North End Dinner for about 8

[jmac42]

Hi There,

I am planning a work dinner for 8 co-workers (some are chowish and some are not) on a Wednesday night in June. We will be dining in the North End, and I haven't been for a long time and need some help. I have searched this board up and down and have not found too much agreement. I checked out some websites of places that 'hounds did seem to like consistantly but Prezzo and Mama Maria's are a little too pricy to get the boss to pick up the tab. The daily catch is too seafood specific for our group. So what I could use is a couple of places where the food is great (but not as pricey as Prezzo), and also a few places to avoid would also be great.

thanks in advance,
j

[lasershow]

Rabia's on Salem St. is wonderful. It is very reasonably priced, in comparison to other North End restaurants, AND it is one of the few restaurants which serves dessert and coffee! Most of the other ones don't, as they don't want you to linger...they want you OUT and into the cafes. Rabia's is small, but they enlarged last year and now have another room where I hear they serve sushi. Seems like a strange combination to me -- an Italian/Sushi restaurant -- but what the heck.

[lescaret]

For what it's worth, I had a very disappointing experience at Rabia's last week and would definitely not return, not with all the other places to try in the North End. If interested, check out this post:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/521928

[Bostonbob3]

While I generally like Rabia's simple-but-tasty food quite a bit, I think I know exactly who your "hipster" waiter was.

Bad luck for you, but in general, I wouldn't give up on the place completely.

[matt21sz]

Pagliuca's on Parmenter is superb. Simple, traditional Italian...but absolutely spot-on with their dishes.

[luci]

We did a group dinner last June at Rabia. It was fabulous.

[MeffaBabe]

I would have to second Rabia as well. My meals there are always terrific and there is something for everyone.

[Pegmeister]

Antico Forno is nice if you can get a table. They're not real good about reservations. You may also like Artu. Their menu is quite varied. I favor the shrimp scampi or sausage and rabe pizzas, but also enjoy the chicken stuffed with spinach and prosciutto served with marinated eggplant. Steaks are great and they do a wonderful job with calamari and mussels.

[phatchris]

Another place to avoid ,which I actually used to enjoy, would be Euno. I don't know if they changed owners/chefs, but the menu is different and I got some of the worst veal parm of my life in there...... Im talking preggo ragu bad.

[TomH]

That is so sad to hear as Euno was a favorite of my Wife and I for years. We had many memorable meals there but haven't been in a few years now.

Was this a recent dining experience?

[content]

I'm sorry for phatchris' experience. I just went to Euno for my first time this week (due in part to CH), and we enjoyed friendly service, yummy food (although there was a bit more oil than necessary), and large portions. The chicken parm was huge, cheesey, and I enjoyed the crispy edges.

[Bostonbob3]

Wholeheartedly agree with nasilemak's suggestions. Especially Taranta. You might also look into Rabia's. Certainly not cutting-edge Italian, but tasty, solid, and very reasonably priced.

Place to avoid? La Famiglia.

[bachslunch]

And that goes for both "La Famiglia" restaurants in the North End, LFSpagnuolo and LFGiorgio. The former in fact is arguably the worst place to eat in the area, and that's saying something.

[nasilemak]

Try Marco, Taranta or Antico Forno.