Best of Boston

Dapper restaurateur Nick Varano is incredibly adept in his role as the table-hopping, handshaking host with the most. So it’s no surprise that his original Strega restaurant has been a hub for celebs making a Beantown cameo since it opened in the North End 15-plus years ago. The star-studded list of guests—Kylie Jenner! Rihanna! Shaq!—grows even longer when you add in the spot’s subsequent offshoots, including Strip by Strega steakhouse, which scored Jamie Foxx and Mary J. Blige as opening-party entertainment.