The Barking Crab
We're suckers for any patch of down-home coastal life dropped smack in the heart of downtown Boston. But, even if we weren't, the Barking Crab would still be the best catch in its category. Cheap, straightforward seafood—fragrant steamers, crab legs so big they're architectural structures, and cod that flakes in moist, white chunks—is the draw. Don't expect to write home about the service: This place is on island time. But, somehow, the meal, the kitschy breeze-blown fishing nets on the walls, the salty air, the creaky wooden floorboards, and the ice-cold beer evoke the kind of sunburned day that loosens our standards—and our belts—a little. And isn't that, after all, the very definition of clam shack chic? 88 Sleeper St., Boston, MA barkingcrab.com.
Merengue Restaurant & Catering
Merely stepping inside this Dominican restaurant's tropical-hued interior is enough to banish all thoughts of dreary New England weather. Tuck into a platter of tostones, and the illusion is complete. 160 Blue Hill Ave., Roxbury, MA 02125, merenguerestaurant.com.
Tony Maws, Craigie Street Bistrot
If ever there was a feel-good pill for these challenging times, chef Tony Maws's cooking at Craigie Street Bistrot is it. Troubles fall away as soon as you set foot in this subterranean restaurant and its cozy dining room, a warmly decorated space that oozes with "aw shucks, c'mon in" charm. (Maws's mother even works the door, making everyone feel instantly at home.) Former sous-chef to Ken Oringer at Clio, Maws has made Craigie Street a stage for showcasing his training in Boston and a previous stint in France. The menu, which features five appetizers, five entrées, and five desserts nightly, seduces diners with casual French country flavors: roasted breast of Muscovy duck, herb-crusted monkfish, marinated skirt steak, and classic crème caramel. Each dish perfectly captures the ingredients, all market fresh and seasonal. If you must choose only one reason to love Tony Maws and his little bistro, it's the price: The three-course prix fixe is only $29.99, a cost anyone can swallow. 5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA craigieonmain.com.
Dine Out and Give Back
It's the perfect equation: Good food plus a great cause means everybody wins. The Place: Pammy's The Order: Chef Chris Willis’s artisanal breads (rustic Pugliese, please!), available for $20 a loaf. The Cause: Half the bread-loaf proceeds benefit a weekly-changing charity supporting BIPOC communities, like the American Civil Liberties Union. aclu.org The Place: Trina's Starlite Lounge The Order: Chill out during a socially distant summer with the frozen whiskey smash ($12). It gets a hit of crème de cacao alongside the standard lemon and mint. The Cause: Two bucks per drink—made with booze from a Black-female-run Tennessee distillery named for Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels whiskey making in the 1850s—goes to Black Lives Matter Boston. blacklivesmatterboston.org The Place: The Picnic Grove at Cambridge Crossing The Order: Take your pick! At this two-month-long al fresco pop-up, chef Will Gilson will preview multiple menu highlights from the Lexington, his restaurant/café/rooftop bar juggernaut that is slated to open in September. The Cause: A portion of all July and August proceeds goes to Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a food-rescue organization marking its 10th year of service. lovinspoonfulsinc.org
Curious George
Anatomy of a Winner: We all shed tears when our favorite impetuous primate and his long-suffering companion, the man with the yellow hat, lost their Harvard Square home in 2011. Luckily, the world's only Curious George store reopened in the same location last year, with an expanded focus and a brand-new interior. Besides the original books by Margret and H. A. Rey, here are some of the things we love about the shop. 1. Stroller valet means there's nary a carriage in sight and more room for playing and browsing. 2. Small visitors can curl up with a book in the popular reading nook. 3. Stuffed versions of the iconic monkey range from eight to thirty-six inches. 4. Local playthings, like this "Pirates of Boston" puzzle from Marblehead's Mud Puddle Toys, are on offer. 5. Exclusive T-shirts emblazoned with the shop's namesake and friends are designed in-house. 6. Trying out the display toys—like these bright Crocodile Creek balls—is encouraged. One JFK St., Cambridge, MA thecuriousgeorgestore.com.
Uni
You won't find any California rolls at chef Ken Oringer's new sashimi bar, Uni. What you will find is the most unbelievably fresh raw fish this side of Tokyo, prepared in the most imaginative ways we've ever seen. We consider the fact that there are even any competitors in the sashimi category a giant leap forward for Boston, a town that until recently had few decent sushi restaurants, which is why this year we created an entirely new category to separate the brave (those who relish the delicate flavor of uncooked fish) from the beginners (those who prefer their fish in a maki roll). Oringer's menu at the intimate Uni varies depending on what has been flown in that day (sometimes live—Oringer loves to prepare his own fresh eel), which he serves straight up or in delicately balanced preparations like the decadent uni spoon, a mouthful of sea urchin, quail egg, osetra caviar, and chives, or the mirugai (giant clam) sashimi with wasabi leaves and red pickled onion. And with a creative drink menu (the subtly spicy "enter the dragon" is not to be missed) and extensive sake selection, we expect that Uni will continue making experts out of those beginners. At Clio, Eliot Hotel, 370 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA unisashimibar.com.
Dante deMagistris, blu
When blu opened at Sports Club/LA last winter, many eyed the restaurant with suspicion. Would the brightly colored, Cali-inspired glass-walled dining room work in Boston? Would the menu be filled with bland, flavorless health club fare? The answers: yes and no—in that order. And it's all thanks to Dante deMagistris, the 27-year-old Belmont native who has won the hearts and stomachs of Bostonians with his culinary style (honed under Michael Schlow during their stint together at Café Louis and flourishing under blu co-owner and culinary legend Michela Larson). Even fitness-phobes clamor over deMagistris's fresh seasonal dishes. His "Out of the blu" appetizer, a presentation of assorted sashimis served on brightly colored glass plates, is a work of art, while entrées like steamed wild striped bass or potato gnocchi (made from deMagistris's grandmother's recipe) show the promise of a chef on the rise. Sports Club/LA, 4 Avery St., Boston, MA blurestaurant.com.
Robert Gerard
<p>The distinguishing mark of a great bartender is the ability to satisfy all of the customers all of the time—the ability to play sex therapist one minute and sports analyst the next, and to be an interested listener no matter what the bozo in front of you has to say.</p> <p>Robert Gerard, a 35-year-old native of Albany, New York, who drinks Heineken but loves to mix a margarita now and then, is quite simply a master of his trade. Since moving to Boston, in 1977, Gerard has worked at the Sunflower Café, Pizzeria Uno, St. Botolph, and Allegro on Boylston. These days you'll find him at he recently reopened 29 Newbury, which he hopes will combine the best of them all.</p> <p>"St. Botolph is a neighborhood bar," he says. "It's got a nice blend of people and a strong sense of community. Allegro is more urbane, but it doesn't have that sense of community—at least not yet. My fantasy is that 29 will have both."</p> <p>No matter what the environment, Gerard's trade secrets are sure to stay the same. "Basically," he says, "it comes down to caring. Anyone can master the technical aspects of bartending; the hard part is helping create an atmosphere. You've got to be inclusive instead of exclusive. And have a good time."</p>
Mana Escondido
This tiny, off-the-beaten-path Puerto Rican spot offers, in essence, a master class on how to transform a plantain into a destination dish: Here, the fibrous fruit is mashed into rich, garlicky mofongo with crunchy chicharrónes; flattened and crisped into the bookends of the pork-and-cheese jibarita sandwich; and laboriously pummeled, shaped, fried, and filled to order for the tostones rellenos, which cradle a bright avocado-and-tomato salad. Balance out all of the starch with a plate of the golden-hued rotisserie chicken, served with a side of—you guessed it—crunchy fried plantains. 68 Aguadilla St., Boston, MA 2118, .
Village Vinyl & Hi-Fi
Crate-diggers, rejoice: What started as longtime record collector Jonathan Sandler’s passion project has yielded Brookline’s best trove of wax, launched this past October as a pop-up and now here to stay. Browse the stacks, and you’ll find vintage albums from Pink Floyd, the Bosstones, and Miles Davis—at bargain prices. 58A Harvard St., Brookline Village , MA 02445, .
The fact that the Boston lawyer accused of stealing $16.5 million from his clients checked himself into the nuthouse just as the claims began to pile up against him.
The <em>Herald</em> report that fugitive Whitey Bulger kept a secret layer called the "dog room" in a South Boston gym where he and his gang brought teenage girls for sex.
Was is true? Who cares.
The Boston Conservatory Dance Theater's performance of septuagenarian Murray Louis's "Four Brubeck Pieces" showcased eight high-octane dancers careening—collaboratively and individually—through a mélange of moods with uncanny finesse.
Romping gave way to meditation gave way to irony gave way to exuberance at the breaking point.
Mayor Tom Menino was shocked—<em>shocked!</em>—to hear about the giveaway of waterfront development benefits to South Boston (in a memorandum that mayoral advisors and City Councilor Jimmy Kelly had signed).
The Wintersauce Bandstand concert at the First and Second Church in Boston, featurin gthe Wintersauce Chorale, jazz pianist Bob Winter, and WGBH disc jockey Ron Della Chiesa.