Named "Best Tapas" by Boston Phoenix readers in 2012! If it was possible to orgasm from a cob of corn — don't even go there — it would be from Toro's succulent maiz asado con alioli y queso cotija. Read more.
Voted "Best New Restaurant" by @BostonPhoenix readers in 2012! Charcuterie heaven! Read more.
Voted "Best Italian Restaurant" by @BostonPhoenix readers in 2012! Get the house-made pasta with smoked pancetta, sea urchin, and farm egg. Read more.
Voted "Best Late-Night Restaurant" by @BostonPhoenix readers in 2012! Also serving wine and beer til 1 am. Thereafter: get a steak and a milkshake. Read more.
Jody Adams changed the game on Boston’s waterfront with the casual, globally influenced Trade, which gives downtowners an affordable range of dishes served all day. Read more.
In the midst of this year’s tequila and tacos boom, the upscale Tico, from Michael Schlow of Radius, Via Matta, and Alta Strada, offered an instant party. Read more.
When this charcuterie funhouse opened over the summer, it gave South End and Back Bay residents a spacious and much-needed beer garden. Read more.
Decorated with Buddhas and populated by scantily clad cocktail waitresses, Red Lantern has a night-life vibe. But tasty snacks, sushi, and steaks make it more than just a scene. Read more.
Bondir emphasizes local and seasonal ingredients; nothing new about that. And yet the dishes on the constantly changing menu don’t resemble anyone else’s. Read more.
You’ll find raw bar and barbecue in the eclectic mix, which also includes the likes of Gouda fries, persimmon-beet salad, green curry duck, and baked shells and cheese. Read more.
It may look like an old-fashioned butcher shop, but this upscale Back Bay spot offers every modern variation on the burger you could dream up – and all between great buns. Read more.
To taste the wide swathe of cuisines Lure's menu covers, start with a few oysters, move on to sushi and perhaps close with the Continent-inflected grilled whole daurade. Read more.
"It serves martinis at the table in the shaker. You thus get full measure, and the waiter doesn't spill drops of valuable gin on the floor while walking it to you." -Gay Talese Read more.
"I order a big creamy bowl of café au lait when the place is peppered with discreet, big-deal New Yorkers." -Chef Gabrielle Hamilton, in the WSJ's Insider's Guide to New York City Read more.
"It's an Irish place attended by neighborhood sports fans, firemen, cops, writers and old-timers who've been coming here for 50 years or so." -Gay Talese, in the WSJ's Insider's Guide to New York City Read more.
"It's my home-cooking spot. I understand why Patti Smith said it would be where she'd have her last meal." -Chloe Sevigny, in the WSJ's Insider's Guide to NYC Read more.
"Even though it gets a big fashion and art-world crowd, it always has a Zen vibe. It's my sanctuary, even on weekend nights. I get the black cod." -Chloe Sevigny, in the WSJ's Insider's Guide to NYC Read more.
The waiters are interactive, and the food - Asian dishes, mostly Chinese, in smallish portions perfect for sharing - is high in flavor and low in price. Read more.
Mu Lan Taiwanese Restaurant owners Hong Tan and her brother, chef Shui Huang Han, make a different version of fried chicken. Read more.
A classic Chinese and Polynesian restaurant serving crab rangoons, cashew chicken with Peking sauce, and other classics. A fun place to dine! Read more.
In the old Southie, if you hankered for Asian take-out, you settled for greasy fried rice served in styrofoam. Teriyaki House has changed that. Read more.
On the menu at this Brighton locale? Pineapple shrimp, Peking duck, moo goo gai pan, and broccoli with oyster sauce, to name a few. Read more.
A Globe correspondent was pleasantly surprised in his 2011 review of Golden Temple, writing that the General Gau's chicken was some of the best he's had in Boston. Read more.
"We slurped down two gigantic steamed oysters swimming in ginger-scallion sauce, then tackled the fragrant pile of fried jumbo shrimp with spiced salt." Read more.
"At Chilli Garden, owner Zheng Hu imports hot bean sauce, chilis, pickles, wild mushrooms, peppercorns, and other spices directly from Sichuan province. Read more.
This Chinatown spot is a popular late-night hangout for hungry bargoers come closing time: While Boston's watering holes turn off the lights at 2 a.m., Chau Chow City serves until 3 a.m. Read more.
Changsho is the fourth Chinese restaurant run by the Chen family, who also own Lotus Blossom in Sudbury, Water Lily in Wayland, and Lotus Flower in Framingham. Read more.
The best birthday restaurant offers a homey French feast, centered on a shareable dish like roasted chicken, for groups of 8 to 12 on the long “kitchen table” in the back. Read more.