tongue tacos are the highlights, but one
would be foolish to miss the margaritas.
It sounds like standard fare, and that’s
how the menu reads. But once in your
mouth, it’s a whole other ball game.
At KO Prime, located on the second
floor of hotel Nine Zero, Oringer gets a
little fancier with his steak house, complete with the usual suspects—excellent
options for prime cuts of delicious meats
(some grass fed options), and cooked
as ordered. The standouts are appetizers of velvety bone marrow, steak or
tuna tartar, and fish entrees, including
silky King salmon. The dining room is
certainly masculine, but not in the usual
steakhouse manner of polished wood
and brass appointments. KO Prime is
sexy and stylish, with deep reds, fur carpeting and cow print upholstery, even
while an oversized print of American
Gothic looms overhead.
No. 9 Park
9 Park St., 617-742-9991
Barbara Lynch has opened several
new ventures in the past year or so.
And without a doubt, B & G Oysters, The
Butcher Shop and Stir are excellent, but it
is her flagship No. 9 Park that remains the
restaurant by which Boston cuisine should
be measured. The well-trained staff is unobtrusively ready to guide diners through
the extensive wine list of carefully chosen
single vineyard bottles and hard-to-find
varietals that marry well with Lynch’s
Italian- and French-inspired cooking. A
good place to start is with the gorgonzola
fondue accompanied by toasted brioche
and sliced rare lamb. Her pastas are heaven
sent, especially the prune stuffed gnocchi,
and her deft touch with roasted meats and
seasonal vegetables is admirable.
O Ya
9 East St., 617-654-9900
Despite a long love affair with Asian
cuisine, Boston hasn’t always ex-
celled in the sushi department. Enter Tim
and Nancy Cushman. The couple recently
opened O Ya in the Leather District, not
far from South Station—and the nonde-
script entrance contradicts the treasures
within. The emphasis here is on contem-
porary twists on sushi and sashimi, but
chef Tim does well with yakitori prepara-
tions, noodles, cooked fish and wagyu
beef. Nancy is in charge of the beverages
and has a keen palate for an intriguing
sake list of some 20 selections.
For a list of
honorable
mentions, go to
zine.
Fresh flowers enhance the ambience at Le Bernadin.
Via Matta
79 Park Plaza, 617-422-0008
It’s not hard to find great Italian
food in this town, but chef Michael
Schlow (Radius, Great Bay and Alto
Strada) exceeds expectations with the
simple Italian classics he executes with
precision and whimsy. A simple bowl of
pasta aglio e olio (traditionally garlic and
olive oil—Schlow adds a touch of tomato)
transcends the ingredients’ humble natures for a perfectly seasoned and expertly
cooked al dente pasta dish that is what
Italian food sensibilities are all about.
House-made ricotta, porchetta tonnata
and braised rabbit get gold stars, too. The
dining room is a large, high-ceilinged
space that manages to evoke style and
comfort at the same time. The mostly Italian wine list matches chef Schlow’s dishes
with its sophistication and simplicity.
