So what restaurants do live up to the hype??

[Girl Friday]

LOVE the other topic, so thought I'd post the alter topic. What restaurants in the boston area do you think actually do live up to the hype? I know the answer is probably none of them, but all the same, humor me. . .

[jack324]

I've been living in Boston for seven years now, and I'm consistently disappointed by the food around these parts. But then again, you could call me spoiled, since before I moved to Boston, I spent my entire life in New York City and Sydney, which I consider to be two of the three greatest food cities (the other being Paris). Food here tends to lack creativity, flavor and inspiration. That being said, I have eaten at some really good restaurants in Boston, but you need to look out for them, research them, etc. The only places that stick out in my mind right now as being exceptional are Oishii, No. 9 Park and Top of the Hub.

[Gio]

Well I'm gonna sneak in here and trot out my list of restaurants that never fail to disappoint me and thus live up to their individual hype...in no particular order:
Blue Ginger
Hammersley's
Icarus
Artu/Prince St.
La Vita Mia
The Blue Room
Rialto
Harvest
Mike's Pastry

[kweesee]

dok bua
rod dee
el pelon
no.9 park
mistral
sibiling rivalry
metropolis
bartley's burgers
shabuzen
**oiishi !!
parish cafe

[saridt]

Top of the list for me are:

Taranta
Sorrellina
Eastern Standard
L'Osteria
Troquet
dante (Cambridge)
L'il Vinny's (Somerville)
Tu y Yo (Somerville)
The Independent (Somerville)
The Duck Walk (Wakefield)
Riverview Pizza (Ipswich)

And not exactly "Boston Area" but would drive all the way to Ogunquit, ME at almost any time to eat at MC Perkins Cove or Arrows...

[riverboy]

Gotta like certain dishes at both Mistral and Olives (Charlestown).

Grill 23 is always a good choice (unless you like quiet rooms) because it not only serves great beef but has other dishes as well (unlike Capitol Grill which you only go to when you know everyone wants an aged steak).

[teezeetoo]

i've never had a bad meal at La Morra or at Blue Ginger, and I've always enjoyed wine night at L'Espalier.

[expatCanuck]

Hmmm. Went to Blue Ginger once. Perhaps they were having a bad night, but I was totally underwhelmed. Bland, gloppy & uninteresting.

Have enjoyed L'Espalier, but way overpriced. For half the cost, I could get a better dinner at the late, lamented Federalist. And I've always enjoyed Rialto.

Over in my neck of the woods (Coolidge Corner), I've always enjoyed Matt Murphy's pub, the Publick House, Ginza, Lemongrass and Taberna de Haro.

[stephanieb]

I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned as of yet, but Mistral has consistently rocked my world, the Tuna Tatare being one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten.

Other restaurants on my list

Oishii Sushi - Chestnut Hill and South End locations
Neptune Oyster
Union
B&G Oyster

And on the South Shore:
Tosca - Hingham
Square Cafe - Hingham
Bia Bistro - Cohasset

Edited because it's Chestnut Hill! Doh! :)

[MaineRed]

How are we defining hype? think about it, there's so much hype in this town about restaurants and chefs, everything from Phantom Gourmet (poopoo if you must, but this outlet is a huuuge resource to many people) to TV Diner to every publication (free or not). when I think of Boston-specific hype i think of Todd English and the Hilltop :D

these places have surpassed my expectations, and you hear about them a lot:
gargoyles
craigie
oleana

i really do like eastern standard at the bar -- havent bothered with dinner yet ;)

I guess it's easy to point to the fancier places but there are many just regular places that we've never had a bad meal at: Strip Ts, Publick House, Vinnys at Night, Bob's Italian foods, Namaskar, Santarpios, etc....

[BackBayGirl]

In my opinion, right or wrong to anyone, I think that Pizzeria Regina (the original location in N. End), Franklin Cafe, Union Bar & Grille, Durgin Park (for good down home New England cooking), Bristol Lounge, are all ones who live up to the hype.

[jjbourgeois]

This question borders on torture! I've just returned from a week in San Francisco, and in comparision, NO Boston restaurant livesup to the hype! The spouse and I are eating in (luckily I can cook) and the thought of eating at any Boston establishment is repulsive at this point in time. We have in the past enjoyed L'Espalier, the Four Seasons, Radius, No.9 Park, etc., etc,. etc,.

But none of them compare with the freshness, the inspiration, and the preparation of the meals we had in SF. Boston is NOT a food town. Blame it on the seasons, the weather, the location, the signs, but Boston has a long way to go before it is a Foodie location.

[Blumie]

That's ridiculous (IMHO, of course! : ) ). Boston certainly is no SF when it comes to food. But some of our best places -- Clio, No. 9, L'Esaplier -- would be great restaurants in SF, or in NY, or in LA. San Franciscans are blessed with a wealth of wonderful places, far more than a city that size deserves, but the hyperbole of your post does a tremendous disservice to the many (albeit not as many as SF) great food establishments that we are fortunate to have.

[jjbourgeois]

The establishments in Boston that are worthy are few and far between. But that opinion may be due to the PTSD i'm suffering after coming back to Boston. The two things we noticed were service and price. Even at the low end places service was fantastic. Price, well was a surprise. We went to Michael Mina's for the 6 course tasting menu with wine tasting. Surprise was, Michael Mina's was almost $100 cheaper than the equivalent at L'espalier! The last time we ate at L'espalier, one of the courses on the tasting menu was paired with a beer. Not that I have anything against beer, but given the price I expected better. San Fran did not disappoint. We only had 1 meal, that it wasn't bad, everything was cooked perfectly, but it just wasn't memorable. But we had fabulous meals ( for 2 ) in the $80 - $100 price range (not including tip) that extremely few places in Boston could match.

And service, well it took getting used to servers that didn't hate their jobs. They all seemed to be enthusiatic and enjoy their jobs. They all like going through the menus and describing their favorites. Rare if you ever see that in Boston.

[9lives]

Funny..if there was a thread about SF restaurants that didn't live up to the hype(which is what the thread is about...only for Boston), Michael Mina would rank high up on that list.

[limster]

I never found any good Bengali food when I was in SF, nor was I able to score good moqueca or feijoada or other good Brazilian chow. Maybe I didn't look very hard back when I lived there, but I've had better luck with Dominican or Salvadorean here, especially in East Boston. We've got a pretty decent Foochow restaurant in Chinatown (Potluck Cafe) and I never saw any Foochow places there. Shanghainese was definitely comparable since Shanghai Gate and New Shanghai opened up. And I'd pick Aneka Rasa over Straits Cafe or Singaporean Malaysian in SF. The list goes on.....

Of course there are good restaurants everywhere and every geographic region has its strengths. there's nothing even remotely close to Maki here, or Hama-Ko. Certainly very little that approaches the elegance and refinement of the late Elisabeth Daniel, although I sometimes sense echoes of that at Salts. And as for Acme Bakery, 'nuff said. A neighbourhood Cantonese place like South Seafood Village (back when I was there) would have been head and shoulders above all the Cantonese places I've been to here.

Thus, it's important to appreciate what's good for the area, and understand what's world class (note: world class isn't necessarily what's in NYC or LA or SF), and not get worked up because King Fung Garden isn't like Quanjude.

"Fine dining" restaurants aren't just the only places that serve delicious food. There's a huge world of chow out there, some with sauces that are more intricate or dishes that are just as technically demanding than what one would see at French or New American places. The Chowhound FAQ puts it more succinctly than I can: http://www.chowhound.com/faq#chowhound

Getting a little closer to the question posed here, to be honest, my personal opinion is that hype, or reputation, is irrelevant. At the end of the day, everyone of us has to be responsible to finding our own version of deliciousness. We can use the information out there to try something, but deciding whether that suits one's tastes is for the individual. And rather than be told who's good, I believe chowhounds want to decide for themselves, and better yet, find new places that serve something they consider delicious. Zagat's is a fine book, it's the dependence on Zagat's that's bad.

[FoodArt]

While I agree with you that San Francisco is an unbelievable food scene, Betelnuts, being one of my favorites as well as the Slanted Door, and Zunis. Don't discredit what Boston has to offer. We aren't trying to compete with San Francisco or New York. Living up to the "hype" I would say:
Clio, Mistral, Radius, No.9, Eastern Standard(but really only when Jamie was the chef), Toro(but once again you have to wonder if it was better when Anthony was there), Craigie Street, East Coast for brunch, Oishii there are a good amount of restaurants in Boston that live up to the hype.

[MC Slim JB]

Yeah, that whole "my city is a better Chow-town than your city" is a pretty useless discussion, and discouraged by the mods here.

[marthayou]

I agree this argument could go on forever. Having been born and raised in SF to a rest. family then moving to Boston, there are differences. But I am not sure it is overall better.

Things out there are different. Farmers markets, fresh produce, etc. I greatly miss the SF concept of a farmers market menu. So far only Cragie has done it, that I know of and would love to hear about more.

IMHO the major difference in SF vs. Boston is that SF has alot of redundancy...how many goat cheese apps does one city need???(and I love goat cheese) or beet salad.

However I find in Boston that many "chef" rest. the chef doesnt actually cook!. The oversee, build a menu, etc. But I tell you. every time I eat at a KO place or a Lynch, etc I never see them coming out of the kitchen with a chef coat on. I find there to be many more working chefs in SF. I think that makes a huge difference.

Back on topic

Craigie
no. 9
the old Fed(many would disagree)
Franklin
and besides the one HORRIBLE experience I had at b side, I love it.

[jjbourgeois]

I definitely agree. When was the last time someone saw Todd English come out of the kitchen at Figs? Or saw Barbara Lynch work the dining room? And it's not just Boston, who's seen Mario Batali or Bobby Flay in a kitchen? I would rather spend my money at a restaurant where the chef works, than a restaurant that works from someones cookbook. This seems to be a whole new topic that needs discussion. "Celebrity Chefs: Are Their Restaurants Worth Our Money If They're Not in the Kitchen?"

[MC Slim JB]

Todd English is obviously an absent father as far as his restaurants in Boston go. I don't think Barbara Lynch deserves that particular criticism.

As much as I have mixed feelings about her restaurants (love the bar/cafe at No. 9, am indifferent to the dining room, love B+G, am less enthralled with The Butcher Shop), it's kind of hard to gainsay Lynch's work ethic: that woman puts in the hours across her empire. I regularly see her face at each of her various ventures. She also manages to attract, cultivate, and retain great talents around her.

She may not be a figure to inspire a lot of warm, fuzzy love, but she's clearly one of the most talented, ambitious, driven, and business-savvy of our local chef/owners, a fascinating character. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she does with that big honking Southie venture she has in the works.

[limster]

I think the percentage of working chefs aren't actually that different, when we look at restaurant scenes as a whole. Celebrity chefs and their restaurants are a drop in the ocean -- there are so many working chefs across so many chef-driven restaurants in so many different cuisines that we sometimes forget about because they are not in the media all the time.

[marthayou]

It is not a matter of if they work the rest. I see them at their rest. I never see them cook!

I agree it is not Boston. But I feel as though this city is especially chef driven.
Is KO making tacos at La verdad or is Joanne Chang Making cookies at Flour. Is Todd English grilling the steak? Or even expediting from the kitchen to ensure the food is at their standards? I find people(granted not the brightest people) flock to a rest. with a chef name and have no idea they are not actually cooking.

I do agree with Lynches vision and work ethic. Sometimes I would like to know if they can really temp meat.

[limster]

Joanne Chang, Ken Oringer or Todd English are in the vast minority; celebrity chef restaurants are in the vast minority. There are tons more restaurants where we may have never heard of the chef, but produce good food. There are lots of good Sichuan, Mexican, Salvadorean, Shanghainese, Dominican, Bengali, Korean, Brazilian, Portuguese, Columbian etc. chefs out there cooking in in their own chef-driven restaurants.

[Chuckles the Clone]

I live in San Francisco but I spent six years in Boston in the late-80s. It's great to see so many of my old favorites on this thread. Regina, the Modern, Durgin Park, Tosci's, Christina's, Bartley's! I'd also add, anyplace where a Greek person is cooking breakfast (but I suppose those places never get any hype?). Nothing out here comes even remotely close.

[expatCanuck]

> ... anyplace where a Greek person is cooking breakfast ...
As a former short-order cook who was the only one in the kitchen who *didn't* speak Greek, I'd have to agree. ;7)

[sophie fox]

OK, I'm sort of astounded by posters who have disagreed with others' postings, it's one person's opinion, hello? - but that's beside the point.For me, the list includes:
Bristol Lounge
Aujourd'hui
Parish Cafe
Peach Farm
Oak Bar (drinks)
Durgin Park
China Pearl
Maria's Pastry
Modern Pastry
Mike's Pastry
Pizzaria Regina

[csammy]

Clio
No. 9 Park
Troquet
Neptune

[Boston Scene]

Really at the end of the day its your own opinion that matters because you're the one eating the food, but below are some restaurants I have never been disapointed at.

Prezza
Taranta
Bacco
Gaslight
Dali
UBurger (far from high end, but DELICIOUS)
Eastern Standard
Smith and Wollensky (a chain, but I love a good steak)

I live in the North End and if you are ever looking for a quick, but delicious bite to eat pop into Express Cafe, it has some of the best simple pasta dishes in the North End its quick and won't cost you more than $15. I eat there for dinner when I dont feel like cooking at least three times a week!

[hiddenboston]

Boston Scene, are you talking about Il Panino Express? I love the Il Panino on Parmenter Street, but haven't been to the Express yet.

[Gabatta]

How many times have you eaten at Gaslight? It hasn't been open a week,

[hotoynoodle]

that struck me too. hardly anybody even knows gaslight is open yet!

[bachslunch]

Although I've been to a lot of restaurants, my budget mostly allows me to hit only inexpensive spots on at least a semi-ongoing basis, so bear that in mind when seeing the list of places where I've consistently had worthwhile food:

Toscanini's ice cream
Herrell's ice cream
Rosie's Bakery (baked goods specifically)
Galleria Umberto
Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe (breakfast only)
Flat Patties
Sound Bites (breakfast only)
Johnny D's (brunch only)
Oishii (Chestnut Hill)
Anna Taqueria
Pagliuca's
Felipe's
Trident Bookstore and Cafe
China Pearl (dim sum)
Giacomo's
King Fung Garden
Other Side Cafe
Maria's Pastry
Modern Pastries
Mike's Pastries
Popeye's (Kenmore Sq.)

[sifsw]

to add to lists above, Shangri-La, which speaking of hype of sorts, makes an appearance in today's Globe...

[wittlejosh]

I want to second Metropolis Cafe, but for dinner as well

[RoseWethersfield]

Rialto + West Side (bar menus)
Tacos Lupitos (take away)
Christina's (ice cream)
Town Dinner (brunch: although I think french toast + pancakes far surpass their egg dishes)
Metropolis (brunch)
Devon (provincetown)

[hiddenboston]

Applebee's (KIDDING)

I'd say that these live up to the hype, IMO:
Regina's
Giacomo's
Brown Sugar Cafe
Santarpio's
O'Sullivan's
Oishii
Kimball's

[terrycatch]

Cragie Street Bistro, without fail
Also, Oga's if ordering omikase from sushi chef Misaki-san (i.e., his pick)

[Bob MacAdoo]

Should have included Craigie. Good call TC.

[tdaaa]

Second Taranta - consistently great, novel combinations of flavors.

I don't remember a bad Shangri-La review on this board, and would recommend it to all but the least adventurous eaters.

[wittlejosh]

O Ya
Neptune Oyster (though considering the hype, this one's getting close to the edge)
Franklin Cafe
Dok Bua
Anise
No. 9 Park cocktail menu

[Bob MacAdoo]

Neptune (yet again)
Taranta (yet again)
Clio
Sage
Eastern Standard
U Burger
Peach Farm
Grill 23
Beehive (drinks and scene more than food)
Blue Room
La Taqueria Mexicana
Mexico Lindo
La Via Mia

[ljw7]

Not Anise - the place is in sad need of some professional management in the dining room. The food is still generally tasty but they've dumbed it down a fair bit for American tastes. The bartender very enthusiastically told me about how hard it was to get the imported Chinese cooks to cut back on the seasoning - but sadly, they managed.

[babyblue]

Neptune Oyster
Taranta
Toro

[Rabbit]

Another vote for Central Kitchen... and we were very pleased with Troquet.

[Gabatta]

I have never been disapointed with the following:

O Ya (yes it is actually worth the price)
Sorrellina
Mr. Bartleys
Charlie's Sandwich for Breakfast (M-F; Sat is another story)
Pizzeria Regina (2nd)
Christina's (2nd)

[rlh]

For me, based on the past year or two:

Central Kitchen
Toro
Neptune Oyster
Christina's Ice Cream
Eastern Standard (especially the bar)
Catch
King Fung Garden (Chinatown location)
Maria's (bakery - North End - but is there really hype?)
Pizzeria Regina

[pollystyrene]

The places where I've thought I'd died and gone to heaven, consistently, are:

Mamma Maria
Prezza
Mike's Pastry
Pizzeria Regina
Kimball's (ice cream)

It's a good thing I don't live in the North End. I've had great meals and great dishes at other places, but I've never been anything but swept off my feet at these.

[Blumie]

Well, at least on this board, most of the hype for Mike's is bad!

[sophie fox]

That wasn't the question, nor do I think that I've seen a consensus that Mike's is "bad" - and I agree with pollystyrene that Mike's lives up to the "hype" - ricotta pie is the best I've had.

[Blumie]

Actually it was the question: what restaurants live up to the hype? But the question presumes that the hype is good, and the consensus (albeit not universal) is that Mike's is just ok. (My calling it "bad" is an overstatement.) That you and pollystrene like it is great; nothing wrong with that at all. It's just that Mike's does not get a lot of favorable hype on this board.

[b12s12]

get off the beaten path and head for bova's! it's the best cannoli you'll ever put in your mouth and the ricotta pie!!! you'll never find anyone from the north end at mike's b/c they're on salem st. at bova's bakery.

[Northender]

Gotta respectfully disagree with you on this one. While I am no fan of Mike's either, the best cannoli and ricotta pie may be foud at the Modern or Maria's.

[hiddenboston]

I prefer the cannolis at Modern, but I tend to go to Bova's more often because they are open 24/7, and they do have some other items I really like (Italian cookies, cakes, pizza, etc.).