The 50 Best Restaurants 2009
41. 51 Lincoln
Low: Globe ** 1/2 Our score: 3.5
Jeff Fournier is the best kind of hands-on chef, making his own pasta and charcuterie and imprinting all his dishes with an independent flair. We might not go as far as the Phoenix’s four stars, but the food is terrific all the same.
ORDER THIS: The updated caesar.
42. Lineage
Low: Chowhound ** 1/2 Our score: 3.5
We loved Jeremy Sewall’s cooking at Great Bay, and his modern eatery brings a welcome don’t-mess-with-a-good-thing restraint to the bistro standards.
ORDER THIS: Cod cheeks in smoky tomato sauce.
43. Bistro 5
Low: Boston 3.25
Chef Vittorio Ettore has earned a cult following with his lively ingredient combos, such as acorn squash tortelloni with cabrales and pears. The Medford restaurant is expensive for the suburbs; it’s also waaay better than Bertucci’s.
ORDER THIS: The veal Milanese.
44. Grill 23
Low: Globe ** 1/2 Our score: 3.75
Grill 23 has been a Best of Boston steakhouse pick seven times in the past 10 years, thanks to both its classic cuts and its more exotic offerings, all of them tender and buttery. The bar pours a tip-top martini.
ORDER THIS: Dry-aged prime New York strip.
45. East Coast Grill
Low: Boston 3.5
46. Estragon
Low: Globe ** Our score: 3.75
Little adventures abound at this tapas spot, where tongue, cod cheeks, and sweetbreads are staples. The squeamish can take refuge in delish potato-filled tortillas and croquettes.
ORDER THIS: The duo de croquetas.
Low: Chowhound *** Our score: 3.25
Once Gaslight opened and Aquitaine installed a hotshot new chef de cuisine, their sibling, Union, fell off our radar. A shame, since comfort food this nicely done is hard to come by.
ORDER THIS: Potato gnocchi with duck confit and grilled radicchio.
Low: Globe *** Our score: 3.75
When chef Jason Bond took the helm in 2007 (following a stint as chef de cuisine at No. 9 Park), he turned a charming little inn with an adequate dining room into a destination restaurant. The food is mostly French, fully of-the-season, and not to be missed.
[sidebar]ORDER THIS: The house-made charcuterie, a Bond specialty.
49. Il Capriccio
Low: Boston 3
A suburban favorite for northern Italian for more than 25 years, Il Capriccio wins partisans with the solid cooking and seasonal ingredients it showcases in dishes such as Cape scallop and leek risotto.
ORDER THIS: Porcini soufflé.
50. (tie) Bin 26 Enoteca
Score: 50.84 High: Phoenix ****
Low: Chowhound & Yelp ***1/2 Our score: 3.75
This stylish Italian wine bar beckons with dozens of by-the-glass options and a well-matched menu of salumi, cheeses, inventive pastas, chops, and fish. Without a five-star ranking in the mix, this one settled lower than might be suspected.
ORDER THIS: Cocoa tagliatelle with porcini ragout.
50. (tie) Avila
Low: Chowhound *** Our score: 3.25
Traditionally earthy Mediterranean fare gets a high gloss from owner Steve DiFillippo, who knows how to please the power crowd.
ORDER THIS: Grilled spiced swordfish.
