New Year, New Bites at Four Boston Restaurants

Charc bites from Bar Boulud’s new lounge menu. / Photo provided

A platter of freshly-roasted, crispy pork; a morsel of s’mores; and even a dan dan noodle bowl-inspired sloppy Joe can all part of a balanced diet, even for the majority of locals who vowed to get healthier this year. File these new indulgences under your effort to live life to the fullest.

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar: Taco Tuesdays 

At the end of December, Southie’s piquant cucina introduced a lower-cost option for mid-week revelry. Four versions of executive chef Matt Drummond’s signature tacos, each wrapped in a doubled-up, soft tortilla from Cinco de Mayo in Chelsea, are now available for $2-$3.50 every Tuesday night. Try the vegetarian avocado, with curtido, jalapeño herb crema, crispy Brussels sprouts, and spiced pumpkin seeds; or root beer braised chicken with morita-spiced carrot puree, pickled mango salsa, chile de arbol, and crispy tortilla strips; alongside Loco’s regular raw bar, Latin American-inspired fare, and boozy beverages.

$2-$3.50 per taco, starts at 5 p.m., Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, 412 West Broadway, South Boston; 617-917-5626 or locosouthboston.com. 

Bar Boulud: Sweet & Savory Bar Bites

Looking to take the edge off between work and dinner? Perhaps a “charc bite” at Bar Boulud will do. Charcuterie chef Tristan Crépin’s contribution to the new lounge menu at Bar Boulud is an introduction to his specialty, featuring bite-sized selections of pâté, confit, and Parisian-style ham. There is also petite croque monsieur, fried clam bellies, miniaturized s’mores, and more from chef de cuisine Jonathan Kilroy and pastry chef Robert Differ.

Items priced a la carte $6-$12, available every Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. in the lounge area; Bar Boulud, 776 Boylston St., Boston; 617-535-8800 or barboulud.com.

BISq: Friday Night Suckling Pig Roast

If your New Year’s resolution is to eat more pork, BISq is your Friday night destination. Chef Dan Bazzinotti is roasting suckling pigs to kick off the weekend, varyingly prepared with seasonal ingredients and what the culinary team is into that week. Maybe it will be traditional, with crispy skin; maybe it will be stuffed; maybe it will be Creole or Calabrian-style. To kick things off, this Friday’s preparation is Italian, with creamy polenta, cauliflower, and grilled tomato pork jus. The roast is available all night on Fridays and is individually portioned for parties to share; no special reservations are necessary.

$16, available Fridays beginning January 8, 5:30 p.m.-midnight; BISq, 1071 Cambridge St., Cambridge; (617) 714-3693 or biqcambridge.com.

Night Market: Secret Bar Menu

The subterranean, graffiti-decked Night Market is getting a little more underground. Chef Jason Tom is developing a secret bar menu that will be available only to guests in the know, seated at one of the eight bar stools. It will change regularly, but expect things like house-baked, grilled bread served with a dipping sauce like raita or brown butter butter; dry numb wings, a more intensely spicy take on Night Market’s numb chicken wings; and the Drrty Danwich, a sloppy Joe-inspired spicy pork ragu banh mi. There’s also a bartender approved Beer of the Moment. UPDATE, February 1: Night Market’s secret menu is now available for those who ask.

Items priced a la carte, available at the bar only; Night Market, 75 Winthrop St. (at JKF Street), Harvard Square, Cambridge; 857-285-6948 or nightmkt.com.