Beyond the 50 Best Restaurants

The most excruciating part of ranking the city’s 50 best restaurants? Realizing how many great spots can’t make the cut. Here, take a closer look at more than a dozen establishments that could have been number 51.

10/27/2014, 8:00 a.m.

Prime Bar-Dining Spots

Picco

A surprisingly deep beer list, standout fish tacos, and over-the-top ice cream sundaes take this pizza parlor to the next level.Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Taberna de Haro

Straight Law, the bar inside Taberna de Haro, serves up tapas such as tortilla española and bread with romesco sauce alongside a huge, award-winning Spanish wine list and excellent sherry cocktails.Photograph by Chelsea Kyle for "Prime Bar-Dining Spots"

Photograph by Chelsea Kyle for "Prime Bar-Dining Spots"

Eastern Standard

Eastern Standard. / Photo by Chelsea Kyle for "Beyond the 50 Best Restaurants 2014"Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Belly

Liz Vilardi’s irreverent wine list is a beautiful match for snackable plates like gooey arancini with Parmesan aioli, and boneless fried chicken.Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Fairsted Kitchen

Sip inspired -cocktails—available on draft and by the bottle—as you tear into a plate of hazelnut spaetzle with chicken, or sumac-topped baba ganoush.Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Photographs by Chelsea Kyle

Pastry Chefs to Watch

Molly Hanson at Post 390

In partnership with pastry chef de cuisine Craig Williams, Hanson creates comfort-driven treats like brown-butter almond cake with cider-doughnut ice cream, and a peerless banana cream pie.Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Kathrine Hamilburg at 80 Thoreau

All the way out in Concord, Hamilburg is dreaming up desserts that rival downtown’s finest. Savory touches like corn, lavender, and buttermilk give her elegant creations an edge.Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Benjamin Blum at Journeyman

Blum is quietly turning out some of the area’s most creative, unusual confections—hay custard garnished with fennel flowers; salty-sweet umeboshi ice cream; and soy-sauce-spiked caramels.Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Photographs by Ruby Wallace

Destination Dishes

Pork ribs with rice powder and cilantro at Commonwealth

These fall-off-the-bone ribs are tossed in a mixture of cashew butter, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, and sriracha. And that’s all you need to know, really.Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Fried cauliflower sandwich at Strip-T's

The upside of this Watertown spot’s more-casual menu? The fact that this fried-cauliflower meal on a roll, with bitter broccoli rabe and gooey Provolone, can be ordered with a bottle of wine for dinner.Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Gnocchi with smashed peas, lamb pancetta, and mint at Il Casale

Lamb pancetta with natural companions of bright smashed peas and fresh mint perfectly complement the melt-in-your-mouth potato dumplings. Photograph by Chelsea Kyle

Photograph by Chelsea Kyle

Fried chicken dinner at Merrill & Co.

Brined in a mixture of sweet tea, lemon, and herbs, this is one seriously juicy bird. Pull shreds off the bone and combine with slaw and biscuits for an epic DIY slider.Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Crispy lamb meatballs at Tavern Road

Crisp on the outside, tender in the center, and perched on a pool of honey yogurt, these meatballs get a textural boost from farro and crunchy cocoa nibs.Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Photograph by Ruby Wallace

Beyond the 50 Best Restaurants

Prime Bar-Dining Spots

Picco

Taberna de Haro

Eastern Standard

Belly

Fairsted Kitchen

Pastry Chefs to Watch

Molly Hanson at Post 390

Kathrine Hamilburg at 80 Thoreau

Benjamin Blum at Journeyman

Destination Dishes

Pork ribs with rice powder and cilantro at Commonwealth

Fried cauliflower sandwich at Strip-T's

Gnocchi with smashed peas, lamb pancetta, and mint at Il Casale

Fried chicken dinner at Merrill & Co.

Crispy lamb meatballs at Tavern Road

Back to The 50 Best Restaurants in Boston »

IN THIS SECTION

Beyond the 50 Best Restaurants

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Prime Bar-Dining Spots

Picco

Taberna de Haro

Eastern Standard

Belly

Fairsted Kitchen

Pastry Chefs to Watch

Molly Hanson at Post 390

Kathrine Hamilburg at 80 Thoreau

Benjamin Blum at Journeyman

Destination Dishes

Pork ribs with rice powder and cilantro at Commonwealth

Fried cauliflower sandwich at Strip-T's

Gnocchi with smashed peas, lamb pancetta, and mint at Il Casale

Fried chicken dinner at Merrill & Co.

Crispy lamb meatballs at Tavern Road

Back to The 50 Best Restaurants in Boston »

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