Khayyam Restaurant

Trade, a restaurant from Chef Jody Adams of Rialto fame, is my one of my favorite restaurants in Boston, and a place I find myself again and again. Living in the Leather District, it is also luckily (and dangerously!) close to home, and when we get home to find the fridge bare we often take the short walk to Congress Street. Because we have tried the menu so many times, I’d like to share some of what I’ve found to be the best dishes on the menu. The space, by Fort Point Channel at the intersection of Congress Street and Atlantic Avenue, is airy and industrial, with lots of warm wood and exposed brick. The long bar area is a favorite of the after-work crowd, and is often filled with people from downtown looking for a drink before heading home. And with good reason: the drinks are delicious, especially their gingery cockney mule. As great as the bar scene is, it is so worthwhile to stay for dinner. The menu is served in the bar area as well as a more formal seating area at the front of the restaurant. While there are larger entrees on the menu (between $22 and $28), sharing the small plates ($7 to $15 each) is a delicious way to try several dishes. In line with the aim of using fresh local ingredients, the menu shifts with the seasons to feature the best produce available. There is always a crudo, and it has been delicious every time I have tried it. One memorable version featured fluke in a delicate coconut broth. The current menu includes a tuna crudo with wasabi, radish, chilli, and yuzu – yum! A perennial favorite of mine and a constant on the menu is the black bean enchilada with Taza mole, cabbage, and avocado. It is cooked in a small cast iron skillet in the huge pizza oven, which also crisps up several varieties of flatbreads. Another favorite is the crispy potatoes with paprika and cumin, simple but oh-so satisfying. Vegetables really shine, including avocado served with an addictive green mango-tamarind-peanut chutney, Brussels sprouts with harissa and dukkah, and gingered beets in a grainy mustard vinagrette. The menu often features burrata, a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream. A version we tried recently paired a zingy quince jam and toasted nuts with the rich cheese, for a perfect decadent forkful. While there are several interesting deserts on the menu, we always come back to the baked Alaska. The flavor of ice cream or sorbet changes with the seasons, but the meringue shell is always crisped beautifully in the hot pizza oven. It has consistently been a perfect ending to some of my favorite meals in Boston. If you try Trade, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  

The North End is Boston’s Little Italy, an area of sheer bliss for any Italian food lover. This is Boston’s oldest neighborhood, with buildings dating back to the 17th century. In the 1800’s, it was the first stop for many Italian immigrants; generations later, you can still hear Italian spoken in shops and on the streets. Today its narrow and twisty streets are chock-a-block with cafés, restaurants, bakeries, gelato shops, bars and Italian specialty stores. It’s an adventure just to stroll through the neighborhood and read the menus displayed outside the restaurants. But as true aficionados know, “Italian” is too generic a term. Here, you can narrow down what type of food experience you want by region: Napoli, Sicily, Abruzzi, Lombardy, Piedmont and so on. Cozy, romantic, and upscale, Mamma Maria has been serving Northern Italian cuisine in its gorgeous row house setting for more than 40 years. Five dining rooms of differing sizes make the space feel very intimate, and the familial service is always topnotch. Though the menu changes daily, diners can usually count on the delicious and classically-prepared osso buco with saffron risotto, considering its popularity among local eaters. While Mamma Maria feels like a hidden gem, Ristorante Villa Francesca feels like a warm embrace, especially when its full-size windows on the street are wide open, and passersby get to glimpse the tempting Italian seafood on patrons’ plates. The prix fixe seafood dinner is one of the best deals around, offering dishes like lobster ravioli and cioppino (a mixed seafood stew of clams, mussels, calamari, fish and shrimp), plus a dessert for a very reasonable price. Perhaps less upscale, but no less beloved, is Regina Pizzeria, which has been serving up pies since 1926, each one cooked in its brick ovens. For many, the North End simply means a slice at Regina’s, and though there are other branches, the North End outpost is a classic, where nothing but pizza, sbeer and wine) is available. Some restaurants in the North End don’t serve dessert, allowing the numerous pastry shops and cafés to own that course. Mike’s Pastry on Hanover Street is world-renowned for its cannolis, and just one block away, also on Hanover, is Modern Pastry, which can hold its own against Mike’s and usually has much shorter lines. Though, in this part of the city, it’s easy to stumble upon a gelateria, pastry house or low-key Italian joint that serves up superior versions of hearty foods you’ve been eating your whole life. That’s why locals and tourists alike flock to the Italian-centric North End.

Peanut butter and jelly, steak and potatoes, burgers and beer—the world’s most perfect pairings. What is it about a thick, juicy burger with all the fixin’s that screams to be washed down with an ice-cold brewski? The world may never know, but here’s a few Boston restaurants that get this combo oh-so-right. Classic: The Gallows | 1395 Washington St. This South End restaurant rotates its burger menu often to include the freshest ingredients and the most unusual combinations. The burgers here are simple flat patties, so don’t go customizing the temperature—but The Gallows proves that simple really is best. A menu staple is the Our Way, a traditional backyard combination of american cheese, iceberg lettuce, pickles, and grilled onions that evokes memories of summer barbecues where the beer is flowing and the friends are plentiful. Speaking of beer, The Gallows presents a short yet comprehensive list that shows off some of the best craft brewers in Massachusetts, New England, and beyond. Novel-Length Beer List: The Tip Tap Room | 138 Cambridge St. This Beacon Hill bar takes the “tap” in its name seriously—it has 36 of them. The beer list also features 45 different beers in bottles and 7 in cans and is one of the most diverse collections in the city. Choices range from the seasonal and highly sought-after Stone Brewing Co. ales to small brewers that haven’t yet made a name for themselves. And The Tip Tap Room’s spin on dining, which incorporates exotic meats and hard-to-find ingredients, ensures an unforgettable burger. Besides the standard beef, turkey, and lamb burgers, you’ll often find a fun twist on their board such as caribou or alligator. Vegetarian’s Choice: The Publick House | 648 Beacon St., Brookline The Publick House in Washington Square is one of my all-time favorite spots to grab a brew. It is regarded as one of the best local beer bars, with an incredible list of local and European labels. The burgers are spot-on, too, but reigning supreme here is the veggie burger. The Publick House isn’t trying to mimic a “regular” burger with its veggie patty, which is chock-full of carrots, green peas, and zucchini. Instead, the eatery makes a sandwich that stands deliciously on its own—and will make any meat lover swoon. Beer Garden of Eden: Charlie’s Kitchen | 10 Eliot St., Cambridge Year-round. Outdoor. Beer garden. Let that sink in for a moment. In a city where outdoor seating is limited and unheard of in the winter months, Charlie’s Kitchen in Harvard Square serves its rotating list of beers al fresco in every season. There’s also a wallet-friendly menu of classic burger combinations, with patties that can be doubled or even tripled. So get in there, roll your sleeves up, and dig in. Student Standby: Sunset Grill & Tap | 130 Brighton Ave. A staple for the many, many college students of the city, Allston’s Sunset Grill & Tap is far from gourmet. In fact, it runs much closer to a greasy spoon, but the menu’s beer-steamed burger offers a unique experience time and again. However, let’s not forget about the restaurant’s more than 100 brews. There’s always a great group of samplers that let diners try different styles without committing to a full pour.   Photo by Fiona Coxe