Best of Boston

We knew it would come to this. After seducing us with her sultry Mediterranean cooking at Casablanca, Ana Sortun has opened her own place, the eponymous Oleana. And what a place it is. A dining room so comfortable you’ll have to be pried away when the meal is over, and the waitstaff so friendly you’ll find yourself wondering if you haven’t met somewhere before. But the food’s the star, beginning with the prêt-à-manger selection of small plates, like the creamy, heavenly tuna and black olive deviled eggs. Main dishes, too, are unique and bursting with flavor, like the roasted monkfish with crème fraîche, ginger, and peaches over couscous. Be sure to top off a meal with the signature orange cardamom gelato with warm chocolate hazelnut torte, a dessert so special it takes 30 minutes to create—the perfect excuse to linger in this warm, welcoming dining room.