Barbara Lynch's Drink
Photo: Mike Ritter
Though fine dining may have cooled off a little as a result of the past year’s economic turmoil, celeb chefs remain as popular as ever. And, fortunately, many of them have opened more casual concepts, allowing diners with tighter budgets to get a taste of their culinary vision. But how do these budget-minded sibs stack up against their high-end counterparts? Read up, and then add your own votes and opinions.
Barbara Lynch
One of the first ladies of Boston cuisine, Barbara Lynch's elegant dishes are available at several price ranges – whether you're looking for a tony night on Beacon Hill or casual bites paired with the perfect cocktail.
9 Park St.
(bet. Beacon & Tremont Sts.)
Boston, MA 02108
617-742-9991; Reserve Online
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$75 |
Barbara Lynch still “dazzles” at her “jewel box”–esque Beacon Hill flagship where “movers and shakers” for whom “money is no object” “celebrate in style” with “elegant”, “intriguing” French-Italian creations that “marry unexpected tastes and textures” with “decadent, heavenly” results; if the “smaller-than-small portions” are occasional balloon-bursters, the “savvy”, “polished” “service team” and “superior” bartenders (“mixology is an art here”, as is wine selection) “heighten the experience” – right on up to “cloud 9.”
348 Congress St.
(bet. Farnsworth St. & Thomson Pl.)
Boston, MA 02210
617-695-1806
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This classy, pared-down Seaport District American from celebrity chef Barbara Lynch (No. 9 Park) pairs retro ’50s-style canapés – creamy deviled eggs, spicy cocktail wieners – with expertly mixed drinks; a simple wood-block bar snakes around the space, creating intimate corners, while hanging lights warm up the exposed brick and granite walls; N.B. those with insect phobias should steer clear of the glassed-in (dead) beetle display.
Dante de Magistris
With his creative takes on Italian cuisine, Dante de Magistris found success with his eponymous restaurant, and now the toque has spread his wings to open a small-plates, family-style spot in his native Belmont.
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| 24 |
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$48 |
The “devastatingly delicious”, “imaginative” Italian creations, “lively wine list” and “assiduous” service at this “modern”, “airy” spot in East Cambridge’s Royal Sonesta “exceed expectations for a hotel restaurant”, even though the “modest” food portions make it somewhat “overpriced”; on the other hand, the “unbelievable Sunday brunch” is a “value”, especially on the “sublime” patio with its “wonderful views of the Charles River.”
Il Casale
Photo: Mike Ritter
50 Leonard St.
(Moore St.)
Belmont, MA 02478
617-209-4942
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Chef Dante de Magistris (dante) draws inspiration from his childhood summers spent in Southern Italy for small plates and family-style dinners served in a renovated 1899 Belmont firehouse, where handcrafted Vermont wood tables and hand-blown Venetian glass lanterns evoke the restaurant’s name (casale means ‘rural home’); the dining room features a communal table overlooking the open kitchen, and there’s sidewalk seating in warmer months.