Restaurants in Medford

Lorenz Island Kuisine’s roots are immediately visible on its ceiling, where a Jamaican flag proudly hangs. A few more steps inside the warmly lit eatery and more roots begin to show. There’s the orange walls with green trim, and the smell of Jamaican food wafting from the open kitchen. There, the kitchen staff cooks curry goat and plates crispy, brown pieces of jerk chicken. Other dishes include oxtail, plantains, rice and beans, beef patties encased in flaky crust, and almond cake made with rum and topped with icing. Many of the dishes double as loveable characters in the eatery’s recipe book.

Steam rises from delicate porcelain teacups arranged on the tables inside the British-style tearoom of The Tea Leaf. The clink of china melds with the casual chatter as guests relax in satin-draped chairs. Patrons nibble on teatime accompaniments such as savory sandwiches and fruit scones slathered with strawberry preserves and fresh-whipped cream made in-house. Flowers and candles adorn the tables, and the walls are decorated with pretty teacups and lush landscape paintings recalling the English countryside.

The chefs at Owl Station Japanese Bistro accent their recipes with splashes of ponzu sauce and rainbows of roe. In addition to nigiri sushi and sashimi, they craft an array of specialty rolls menu, such as the Red Sox maki with lobster and asparagus, and the Christmas maki, stuffed with shrimp tempura. The staff also prepare cooked entrees, such as udon noodle and rice dishes, as well as beef teriyaki and vegetable tempura. Paintings and decorative Japanese masks dot the dining room walls, which alternate between vibrant cobalt paint and exposed brick.

Imperial Kitchen's chefs have prepared authentic Chinese cuisine for more than 35 years, searing seasoned chicken, roast pork, seafood, and assorted garden pluckings in vegetable oil. Classic dishes such as cashew chicken and satay beef arrive fresh and made to order so that diners can customize the heat level of each dish, turning the dial from mild to extra spicy to hotter than a pile of burning fireman calendars. Combo dinners bolster favorite entrees with pork-fried rice, whereas chef's specialties add inventive flair with lotus flour and flavorful ginger sauce, spicy orange sauce, or the chef's signature sauce.:

The chefs at Mike's Food & Spirits whip together a bevy of classic seafood dishes, pasta plates, and other Italian favorites. Pizzas hoist mounds of bacon, ricotta, and sausage atop floury crusts, and made-to-order calzones enfold shaved steak, breaded chicken, or bites of eggplant for easy transport to mouths or convenient self-storage inside purses. Patrons also sate hungers with Old World recipes such as the sausage cacciatore, where italian sausage mingles with peppers and mushrooms in a homemade marinara sauce, and a seafood platter that sets taste buds sailing with deep-fried haddock, shrimp, and scallops. Taps pour plentiful American microbrews and imports to accompany meals, assuage tongues exhausted from exploring flavorful sauces, and severely reduce one’s chances of spontaneous combustion.

North 26, located inside the stately Millennium Bostonian Hotel, dishes up contemporary takes on classic New England cuisine, harnessing fresh seafood and prime meats to construct dishes that have earned glowing accolades from Gayot and Zagat. For breakfast or an insomniac's dinner, chefs serve house-cured corned-beef hash and steel-cut oatmeal flecked with raw vanilla sugar. The dinner menu flaunts elegant sandwiches and entrees, such as seared swordfish and 1.5-pound Maine lobsters that beget beer-battered claw meat and grilled tail. At the fully stocked bar, a smattering of small plates occupies fingers as signature cocktails blended with top-quality bourbon, vermouth, and other liquors satisfy thirsty coasters.

Understated lighting from dangling, cylindrical fixtures glistens off the sleek, modern wood furnishings that adorn nearly every facet of North 26's décor, from the chairs and tables to the blinds and high ceilings. Dozens of wines contemplate ways to break free from their cork confinement and run off with their martini lovers from inside an illuminated rack, which towers over the dining area amid exposed-brick walls and skylights. Full-wall windows permit vistas of bustling Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall located downtown, just beyond North 26's outdoor dining patio.