epicurean
Restaurant File: Fall Dining in Boston
For anyone that has ever seen the beautiful colors that autumn produces in New England, one can well imagine these colors as flavors. Many of the chefs featured below capture the essence of the season as we roll into a quieter and cozier time.
O Ya
If you try to make a reservation today, you may be able to get a table before the winter chill sets in. O Ya has stolen the spotlight and held onto it since it opened in 2007. Walk in the speakeasy-esque door, follow the pebbled path and you're transported to a zen temple of calm and high art. But even with all the clean minimal lines of the Asian tea-house-style design, there's a distinctly New England coziness to this intimate restaurant, making it one of the finest dining rooms for enjoying the best of the season as plates in Eastern dress stream out of the kitchen. Boston's newest and, by all accounts best, nouveau Japanese restaurant is helmed by a talented American husband and wife team. Chef Tim Cushman, who's cooked all around the world, holds down the fort in the kitchen, turning out mind-boggling fusion jewels, such as diver scallops with sage tempura, olive oil bubbles and meyer lemon, venison tataki with porcini crema, and beet sashimi. He raises the bar for raw fish artistry, which could explain why Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto was spotted there recently. Nancy Cushman is so knowledgeable about sake that she's informally referred to as a "sake sommelier." Only one quibble: the innovative desserts are sushi-size, so don't bother sharing!
O Ya Restaurant Boston
9 East Street
Boston, MA 02111
United States
+1 617 654 9900
Prezza
This isn’t your mama’s trattoria. Set down a side street, apart from the teeming bustle of Hanover Street, Prezza captures everything that’s classic about the North End—warm hospitality, intimate space, well-edited Italian wine selection–while boasting a very modern polish. You won’t find dishes slathered in red sauce here. Chef Anthony Caturano is an avid hunter and experiments with new recipes on his excursions. Game is one of his favorite catches, and with a fall menu featuring several innovative preparations, every dish is a winner. But the award goes to the seductive wood grilled venison loin accompanied by pumpkin mash, braised greens and glazed bacon-red wine sauce …
Prezza
24 Fleet Street
Boston, MA 02113
United States
+1 617 227 1577
Upstairs on the Square
If Alice was an epicurean, Upstairs on the Square would be her Wonderland. This pink-trimmed restaurant looks like a Victorian supper club reconceived by a mod-inspired designer. Visual surprises pop up—from animal prints to the celebrated round windows with looking glass views of the park. But the real surprises come from chef Steve Brand who infuses pumpkin and squash and beef and other hearty eats with light, creative flavors. You won’t find a better way to enjoy autumn in collegiate Harvard Square than sipping wine and nibbling on Atlantic salmon sprinkled with pieces of Spanish chorizo as the flames are stoked in one of the four fireplaces that bookend the two dining rooms. If you’re in the Square with kids in the daytime, warm up with afternoon tea at this colorful spot.
Upstairs on the Square
91 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
+1 617 864 1933
Garden at the Cellar
Tucked away on a bustling strip of Cambridge, Garden at the Cellar blends high class dining with a laid-back, cozy setting marked by exposed brick and locally fresh herbs and plants. There’s a lo-fi conviviality; chalk that up to the regulars who gather here nightly or the simple yet thrilling dishes created by chef-owner Will Gilson. As someone who inherited my mother’s passion for fresh, seasonal cooking, I applaud this chef’s commitment to local produce, meats, and herbs straight from his father’s farm. He constantly uses the most seasonal crops in his dishes, which have a simplicity that’s simply exhilarating. Fall, he tells us, is his favorite time of year to cook. "Fall challenges you. It makes you have to wait for the end result. Braising, curing, stewing and baking—hearty flavors for hearty appetites."
Garden at the Cellar
991 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
+1 617 230 5880
Lala Rokh
On a narrow, steeping, townhouse-lined street of Beacon Hill sits Lala Rokh, a shimmering Persian gem. A neighborhood cornerstone for almost 15 years, it's elegant and refined, yet cozy and laid back. Chalk that up to the brother and sister team, Azita-Bina Seibel and Babak Bina, who run the place. The familial warmth is evident in the hospitality as well as the dishes Azita whips up in the kitchen, which are made from recipes that have been passed down through the generations in their native Azerbaijan, Iran. Same goes for the knick-knacks and art that adorn the place. (Check out the Persian miniatures that date back to the thirteenth century!) While traditional menu staples such as Kashk-e Bademjan, slow-cooked eggplant with tomato and saffron and topped with goat milk yogurt, homemade mint oil and caramelized onion, are available year-round, the rich herbs seem particularly seasonal when the weather gets chilly. The kitchen also makes creative use of New England's bounty in dishes like veal on apple and currants with basmati rice.
Lala Rokh
97 Mount Vernon Street
Boston, MA 02108
United States
+1 617 720 5511
Dante
A friend recommended this riverside restaurant for a relaxing summer evening on the patio, but Dante is worth the trip to Cambridge any time of the year. The eponymous chef Dante de Magistris showcases his Italian roots and embellishes them with French technique and an haute Spanish sensibility. The sweeping dining room has a hip elegance favored by the post-work crowd from nearby tech firms, but a few spoonfuls of the Hubbard squash soup with spiced maple Meringa and a bit of this season’s gnocchi—pillowy treasures accented with truffle potato, beef carpaccio and parmigiano reggiano—will convince you the technical wizardry in this neighborhood happens in the kitchen.
Dante Restaurant
Royal Sonesta Hotel
5 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02124
United States
+1 617 497 4200
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