wood-burning oven, where many of the dishes are cooked. Everything is good here, so I cannot recommend specific dishes. I tend to order duck and lamb dishes pimarily, but I have gotten fish, chicken, pork, and beef. They always have a vegetarian main course or two. Some desserts have to be ordered when you order your meal. The cheaper wine list is medium-sized and varied enough for me. The high-priced list is beyond my interests. The bar makes a good gin gimlet, and they serve these and straight-up martinis in the right kind of glass. They offer several wines by the glass. They have dessert wines, grappas, and other after-dinner drinks. This place can be noisy and therefore it a tough place to have a quiet conversation. If you go there with someone who speaks softly, you may not be able to hear that person. The noise level decreases after about 10 p.m. The main problem with Olives that I have is it sets a high standard against which I tend to judge all other restaurants which try to serve the same kind of food. So I am now less interested in going to many other good restaurants. I am comfortable with the complexities and strangenesses in the cooking. There was a brief period when things were getting too experimental for me, but they then returned back to the appropriate level. In contrast, I find that the food at Biba is generally a bit too strange. |
||
| Addis Red Sea 544 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 617-426-8727 |
W-8, F-17, D-19, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Adesso 161 Cushing St., Providence, RI, 401-521-0770 |
W-9, F-23, D19-, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Al Forno 577 S. Main St., Providence, RI, 401-272-7980 |
W-10, F-28, D-23, S-24 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Anthony's Pier Four 140 Northern Ave., Boston, MA, 617-423-6363 |
W-5, F-13, D-16, S-15 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Arirang House 162 Mass. Ave., Boston, MA, 617-536-1277 |
W-5, F-12, D-6, S-11 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Aujourd'Hui 200 Boylston St., Boston, MA, 617-338-4400 |
W-10, F-28, D-28, S-28 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bangalore Cafe 14 Thompson St., Winchester, MA |
W-7, F-, D-, S- | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bangkok Cuisine 177-A Mass. Ave., Boston, MA, 617-262-5377 |
W-8, F-21, D-14, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Biba 272 Boylston Ave., Boston, MA, 617-426-5684 |
W-8, F-25, D-25, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bison Country 275 Moody St., Waltham, MA, 781-642-9720 |
W-, F-, D-, S- | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Blue Room 1 Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA, 617-494-9034 |
W-8, F-23, D-20, S-20 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bombay Cafe 175 Mass Ave., Boston, MA, 617-247-0555 |
W-8, F-21, D-15, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bombay Club 57 JFK St., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-8100 |
W-6, F-20, D-18, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Bugaboo Creek Steak House North Shore Mall, Peabody, MA, 978-538-0100 |
W-4, F-19, D-19, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Capital Grill 359 Newbury St., Boston, MA, 617-262-8900 1 Cookson Pl., Providence, RI, 401-521-5600 |
W-10, F-24, D-24, S-23 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Casa Romero 30 Gloucester St., Boston, MA, 617-536-4341 |
W-9, F-20, D-21, S-20 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Chez Henri 1 Shepard St., Cambridge, MA, 617-354-8980 |
W-8, F-?, D-?, S-? | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| China Pearl 9 Tyler St., Boston, MA, 617-426-4338 |
W-8, F-19, D-11, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Cottonwood 1815 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-7440 |
W-7, F-21, D-20, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Dabin 10 Muzzey St., Lexington, MA, 781-860-0171 |
W-9, F-21, D-18, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Dali 415 Washington St., Somerville, MA, 617-661-3254 |
W-9, F-24, D-24, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Davio's Terrace 5 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-4810 |
W-8, F-21, D-19, S-20 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Dixie Kitchen 182 Mass Ave., Boston, MA, 617-536-3068 |
W-7, F-19, D-12, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Dynasty 33 Edinboro St., Boston, MA, 617-350-7777 |
W-8, F-16, D-11, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Elephant Walk 900 Beacon St., Boston, MA, 617-247-1500 70 Union Sq., Somerville, MA, 617-623-9939 |
W-8, F-24, D-21, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Erawan of Siam 459 Moody St., Waltham, MA, 781-899-3399 |
W-8, F-20, D-22, S-20 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Fig's 67 Main St., Charlestown, MA, 617-242-2229 |
W-10, F-24, D-16, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Forest Cafe (Mexican Cuisine) 1682 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-1634 |
W-9, F-22, D-7, S-15 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Ginza 16 Hudson St., Boston, MA, 617-338-2261 Beacon St., Brookline, MA, 617-566-9688 |
W-9, F-26, D-18, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Golden Palace 14 Tyler St., Boston, MA, 617-423-4565 |
W-7, F-19, D-11, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Grapevine 26 Congress St., Salem, MA, 978-745-9335 |
W-9, F-25, D-19, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Great Wall Bedford, MA, 718-275-7007 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Green Papaya 475 Winter St., Waltham, MA, 781-487-9988 |
W-8, F-20, D-16, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Green Street Grill 280 Green St., Cambridge, MA, 617-876-1655 |
W-10, F-22, D-11, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Hamersleys Bistro 553 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 617-423-2700 |
W-8, F-26, D-23, S-24 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Hardcover Peabody, MA, 978-774-1223 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Harrow's Rustic Roost Reading, MA, 781-944-0410 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Hartwell House 94 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA, 781-862-5111 |
W-, F-, D-, S- | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Helmand 143 First St., Cambridge, MA, 617-492-4646 |
W-9, F-23, D-23, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Hemenway's 1 Old Stone Sq., Providence, RI, 401-351-8570 |
W-9, F-20, D-18, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Hilltop Steak House 855 Broadway, Saugus, MA, 781-324-9200 |
W-6, F-16, D-10, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Iguana Cantina 313 Moody St., Waltham, MA, 781-891-3039 |
W-8, F-17, D-16, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Il Camino Leominster, MA, 978-537-5083 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Ipanema Southboro, MA, 508-460-6144 |
W-8 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Iruna 56 JFK St., Cambridge, MA, 617-868-5633 |
W-5, F-16, D-13, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Istanbul Cafe Bowdoin St., Boston, MA |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Jae's 1281 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA, 617-421-9405 |
W-9, F-23, D-18, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Jimmy's Harborside 242 Northern Ave., Boston, MA, 617-423-1000 |
W-8, F-18, D-17, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Joyce Chen 390 Rindge Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-492-7373 |
W-7, F-16, D-14, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| J.P. Seafood 730 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA, 617-? |
W-9 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| La Paloma 195 Newport Ave., Quincy, MA, 617-773-0512 |
W-5, F-21, D-15, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Le Bocage 72 Bigelow Ave., E, Watertown, MA, 617-923-1210 |
W-2, F-24, D-21, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Legal Seafoods 43 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, MA, 617-277-7300 |
W-9, F-22, D-15, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Lemongrass Main St., Lexington, MA, 781-862-3530 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Lendy's Broadway, Saugus, MA, 781-231-3180 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Little Pusan 83 Main St., Maynard, MA, 978-897-5107 |
W-8 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Lobster Pool Rockport, MA, 978-546-7808 |
W-10 | |
|
This is my favorite place to order lobster. It is open each summer
from about Memorial to Labor Days. It is very informal, with inside
and outdoor picnic tables. There is no table service - order at
the counter and they notify you by announcing your number when
your order is ready. They feature steamed lobsters, but you can also
get steamed clams, and various fried seafood. They have some
salads, clam rolls, lobster salad rolls, hamburgs, home-made pies.
They sell soft drinks, but no alcohol (this is Rockport), but you
are free to bring your own. They do not provide ice. Plastic
and paper plates are used. Plastic tableware is available. The lobsters are usually cooked to order quite well, but their main advantage over other places is that the lobsters are living in fresh sea water pumped into the restaurant from the ocean. The lobsters are usually availble in 3-4 sizes; we usually go for the 2-pounders which were priced at $22 in July, 1998. The steamed clams are $13 per quart and are usually excellent, but sometimes they run out of these. We usually get an order of steamers (clams) and a 2-pound lobster. Their New England clam chowder is decent, but not outstanding; when they are out of steamers, we may get a bowl of that. In addition, Wendy likes the Rockporter salad, which comes with walnuts and blue cheese; she gets this with the creamy Italian dressing. We tend to go there equipped with a bottle of wine in our cooler, a corkscrew, wine glasses, long forks, a spoon, a lobster cracker, citronella candle. Some folks bring their own table cloths. This place is right on the water at the Northern tip of Cape Ann, just to the West of Halibut Point State Park. It is a red shack you cannot miss when circling the Cape on Route 127. Because of it's unusual location on the water, you can observe the sun setting over the water here, so we like getting there to time our meal to end around sunset time. We usually sit outside. Too many bugs or too much wind or too low a tempoerature may force us inside. Outside, mosquitos begin to get more noticable as the sun begins to set; the citronella candle burning in a bucket under the table reduces these pests. They do not take credit cards - bring lots of cash! They may take checks. Ownership changed for the summer of 1998, but the place is run in much the same way as it has been for years. Some of the same folks are still working in the kitchen. The previous owner designed and built the built-in vessels in which the lobsters are cooked - these continue to be used. Zagat's does not rate this place. |
||
| Marino Ristorante 2465 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-868-5454 |
W-5, F-19, D-16, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Mercury Bar 116 Boyston St., Boston, MA, 617-482-7799 |
W-7, F-20, D-21, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Morton's of Chicago 1 Exeter Plaza, Boston, MA, 617-266-5858 |
W-7, F-25, D-18, S-23 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| New Mother India 336 Moody St., Waltham, MA, 781-893-3311 |
W-6, F-19, D-17, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Omonia 75 Charles St., Boston, MA, 617-426-4310 |
W-6, F-17, D-17, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Osteria di Bacco 26-28 Hawkes St., Marblehead, MA, 781-631-7816 |
W-9 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Pandan Brookline, MA |
W-9 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Papa-Razzi 768 Elm St., Concord, MA, 978-371-0030 |
W-7, F-17, D-17, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Peking Garden Waltham St., Lexington, MA, 781-862-1051 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Pellino's Marblehead, MA, 781-631-7816 |
W-8 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Pho Pateur 137 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA, 617-783-2340 |
W-7, F-20, D-8, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Pomodoro 319 Hanover St., Boston, MA, 617-367-4348 |
W-9, F-24, D-15, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Ponte Vecchio 435 Newbury St., Danvers, MA, 978-777-9188 |
W-7, F-24, D-19, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Poppa & Goose 69 First St., Cambridge, MA, 617-497-6772 |
W-6, F-18, D-12, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Porterhouse Cafe 2046 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-354-9793 |
W-5, F-20, D-10, S-14 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Providence 1223 Beacon St., Brookline, MA, 617-232-3440 |
W-8, F-24, D-21, S-21 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Rangoli 129 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA, 617-562-0200 |
W-9, F-?, D-?, S-? | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Rasoi 855 Worcester Rd., Framingham, MA, 508-872-4060 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Redbones 55 Chester St., Somerville, MA, 617-628-2200 |
W-8, F-23, D-13, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Rhythm & Spice 315 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-497-0977 |
W-6, F-18, D-17, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Rialto 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-5050 |
W-9, F-26, D-25, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Roka 1001 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA, 617-661-0344 |
W-8, F-21, D-18, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Santarpio's 111 Chelsea St., East Boston, MA, 617-567-9871 |
W-8, F-21, D-7, S-12 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Saporito 11 Rockland Circle, Hull, MA, 781-925-3023 |
W-10, F-26, D-18, S-23 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Sherborn Inn 33 N. Main St., Sherborn, MA, 508-655-9521 |
W-7, F-18, D-22, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Shiro Route 62 near I-495, Hudson, MA, 508-562-6771 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Shogun 9 Route 9 Eastbound, Natick, MA, 508-626-2110 |
W-9, F-23, D-?, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Sierra's Route 117, Maynard, MA, 978-443-0820 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Skipjack's 199 Clarendon St., Boston, MA, 617-536-3500 2 Brookline Pl., Brookline, MA, 617-232-8887 |
W-8, F-18, D-15, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Sol Azteca 914A Beacon St., Boston, MA, 617-262-0909 75 Union St., Newton, MA, 617-964-0920 |
W-9, F-19, D-17, S-17 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Southeast Asia Market St., Lowell, MA, 978-452-3182 |
W-9 | |
| This is an outstanding place, especially for the lunch buffet, which includes seriously spicy dishes. Food from many countries is served here. | ||
| St. Petersburg 236 Washington St., Brookline Village, MA, 617-277-7100 |
W-4 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Star of India 277B Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 617-867-9700 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Stromboli 187 North St., Newton, MA, 617-630-0002 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Szechuan Wakefield, MA, 781-245-7169 |
W-9 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Tapeo 266 Newbury St., Boston, MA, 617-267-4799 |
W-9, F-?, D-?, S-? | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Thai Chilli Main St., Maynard, MA, 978-897-2984 |
W-, F-, D-, S- | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Thai Grille at the Kowloon 948 Broadway, Route 1, Saugus, MA, 781-233-0077 |
W-9, F-16, D-17, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Thai Cuisine 14A Westland Ave., Boston, MA |
||
| This restaurant closed in the summer of 1997. A totally different restaurant is now in the same location. | ||
| Thai Pochana Westboro, MA, 508-836-3236 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Tosca 14 North St., Hingham, MA, 781-740-0080 |
W-10, F-24, D-24, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Trattoria Il Panino 126 Washington St., Marblehead, MA, 781-631-3900 |
W-9, F-22, D-19, S-18 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Udupi Bhavan Route 126, Ashland, MA, 508-820-0230 |
W-9 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Upstairs at the Pudding 10 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA, 617-864-1933 |
W-5, F-25, D-22, S-22 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Vietfoods Main St., Waltham, MA, 781-894-9783 |
W-6 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Wayside Inn Wayside Inn Rd., off Route 20, Sudbury, MA, 978-443-1776 |
W-6, F-17, D-23, S-19 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| White Rainbow 65 Main St., Gloucester, MA, 978-281-0017 |
W-9, F-25, D-22, S-23 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Willow Pond Kitchen 745 Lexington Rd., Concord, MA, 978-369-6529 |
W-6, F-12, D-12, S-13 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Woo Jung Ayer, MA, 978-772-5742 |
W-7 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| WuChon House 290 Somerville Ave., Somerville, MA, 617-623-3313 |
W-8, F-24, D-15, S-16 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| Yangtze River 25 Depot Sq., off Main St., Lexington, MA, 781-861-6030 Route 110, Littleton, MA, 978-486-0500 |
W-6, F-16, D-14, S-15 | |
| A review will go here. | ||
| back to the top of this page | This page, maintained by Mike Wolfberg, was last updated on November 06, 2007. |