Bon Appetit Includes Puritan and Company, West Bridge Among Its Nominees of Best New Restaurants

A popular food magazine has once again posted a list of nominees for the best new restaurants in the United States, and as was the case last year, two Boston-area dining spots are among the nominees.

According to Bon Appetit, Puritan & Company and West Bridge--both of which are located in Cambridge--have been included in the list of best new restaurants for 2013. The list, which includes a total of 50 eateries, also mentions one other New England spot--Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, ME--along with several restaurants in New York City (Alder, Aska, Carbone, Lafayette, Pearl & Ash).

Puritan & Company is located on Cambridge Street in Inman Square, while West Bridge is located at One Kendall Square.

For a complete list of the 50 nominees for 2013, please go to the following link:

Bon Appetit's 50 Best New Restaurant Nominees 2013

Tweet

Other Boston-Area Restaurant Lists/Recaps for 2012

As some of you know, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) recently posted its Best Boston-Area Restaurants for 2012 list. Well, a number of end-of-year lists and recaps from others have come out as well, including interesting posts from food bloggers and writers, magazines, newspapers, and websites. A few of these can be found below:

The Passionate Foodie -- 2012: Favorite Restaurants
While The Passionate Foodie is a blog that focuses a lot on wine and sake, it also includes a good amount of information on restaurants. For 2012, the site has a number of picks for favorite dining spots, including everything from high-end eateries to ethnic cuisine to places outside of the Boston area.

Boston Magazine: The 50 Best Restaurants 2012
Boston Magazine has once again released a list of "best of" dining spots, and as always, the emphasis is mostly on upscale and higher-end restaurants. A few places that made the list include Bergamot in Somerville, Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Scampo in Beacon Hill, and Toro in the South End.

Restaurant Rewind: A look back at the year in Boston dining
Boston-based food writer and restaurant critic MC Slim JB has written an informative piece in the Phoenix on the Boston restaurant scene in 2012, including trends in food and drink, neighborhoods that have become dining destinations, the increasing popularity of food trucks, and more, all done in MC's unique style of writing.

Best New Restaurants around Boston in 2012
For those who are interested in new restaurants, The Boston Globe has created a slideshow that includes all kinds of dining spots that hit the local scene over the past year. A few that they mention include Amsterdam Falafelshop, Belly Wine Bar, Farmstead Table, The Painted Burro, and Yume Wo Katare.

Thrillist -- 2012: Best New Spots
Speaking of new spots, Thrillist has compiled a list of top places that arrived on the Boston scene over the past year or so, as picked by industry people. A few folks surveyed for this list include Kathy Sidell (MET owner), William Kovel (Chef/Owner of Catalyst), and Erwin Ramos (Executive Chef at Ole Mexican Grill).

Year In Eater: Eater Boston
The Eater site burst onto the Boston scene last year, with lots of information on restaurant openings, closings, events, etc., and for the second year in a row it is releasing a series of end-of-year restaurant-related articles that focus on the opinions of various locals in the know, including food writers and industry folk (yours truly happens to be part of it, by the way).

BBJ: The best restaurants in Boston for business dinners: Zagat reviewers pick 5
The Boston Business Journal (via info from Zagat) looks at the business end of things (specifically business dinners) when it comes to best restaurant in Boston for 2012, with a slideshow showing photos from five top Zagat picks. Included are such high-end spots as Clio and Menton.

Grub Street Boston -- Six Succulent Ways Dining in Boston Changed in 2012
Grub Street Boston, like Eater Boston, focuses a lot on restaurant openings, closings, events, and trends, and its end-of-year list focuses on this last category, looking at changes that have been taking place within the Boston restaurant scene in 2012. Included are looks into hot neighborhoods, popular foods, and more.

More 2012 food and restaurant lists will likely be on the way over the next few days, so keep checking back as new additions are posted here.


Tweet

Boston Magazine Chooses Its 50 Top Restaurants of 2012

A local magazine that features articles on all aspects of Boston living has come out with its picks for best restaurants of 2012, and the list includes everything from casual neighborhood bistros to elegant high-end eateries.

Over the past six months, Boston Magazine has been looking around the city (and suburbs) for the area's best dining experiences, narrowing it down to 50 picks for the year. Included are relatively new spots (Trade, Tres Gatos), gastropubs and local hangouts (Russell House Tavern, The Gallows), ethnic places (East By Northeast, Oishii), landmark restaurants (Hamersley's Bistro, L'Espalier), and much more.

To see the complete list of restaurants picks by Boston Magazine, please go to the link below:

The 50 Best Restaurants 2012


Tweet

Bon Appetit Includes Strip-T's, Trade Among Its Nominees of Best New Restaurants

A popular food magazine has just posted a list of nominees for the country's best new restaurants, and two Boston-area spots have been included in the list.

The latest issue of Bon Appetit features their 50 choices for best new restaurants in the United States, with Strip-T's on School Street in Watertown (which is not new but has a new concept) and Trade at Atlantic Wharf in Boston being two of the nominees. The list will be narrowed down to 10 on August 14, at which point the list's creator--BA restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton--will also choose the number 1 pick out of the 50.

Two other New England dining spots also made Bon Appetit's list--The Dorrance in Providence, RI, and SoLo Farm & Table in South Londonderry, VT.

For a complete list of the 50 nominees, please go to the link below:

Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2012

Thanks to Eater Boston for bringing this to our attention.


Tweet

Some Other Boston-Area Restaurant Lists for 2011

Earlier this month, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) came out with its Best Hidden Restaurants in the Boston Area for 2011 list. And it is just one of a number of restaurant/food lists to be published, with others coming from area food writers, newspapers, magazines, and websites. Some of the lists that we find particularly interesting are below:

The 2011 Devil's Dining Awards
Once again, Boston-based food writer and restaurant critic MC Slim JB has put out an entertaining and informative article that contains such quirky categories as "Annoying Industry PR Buzzphrase of the Year," "Charles Bukowski Award for Entertaining Literary Drunkenness," and "Manny Pacquiao Award for Disputable Championship." As always, MC's list is a nice alternative to the more traditional end-of-year lists and is a great read for those who love satire.

11 favorite dishes of 2011: the year's best in Boston and beyond
Boston Globe food writer Devra First has created a terrific list here that includes dishes from both popular and lesser-known spots in the area. Included are the clam chowder from the Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston's Kenmore Square, the beef tournedos from Catalyst in Cambridge's Kendall Square, the gnocchi from 80 Thoreau in Concord, and much more.

Year In Eater: Eater Boston
The wonderful Eater site expanded into Boston this year, and the Boston section recently put out a series of end-of-year articles based on surveys of friends, people in the restaurant industry, bloggers, and more. Categories here include Surprises, 2011 in One Word, Best Neighborhood, Top Newcomers, and Best Standbys, with such folks as Devra First, MC Slim JB, Tom O'Keefe (BostonTweet), Penny and Ed Cherubino (BostonZest), and yours truly being surveyed.

The Passionate Foodie -- 2011: Favorite Restaurants
Known in part for his extensive knowledge of wine and sake, The Passionate Foodie is also a food writer and restaurant reviewer. And for 2011, he has picked some favorite dining spots in the Boston area and beyond, including favorite overall restaurant, favorite suburban restaurant, favorite pizza chain, favorite underappreciated restaurant, favorite donuts, and favorite fried seafood.

Celebrating 2011 in dining, all over the place
Robert Nadeau of the Boston Phoenix has written an end-of-year article that perhaps rivals MC Slim JB's in the quirkiness category. Here you will find his more straightforward picks for best restaurants of 2011 as well as best specific dishes, but you will also find such offbeat categories as "Best Cliche Restaurant," "Major Weird, but Worth It," "Meandering Path to Glory," and "(Buzz-) Killer App."

Best of Boston 2011: Restaurants and Food
One of the area's most well-known "Best Of" lists, Boston Magazine's series of articles on best restaurants and food seems to cover it all. Here you will find everything from "Best Deli" to "Best Cheese Shop" to "Best New Restaurant" to "Best Tasting Menu" to "Best Cookie" and so much more.

Boston's 11 Hottest New Restaurants of 2011
The blog section of Zagat has included photos and descriptions of a handful of hot new restaurants in the Boston area for this year. Included are such places as Sweet Cheeks in Boston's Fenway neighborhood, Storyville in the Back Bay, Trade on the waterfront, Wahlburgers in Hingham, and Area Four in Kendall Square.

If you have any other favorite "Best of 2011" lists for restaurants and food in the Boston area, please post links to them in the comments section below. Have a Happy New Year!

Tweet

Some Other Boston-Area Restaurant Lists for 2010 (Part Two)

A couple of weeks ago, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) published its Best Hidden Restaurants in the Boston Area for 2010 list. And last week, we wrote about a few other Best of 2010 Lists focusing on Boston-area restaurants, including lists put out by newspapers, magazines, food writers, and restaurant-related websites. This week, we have three more lists (four, actually, as two are from the same folks), which are mentioned below:

2010: Favorite Restaurants
One of our favorite Boston-area food and drink websites is The Passionate Foodie blog, and Richard A., the person behind the site, has just come out with his picks for favorite Boston-area restaurants for 2010. Included here are such spots as AKA Bistro in Lincoln, The Clam Box in Ipswich, Taranta in the North End, and Tupelo in Cambridge.

The Year in Taste
Devra First of The Boston Globe has reviewed a number of restaurants this year, with some spots getting some very good reviews from her. In this Globe article (which came out today), Devra talks about some of her favorite dishes of 2010, including those from some places for which she has given top reviews (Bergamot in Somerville, for instance). Among the dishes mentioned in the article are the pea green salad from the aforementioned Bergamot, the burger from Back Bay Social Club in Boston, the duck from Deuxave in the Back Bay, and the trout from Parsons Table in Winchester.

Phantom's Top Restaurant Picks For 2010
The Phantom Gourmet gives the restaurants it reviews a number rating, with relatively few getting above 85. In the video shown here, the Phantom mentions its four highest-rated dining spots for 2010, two of which have gotten ratings of 90 and 91. The Phantom Gourmet also has a video giving some general favorites from 2010, which can be found at this link: Phantom Gourmet's Top 2010 Picks.

Between these four links, the three links from last week's article, and the list put out by us, you should be able to find plenty of restaurants that have greatly impressed in 2010. If you have any favorites from the past year, feel free to comment below. Thanks, and have a Happy New Year!

Tweet This!

Some Other Boston-Area Restaurant Lists for 2010

Last week, our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) came out with its Best Hidden Restaurants in the Boston Area for 2010 list. It is but one of many "best of" and "awards" lists focusing on the Boston restaurant scene this year, including lists compiled by newspapers, magazines, food writers, and restaurant-related websites. Out of all the lists out there, three in particular have grabbed our attention, which we briefly mention below:

Best of the New: Food
A number of folks at The Boston Globe have compiled a list of some of the best new dining spots to hit the Boston restaurant scene in 2010. The list includes such highly-regarded places as Bergamot in Somerville, Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar in the Fenway section of Boston, Island Creek Oyster Bar in Kenmore Square, and the Russell House Tavern in Cambridge's Harvard Square. Each of the restaurants listed includes a description of the spot as well a street address, phone number, and web link.

The 2010 Devil's Dining Awards
The second list of its kind to be published by MC Slim JB, a Boston-based food writer and restaurant critic, this often-humorous article includes such categories as the "Worst New Restaurant Name" awards (Twitters Bar & Grill in Saugus made the list), the "Even Chains Get It Right Sometimes" award (the roast beef on kummelweck sandwich at Fenway's Bleacher Bar won), and the "Most Delusional Customer" award (something that happened at the South End's Myers + Chang that you have to see to believe). This eclectic list is a refreshing alternative to the more straightforward "best of 2010" lists and is a must read for anyone who is up for a few laughs while being informed about various Boston-area restaurants and food trends.

The Ultimate Food Coma: The 25 best things we ate this year
The Boston Phoenix and Stuff Boston (which are both part of The Phoenix Network, along with radio station WFNX) both feature restaurant reviews throughout the year, and Stuff Boston recently published an article about some of the best individual food dishes of 2010. Written by Scott Kearnan and MC Slim JB, this article includes everything from high-end items such as the roasted suckling pig at Troquet across from Boston Common to cheap eats dishes such as the meat pie at KO Catering and Pies in South Boston.

There are plenty of other interesting food and dining lists for 2010 out there, but these three should be a good start for learning about what has been going on within the Boston restaurant scene over the past year.

Tweet This!

Best Boston-Area Restaurants of 2010 Has Been Posted

Just a quick note that our sixth annual "Best Hidden Restaurants in the Boston Area" page has just been posted to our sister site--Boston's Hidden Restaurants. The list for 2010 includes some repeat winners as well as several first-time winners.

We started posting the "Best Of" lists in 2005, with the list slowly expanding to include a number of different categories, including best pizza, cafe, Chinese restaurant, burgers, hot dogs, Irish pub/restaurant, and more.

If you would like to see our picks, please go to the Best Boston-Area Restaurants, 2010 page. Thanks!

Tweet This!

Pizza Poll on Twitter This Week

NOTE: This poll is closed. To see the results, go to the following link: Results of Twitter Pizza Poll

For those of you who are on the Twitter site, we are doing an informal "pizza poll," looking to see which places in the Greater Boston area come out on top in the category for pizza.

If you are on Twitter and would like to participate in the poll, please paste the following into the status window on Twitter:

RT @hiddenboston Pizza Poll--My favorite place in the Boston area for pizza is: _____

Replace the blank space at the end with your choice for best Boston-area pizza and send it off to us. We will tally the results on Friday around noontime and will post them on our twitter page, which is at http://twitter.com/hiddenboston. Thanks for participating!

Best Boston-Area Restaurants of 2009 Has Just Been Posted to Boston's Hidden Restaurants

A quick note that our "Best Little-Known Boston Restaurants of 2009" page has just been posted to the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. This is the fifth "best of" list that we have done for the site, and perhaps the most extensive, with a few new categories added (including "best cafe" and "best diner").

If you would like to see our picks, please go to Best Boston Restaurants of 2009 to read about some places that we consider the best of the best from the past year.

Reminder: Best Boston Restaurants Of 2008 Is Now Up

Just a quick reminder that our fourth annual "Best Hidden Boston Restaurants" page has been posted to the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. The address for the site is http://www.hiddenboston.com/BestRestaurants2008.html.

Best Boston Restaurants of 2008 Just Posted

Our fourth annual "Best Little-Known Boston Restaurants" page is now up and running on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. This year, a few new categories have been added, and there are both repeat winners and newcomers on the list.

To see our picks, please go to Best Boston Restaurants of 2008 to find out what we particularly liked this year.

Best Boston Restaurants of 2008: Coming Soon

The annual "Best Hidden Restaurants of Boston" is coming to Boston's Hidden Restaurants within the next few weeks. We have most of the results ready, and upon first glance, it looks as though there will be several first-timers included, as well as at least a couple of repeat winners.

Stay tuned, as this upcoming restaurant feature should be up sometime later in November!

Two of Boston's Best New Restaurants for 2007

Every year, a number of new restaurants introduce themselves to the city of Boston, with 2007 being no exception. And 2007 has been a good one for restaurant openings, with dining spots such as Saray in Allston, Coda in the South End, La Verdad in the Fenway neighborhood, Vlora in the Back Bay, and Salvatore's in the Seaport District getting favorable reviews from critics and diners alike. There are two other restaurants that opened in 2007 that particularly impressed Boston's Hidden Restaurants (the parent site of this blog). And while Angela's Cafe in East Boston and Mrs. Jones in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester are little-known dining spots, they can easily be considered two of the best new restaurants that have come to Boston in 2007.

Angela's Cafe is located on the edge of Eagle Hill, a mostly residential neighborhood in East Boston. It is a small place that features authentic Mexican cuisine, including interesting specials every day. Some of the standouts at this family-owned dining spot include an incredibly smooth and mild guacamole and a chicken enchilada plate with an outstanding homemade mole sauce that takes a long time for them to make and simply has too many ingredients to mention here.

Mrs. Jones is one of the few Southern-style soul food joints within the city limits of Boston. It is located in Lower Mills, which borders Milton and is one of Boston's quieter neighborhoods. Mrs. Jones is more of a takeout place than a sitdown restaurant, though they do have a few seats along the side of the place. A number of unique entrees can be ordered at Mrs. Jones (though they are not available every day), including deep fried turkey, oxtails, neck bones, and pig feet, and their pork chops are among the best in the area.

2008 is just around the corner, and with it, even more new restaurants on their way to Boston. Hopefully 2008 will be as good a year for new dining spots as 2007 was, though it will indeed to be rather tough to beat Angela's Cafe and Mrs. Jones.

Best Restaurants of 2007

Just a reminder that Boston's Hidden Restaurants has posted its Best Boston Restaurants of 2007 page. The restaurants listed include the best little-known Boston and New England restaurants of the year in the opinion of the site. A few restaurants mentioned are Shanti in Dorchester (Indian), Dok Bua in Brookline (Thai), the Lynwood Cafe in Randolph (pizza), and the Farm Grill in Newton (Greek).

If you have a favorite restaurant from 2007, feel free to post a review within the Readers' Favorite Restaurants section within the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. And please don't hesitate to contact the site about their picks for 2007.

Just Out: Best Hidden Boston Restaurants of 2007

The Best Boston Restaurants of 2007 page on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site is now up and running.

A quick reminder that these are the best "hidden" restaurants of 2007, as decided by Boston's Hidden Restaurants, so more popular places such as Eastern Standard, Pizzeria Regina, Pigalle, Oleana, and Legal Sea Foods won't be on it. But if you are looking for some of the best lesser-known restaurants around Boston and New England, hopefully this list should be of help. Enjoy the new "Best Of 2007" section, and feel free to post comments about other little-know restaurants that you really like!

Reminder: We Need Your Restaurant Reviews!

Just a reminder that Boston's Hidden Restaurants is looking for readers to post reviews of restaurants and/or post favorite restaurants in the Boston and New England area.

Our site includes a number of restaurants that we have not yet been to, but seem to be places that may be good dining spots to feature in the future (once we try them out). Check some of these restaurants out at the link below, and use the forms on the individual restaurant pages to post your own reviews if you wish:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/otherrestaurants/

Also, if you would like to tell us about your favorite restaurant, please post it here:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/FavoriteRestaurantsHome.html

Thanks for any posts you add to Boston's Hidden Restaurants!

A Few Favorite Restaurants, According to Our Viewers

Boston's Hidden Restaurants has a section where folks can tell about their favorite restaurants in Boston, New England, and beyond. And many of these reviews are particularly interesting. Here are a few samples from this section:

---------------------

The Oyster Cabin in Uxbridge, MA sounds like a cozy, romantic restaurant. According to our reader's review, they feature New American cuisine with a bit of a twist.

The Starry Night Cafe in Ferrisburg, VT features food from local farms and has art from Vermont artists on the walls. The reviewer says that the calamari is excellent.

The Sippican Cafe in Marion, MA made quite an impression on one of our viewers. The review of the Sippican Cafe that is posted on our site is a very entertaining read!

Aspirations Cafe in Hollis, NH sounds like a terrific place to grab a breakfast or lunch while visiting this beautiful part of New Hampshire that is just over the Massachusetts border. It sounds like much of the food is of the comfort variety, including macaroni and cheese as well as beef stew.

Belle's Bistro in Westford, MA sounds like a very nice upscale restaurant that is small but attractive inside. The reviewer recommends the seared scallops, which are worth the slightly high price.

Kagawa Sushi Bar and Restaurant in Quincy, MA looks to be a great place to order sushi as well as traditional Japanese entrees. Our reader says that they have an extensive wine, beer, and sake list.

The Causeway in Gloucester, MA is a local hangout that features fresh seafood, as well as Italian and American entrees. Our reviewer gives the impression that it is a place where Gloucester townies go, so it may be a restaurant favored by local fishermen in the area.

---------------------

There are plenty of other reviews from our readers in this section of Boston's Hidden Restaurants, so if you're looking for some hidden gems that we haven't featured, this might be a good place to look!