Best of Boston

2014 Best Restaurant, General Excellence, West

Zebra’s Bistro and Wine Bar

You won’t find any, ahem, exotic game on the menu at this Medfield gem—the theme is (perhaps wisely) limited to the décor. What you will find is beautifully crafted bistro fare from Brendan Pelley, an alum of Clio and Tryst who was recently a featured chef at New York’s famed James Beard House. The toque has a knack for coaxing intense flavor out of seemingly simple ingredients (see: the restaurant’s pan-roasted rosemary chicken with shatteringly crisp skin, and the unctuous ramp fried rice with a slow-poached farm egg), some of which come for the kitchen’s own garden.

21 North St., Medfield, 508-359-4100, zebrasbistro.com