Grotto

Description:

• When I feel like cheating on the North End, I leave my Italian-American neighborhood and head for Beacon Hill. Grotto's shadowy subterranean dining room is a cozy retreat, with contemporary art on the exposed-brick walls and overtaxed servers bustling around the small, crowded space. Chef-owner Scott Herritt has fun with seasonal local ingredients, beginning his regularly changing menu with imaginative soups and ending with fruit desserts, and his three-course set-price dinner is one of the best deals around. You might see seared diver scallops with morel mushrooms, baby leeks, and corn in the spring; apple-stuffed duck breast in the winter; or spaghetti and meatballs "with Grotto's insanely fabulous tomato sauce" anytime. The first dish that got my attention here was hearty gnocchi with braised short ribs, Gorgonzola, and mushrooms; it was a summer night, and I cleaned my plate. Desserts are indulgent but not overwhelming -- a friend who's usually indifferent to sweets (where do I find these people?) devoured banana bread pudding with caramel ice cream. Good -- more chocolate cake for me.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Boston Magazine

•  Best of Boston 2008

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2009
•  Highly Recommended 2010