Salts

In a fiercely competitive category, Salts take the cake for its extraordinary Eastern European-accented appetizers (chive pierogis with a sweet Maine lobster, smoked paprika-fired gypsy bundles); its friendly, informed waitstaff; and its insanely decadent chocolate soup dessert. Entrées—both fish and meat—are brilliantly executed, each a medley of unexpected ingredients, such as pan-seared halibut with mahogany clams, fiddleheads, fennel, and roasted potatoes. Salts also offers a topnotch wine list, a nice selection of ports, and a warm, charming décor.