Mamma Maria

Description:

• Upscale restaurants have been popping up on the North End's family-style dining scene for a couple of years now, piquing my curiosity. Off I go to check out each new addition, enjoying the fashionable bars, puzzling over the wild menus, yelling in the noisy dining rooms. And every time someone with a generous budget asks for a recommendation, I land here. In a town house overlooking North Square and the Paul Revere House, the best restaurant in the North End offers innovative cuisine in a sophisticated yet comfortable setting. The menu changes seasonally. Start with excellent soup, risotto, or a pasta special. The superb entrees are unlike anything else in this neighborhood, except in size -- portions are more than generous. Fork-tender osso buco, a limited-quantity nightly special, is almost enough for two, but you'll want it all for yourself. You can't go wrong with main-course pastas, either, and the steaks, chops, and fresh seafood specials, all with creative accompaniments (say, local cod with Maine shrimp, calamari, and risotto), are uniformly marvelous. The pasta, bread, and desserts are homemade, and the wine list is excellent.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2009
•  Very Highly Recommended 2010