Best New Restaurants in Boston 2015
All nine courses of the tasting menu at Tasting Counter. / Photograph by Nina Gallant
These days, a truly memorable restaurant experience is no longer defined merely by luxurious trappings, squeeze-bottle flourishes, and an endless parade of demure small plates. Instead, it’s about the details. Think Sam Cooke’s “Night Beat” crackling on vinyl or a design-savvy restaurateur who commissions a one-of-a-kind mural. It’s a beverage program helmed by a progressive somm stashing rare beers alongside the Rhônes and Burgundy.
Most important, it’s about the personal touches, like a chef who ventures outside the sanctuary of the kitchen—something the Barbara Lynches and Ken Oringers of the dining world have been pulling off for more than a decade. Since March 2014—our cutoff for last year’s 50 Best Restaurants issue—dozens of debuts have attempted to match those esteemed predecessors. Sometimes innovation comes from the bottom up, as in boundary-pushing food trucks, sprawling downtown markets, and craft-beer bars that think beyond frites and Buffalo wings. Several high-profile newcomers have also stormed onto the scene, from local luminaries to Michelin-starred interlopers. The most successful and passionate of this new class delivered highly tailored concepts presented with a strong sense of purpose, nailing the dining-out zeitgeist in compellingly unique ways. Herein, we profile the 25 breakout spots that inspired, challenged, and made us believers in a city that is finally, finally taking its food as seriously as its sports teams.
