a piquant, stuffed Anaheim pepper and
rosemary-scented potatoes. Whatever
else you order, save room for Dante’s
lovable ginger soda with salted caramel
mousse and almond wafer.
Mare, 135 Richmond St., Boston;
617-723-MARE (6273).
Mare is a small restaurant with glass
walls and changing colored lighting,
occupying a sunny corner of Boston’s
North End. Before she left Mare in June,
Chef Marisa Iocco gave the city the most
inspired translation of modern Italian
seafood this side of Naples, including an
array of crudi—Italy’s version of sushi—
straight from North Atlantic waters.
Appetizers include crayfish in a luxurious potato cream with chive oil; swordfish
ravioli is napped with brown butter, sage
and crispy pancetta; while jumbo crab
meat is equally simple, plumped into pasta
sheets and served with favas and black
summer truffles. Main courses include
succulent sea bass cooked in a salt crust
with a garlic-and-oil bagna cauda in which
to dip the white flesh, and skate done Milanese style, gently sautéed, with arugula,
baby tomatoes and a lemon-caper aïoli.
Mare, which means “sea,” is a treasure
and has already caused ripples of interest
in many other chefs.
Latin and international caffé-discoteca. In
warmer weather, people dine al fresco.
RHODE ISLAND
Mediterraneo, 134 Atwells Ave.,
Providence; 401-331-7760;
mediterraneocaffe.com.
Federal Hill is Providence’s Little Italy
section, with dozens of trattorias, pizzerias
and cafés, joined in recent years by upscale
ristoranti, none better than Mediterraneo,
whose patrons include Danny DeVito,
Rudolph Giuliani, Cameron Diaz, Matt
Dillon and Steven Tyler. They come to this
very friendly spot, with its sponged stucco
walls, French doors, tiled floors, granite
bar and celebrity photos, for classic Italian-American food prepared with considerable
refinement—from mozzarella in carrozza
made with fresh homemade breaded and
pan-fried mozzarella stuffed with prosciutto, to gamberi Mediterraneo, a platter
of plump shrimp sautéed in a garlic, white
wine and sweet-and-hot pepper sauce.
Penne al pesto has a rich basil and Parmesan saucing, and don’t miss the lavish zuppa
di pesce, teeming with fresh calamari, king
crab meat, sea scallops, mussels, cod, littlenecks, shrimp and a small half-lobster.
On the weekends, Mediterraneo’s
second level transforms into an upscale
CONNECTICUT
Joseph’s Steakhouse, 360 Fairfield
Ave., Bridgeport; 203-337-9944;
josephssteakhouse.com.
Joseph Kustra worked 15 years as a
waiter at Brooklyn’s venerable Peter Luger
Steakhouse, and his long-term connections
with suppliers guarantee he can deliver a
porterhouse pretty close to those he served
up back in Brooklyn. But he and his staff do
it with much more panache and friendliness
at Joseph’s in Bridgeport.
The décor is in the sacrosanct steakhouse tradition—red walls, old brickwork,
dark wood and a beautiful, carved mahogany bar that draws a regular cadre of
locals. When you sit down, you’re asked
how you want your steak cooked and
for how many at the table. It will then be
grilled at 700 degrees, with a crusty char
on the outside while maintaining a lush,
rosy rareness inside. There’s a massive
