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© 2012 by The Boston Globe

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-9837815-8-5 Introduction

There are nights you feel like a splurge. And there are nights you just want fast, delicious, and, most of all, cheap . This e-book is for those nights. And that's what makes the Cheap Eats column in the Boston Globe Food section every Wednesday so popular. There are plenty of occasions to celebrate with a night on the town, but for casual dining week in and week out, with groups of friends, family, or house guests, you want a place where the mood is relaxed, the quality is high, and the bill is reasonable.

Thankfully, we live in a mecca for cheap dining, partly because of the vast Greater Boston student population and partly because of our inherent frugality. So how exactly do we define Cheap Eats? Every item on the must be under $20, with most under $18. That should appeal to anyone out to discover new . It's reasonable to hope for a tab of less than $50 for two.

These 40 spots include fine pizza (we won't let you down), Persian dishes, Dominican specialties, good sushi, an out-of-the-way Chinese take-out, aromatic Vietnamese pho, Sri Lankan food, Moroccan , succulent Greek , Mexican burritos, and more.

Whether you're working your way through college or sitting on top of the world, there's something in here for you.

Sheryl Julian,

Boston Globe Food Editor At Temple in Somerville, vegetarian Indian

DOSATEMPLE 447 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville, 617-764-3152. All major credit cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Hours Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m-3 p.m.; 5-10 p.m.; Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor None. Prices $2.50-$11.95. What to order rava masala dosai, chilli bhajji, Szechuan , sundal, malai , lemon . By Catherine Smart, Globe Correspondent

Dosa Temple is a family affair. The original location in Ashland is owned by Gokul Krishan, who found the perfect location for his Southern Indian right down the street from a Hindu temple. He decided to make the menu entirely vegetarian. Then his cousin, Gopala Krishan, opened a second spot just outside Union Square in Somerville, and brought the , Siva Kumar, with him.

For those accustomed to Northern, and British-influenced, Indian cuisine - dishes like creamy tikka masala, butter chicken, and milk - Southern Indian food is a new adventure. Dosa offers Northern Indian favorites as well. The extensive vegetarian or vegan menu adds another layer of interest.

We start with sundal ($4.95), perfectly cooked that have much more flavor and creamier texture than their canned counterparts. They're cooked in oil with grated fresh coconut, roasted red onion, black seed, , and crunchy toasted bits of (). The is deeply flavorful and satisfying without being heavy. Chili bhajji ($4.95) is billed as fried banana peppers, but appear to be crisp jalapenos, and addictive, like poppers without the filling. The accompanying is a nice foil for the heat.

As the name suggests, Dosa Temple offers plenty of dosa, those extremely large crepes available from street vendors in . These are almost comically large, jutting off the plate, served with a side of delicious mulligatawny soup for dipping and slurping. The soup is made with lentils and leaves and thickened with flour. We try onion rava masala dosai ($10.95), whose batter is thin enough to be crisp at the edges, sturdy enough to billow in the center. The pancake is studded with bits of onion and filled with curried potatoes. It's served with a carrot and raita, the traditional mixture, and a cooling, shredded coconut sauce, flavored with cumin seed. We devour everything but the chutney, which is surprisingly awful, basically ketchup with a few spices and bits of onion. Pizza uthappam ($9.95) is heavy, and bland, with too much cheese. Pav bhajji ($9.95) is much better, a savory, thick mixture of , peas, and , in and tomato sauce. It's served with hamburger buns, so you could make yourself a kind of vegetarian sloppy joe. We sop it up with garlic ($2.50), which arrives blistered (naan is available weekdays after 5 p.m., all day on weekends).

Malai kofta ($11.95), despite a rather unappetizing description of "cottage cheese and balls cooked in sauce," is a wonderful dish - small fried "meatballs," something like richly flavored, smooth in a creamy - sauce. It's indulgent and divine over rice. Plain rice ($2.50) is very plain indeed, but there's an entire section of the menu devoted to specialty rice dishes. Lemon rice ($8.95) is sunny yellow from , with a nice lemon-rind flavor, flecked with cumin seed, black mustard seed, and more of that delectable crunchy toasted dal.

Also on Dosa Temple menu is a selection of Indo-Chinese dishes, which began in Northern areas like Kathmandu, and are popular all over the country. Sichuan noodles ($10.95) are beautiful, bright red with stir-fried red onion, scallion, , oil, and chilies. It's a kind of spicy lo mein.

After dinner, the ($2) is a richly spiced and creamy brew that comes in a tiny metal cup. If you can figure out a way to it without burning yourself, it's a lovely way to end the .

You can't get tandoori chicken or lamb curry here, but you won't want them. You can get so much more that you'll like just as well. In Allston, pizza for , lunch, and dinner

ECCO PIZZERIA 1147 Commonwealth Ave. (outbound service road), Allston, 617-903-4324, www.eccopizzeria.com. All major cards, wheelchair accessible. Prices Pizza $11.50-$27; slices $2.75-$3.50. Salads $5-$11. Sweet pizzas $3. Ice cream $2.90-$5.50. Hours Sun-Wed 11:30 a.m.-midnight, Thu-Sat 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Liquor None. What to order Formaggio (four cheese), patate (grilled potatoes, fontina) uova (egg pizza), bianca (prosciutto, fontina, arugula), salsiccia (sausage, mushrooms). By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

A table of men enjoying a few laughs suddenly becomes very quiet. Each is holding a small piece of pizza, nibbling it or just looking at it. We can't resist asking, "What are you ?"

"Pizza with and sugar," comes the reply, then more silence.

Among the many pies that Ecco Pizzeria offers, which include something for breakfast and a PB&J pizza for children, are a handful of pies. Cinnamon­ sugar is one; chocolate- is another (this is the sweet pie that silences our table; more on this later).

Owner Stephen Silverman runs this big, clean, well-lit, friendly corner spot across from Herb Chambers BMW with delicious thin-crust pies, good salads, and lots of environmentally conscious systems in place to get to a zero-waste point.

Ecco's whole-grain organic crust is Italian-style, what Silverman calls "somewhere between Rome and New York, mainly a thin crust, but not cracker thin, nice cheese blend that's not half-an-inch thick. Not the type of pizza you would do a foldover like in New York."

That deliciously firm crust - pies were not as well done early on, but are now - is layered with fine ingredients. Uova, an egg pizza served at breakfast ($6), is around at dinner, too, in larger sizes ($14 and $20) and arrives with two soft-cooked sunny eggs on top, sitting amid crisp bacon. Bianca pizza ($13.50 and $18) is a sauceless feast of asiago cheese, prosciutto, and baby arugula tossed with dressing. Formaggio ($11.50 and $15.50) includes shredded and fresh mozzarella, smoked Gruyere, and Gouda with herb-flecked tomato sauce, a simple but wonderful pie.

Patate ($13 and $18) has layers of grilled golden potatoes, caramelized onions, and fontina, melted to add a nice aroma to the . Salsiccia ($16 and $22) is topped with delicious chicken sausage and sauteed mushrooms. Greens in salads are especially fresh; dressings are made in house. Romaine in the Caesar ($6 and $9) is topped with shaved Parmesan. Grilled chicken ($2 and $3 extra) is removed from the fire at just the right moment, so it's nicely cooked, but the pale meat has almost no grilled flavor. A salad called pera ($7 and $10) mixes arugula, pears, gorgonzola, and a refreshing citrusy vinaigrette.

For bambini who come to Ecco Pizzeria, there's a sweet little 6-inch PB&J pizza ($3), the peanut butter spread on a crisp round, decorated with circles of jelly. Silverman says kids love it. So do adults!

Silverman owned Icky Sticky & Goo, bulk candy stores in shopping malls, which he sold. He and his wife, Barbara Sisson, a pediatrician, have two school-age boys. They come in and critique the pies, says their dad. "They're turning into pizza snobs. They don't want to eat day-old pizza.''

We pass up the cinnamon-sugar pizza, called cannella ($3), that knocked out the gentlemen and instead order cioccolata ($3), chocolate-hazelnut spread with dark­ and-white chocolate chips, which sounds irresistible, along with a scoop of double­ vanilla, from Boulder Ice Cream ($2.90 and $5.50).

And then we too are quiet.

Menu categories are all in Italian, though Silverman says he doesn't speak any of the language, except to say, "Have a good evening."

That's all he needs to know. At Bloomingdale·s, shop till you drop, then dine well

FORTY CARROTS 225 Boylston St., Hill, 617-630-6640. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $5. Entrees $10-$16. $5-$7. Hours Mon-Sat 10 a.rn.-8 p.m., Sun noon-S p.m. Liquor and wine. What to order Chesapeake crab-cake sandwich, Astoria spinach pie, chicken soup By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

Forty Carrots is not a typical spot. The parking lot is filled with well-cared-for high-end cars, like Mercedes and Lexus. Diners wear Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The restaurant is inside The Mall at Chestnut Hill, adjacent to and owned by Bloomingdale's.

The china, including the futuristic Villeroy & Bach propeller-twirl soup bowls, is white. The rest of the space is a study in neon color. The restaurant decor includes variegated mini-stripes in chroma green, tangerine, violet, lime, and yellow on walls, , even the neckties of the servers. The effect is either Museum of Modern Art or Ikea on acid.

The restaurant is part of a small chain in operation for 30 years. Nine Bloomingdale's locations, from California to Dubai, have a Forty Carrots location. Part of the intent is to keep well-heeled diners at the store- and inside the mall- and away from competing upscale eateries. On one weekday, while Chestnut Hill's Forty Carrots was packed for lunch (with a line out the door), the nearby off-mall French bistro Aquitaine Chestnut Hill was not.

Lunchtime rush is anything but. At noon, the space fills with women who linger over colorful salads, beautifully plated sandwiches, and a variety of classics like a hearty, healthy Astoria spinach pie ($13), served with Greek salad; "high-protein" meatless lasagna ($13), layered with vegetables and ricotta, a bit mushy but still satisfying; and grilled portobello mushroom melts ($12), made with low-fat Alpine lace cheese. Many diners are regulars, settling in for a low-carb confab, and a from shopping. The crowd begins to abate at around 3 p.m.

This food at Forty Carrots is meant to be healthy. It's often excellent, too. Chesapeake crab-cake sandwich ($16) is lightly fried, and sensibly seasoned to showcase quality seafood. Brioche-like rolls for all sandwiches are toasted, fluffy, and tasty. Each arrives with a large portion of mixed garden salad and an incongruously high-fat dressing in a ramekin on the side. Slow-cooked soups are exceptional. Forty Carrots serves chicken noodle soup ($5) with a rich, flavorful broth, just-firm vegetables, and tender cubes of chicken. It comes with oddly hyper-crisp sesame flatbread. As part of the general carb­ minimization of all dishes here, noodles are few but sufficient.

A surprising failure: the Forty Carrots carrot cake ($6). It's an oversize slab, dry and grainy, with a white frosting that is too thin and far too sweet. For most regulars, dessert here after a light meal is frozen yogurt ($5-$7). Four flavors are prepared daily; all are fat-free (except plain, which is low-fat). Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla varieties have a hollow, icy flavor - possibly inherent in the zero-fat recipe. Women in the do seem to generally enjoy all the flavors. Some stop in just for a take-away bowl.

Staff from chef to server, to the perky and perhaps overzealous PR personnel in Chestnut Hill and New York who monitor all communications, shows a level of pride and attention to detail that some fine dining eateries would be lucky to match. When the competent food doesn't thrill, service and environment do.

This Forty Carrots location has been open for three years and has the feel of a private club. "Ninety percent of our customers are women," confides my waiter, a young man who seems happy with the ratio. "Most of the other 10 percent are dragged in by their girlfriends," he adds. A small bar is in the back where, he offers, men could come in voluntarily and enjoy any of several imported ($7).

It's a nice gesture, but the men here are in the , and the best-selling beverage is . Blends ($3) are by Tavalon, they're aspirational: "Calming," "Anti­ Aging," "Energizing," "Slimming," and "Balancing."

Not unlike the food. New Paramount, in South Boston, hits the spot

THE PARAMOUNT 667 East Broadway, South Boston, 617-269-9999, www.paramountboston.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $6-$11. Entrees $10-$22. Desserts $7-$8. Hours Mon-Thu 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.-10 p.m. (closed 4:30-5 p.m.) Liquor Beer and wine. What to order Pulled pork tacos, teriyaki glazed salmon, chicken Marsala, fallen chocolate cake, banana bread pudding. By Bella English, Globe Staff

Nothing breeds success like success. That's what the owners of the Paramount, which opened recently in South Boston, are counting on. For 15 years, the original namesake on Beacon Hill has done a booming business in a demanding model: It serves three a day, seven days a week.

The new Paramount in South Boston has the same hours, the same layout, the same executive chef - Gabe Cheung - and most of the same dishes. This location, too, has quickly become a popular neighborhood spot.

It's a bowling-alley of a place, long and slender, with tables on one side, an open kitchen and small bar on the other. Prints of old South Boston hang on exposed-brick walls. It's casual, tables decorated with votives at dinner. Our waitress brings a plate of focaccia and a dish of basil , which is rich and tasty. A razor-thin, frozen slice of cucumber floats in each water glass.

We order the special appetizers, duck confit tacos ($12) and mushroom ($5). Ravioli comes as one large, tender stuffed pasta, filled with mushrooms cooked in brown butter, with and fresh basil, sprinkled with Romano cheese. Tacos are a colorful tableau with grilled scallions, a smear of chickpea puree, and a cranberry prosecco coulis that adds a sweet note. We love the pulled pork tacos ($10), sweet and smoky and stuffed with a black salsa and a drizzle of cilantro-lime aioli. Happily, these three corn tortillas hold together well, no falling apart onto the plate.

There's a section on the menu dubbed "Paramount Classics," which are customer favorites. Teriyaki glazed salmon ($19) is in this category and outstanding. Pan-roasted to a perfect silky texture, with a sprinkling of macadamia nuts, the salmon is perched on a bed of stir-fried vegetable lo mein featuring mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and peppers. Another classic is chicken Marsala ($16), which comes with mashed potatoes that have a beautiful texture; green are bright and cooked just right. The chicken is in a creamy, sweet sauce with lots of sauteed crimini mushrooms, but there's a tad too much of it.

Fallen chocolate cake ($8) is velvety and rich, with dabs of raspberry and puree, a dollop of whipped cream, and a few fresh strawberries. Also excellent is banana bread pudding ($7), a large slab, both firm and moist, with slices of the yellow fruit, vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Both are a lovely end to a fine meal. Persian cuisine in all its glory at Sabzi in Arlington

SABZI PERSIAN 352A Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, 781-753-0150, www.sabzikabab.com. Most major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3-$6.25. Entrees $10.25-$16.75. Dessert $4. Hours Tue-Sun 5-10 p.m. Liquor Wine and beer. What to order Kashk-ebademjan ( spread), mast-a khiar (yogurt and cucumber dip), kabab-e kubideh (ground beef ), kabab-e jujeh (Cornish hen kebab), sabzi kabab (marinated vegetables). By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

You have to know how the rice is prepared - and rice comes with every entree - in order to fully appreciate the complexity of dishes at Sabzi Persian Chelow Kabab. Co-owner Mehran Khosrowdad, who was born in Tehran, rinses and soaks basmati rice in salted water until the grains turn brilliant white, then cooks it until it's almost done. At that point, the rice is strained and steamed for 15 minutes. When you get the rice, the first thing you notice is its topping of bright golden grains. These have been mixed with saffron and hot water, and put inside the steaming pot of plain rice, so the saffron perfumes the whole pot.

And that's just one ingredient.

Beside it on the plate you might see plump, golden pieces of juicy Cornish hen in a dish called kabab-e jujeh, the meat still on the bone ($12.25), marinated in yogurt, lime juice, and saffron; red cabbage pickle; and a roasted tomato (alas, not a great fruit this time of year).

Khosrowdad owns Sabzi with Cyrus Kehyari, who lives in New York. Sabzi means fresh herbs or greenery, says Khosrowdad. The food is a combination of dishes from Khosrowdad's grandmother, mother, and aunts. "In Persian cuisine, the same dish is made different ways in different regions,'' he says.

There are seven appetizers, eight entrees, and one dessert here. Yogurt is homemade, and mast-o khiar, in which it's mixed with ($4.75), shows off the thick, barely acidic, delicious yogurt.

Kashk-e bademjan, a dark, roasted and sauteed eggplant spread ($6.25), is deeply flavorful. Kashk is translated as whey, but rather than being the byproduct of cheesemaking, it's actually made with a soured ingredient such as yogurt, and left to ferment. Khosrowdad mixes the eggplant with kashk and then uses more kashk, which is bright white, to the top. One night my dining companion orders the eggplant as an entree (add $4.50), which comes with rice, tomato, and pickles. She looks very content on the other side of the table.

This and the yogurt dishes are dips for bread, but the thin is stale on our visits. On the phone later, Khosrowdad assures me that they are heating it now to avoid that.

Ash-e reshteh, a thick noodle soup with spinach and beans ($4. 75) is a hearty little bowl. , which are pickled vegetables ($3) are very acidic.

Among the entrees, the juicy, bony pieces of Cornish hen might be the best choice, and like all the dishes, they're made to order. Sabzi kabab ($11.25) is all vegetables - zucchini, portobello, red onion, tomatoes, and peppers - each nicely cooked. You can get this skewer with kubideh, which is ground beef, in the combination plate called Kermani ($15.25; two kubideh are $10.25). Mix and match other kebabs. Persepolis ($15.25) combines ground beef and boneless chicken skewers; Soltani ($16. 75) is one ground beef and one steak skewer. Each is juicy, lightly charred, and beautiful on the plate.

The room, which has 19 seats, has a rustic look, with sand-colored walls decorated with family photographs, paintings by Khosrowdad's mother, and scenes from . Service is informal, the same glasses used for water are for wine, and the only dessert is something Khosrowdad calls "finger ," small pieces of crisp , , and almond pastries ($4 for 4) to pick up in your hand.

One night, we order a pot of Persian tea. The tags from two tea bags dangle out of the top of the pot, the water is lukewarm, and the price is $8. Khosrowdad says they're learning as they go. Better bread and brewed tea would make this little spot just about perfect. (Note: After the review ran, tea was offered in a pot for $4.) Dominican flavors rule Dorchester's Tropical Island

TROPICAL ISLAND RESTAURANT AND BAR 148 Bowdoin St., Dorchester, 617-265-0310. Cash only. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $1.50-$3.50. Entrees $4.82-$17.50. Desserts $3-$4. Hours Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-9 p.m. What to order Chivo guisado (stewed goat), whole fish with coconut escabeche, roast chicken dinner.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

There is no bar at Dorchester's Tropical Island Restaurant and Bar. Customers are told, with a motion to the soft drink cooler, that no alcohol is served at all. The food is described as "Spanish," but that's also not quite true. If the color scheme (peach, lime, purple, and plaids) doesn't give it away, the mofongo balls will. The unstated tropical influence here is the Dominican Republic. The men are big, the servings are huge, and it takes a while to figure out what is going on.

Consulting the detailed menu will only draw a smile and an eye roll from Rosa Brito, the young manager. "It's better just to ask me what we have," she explains, "You can also look over here." Brito is talking about the mini-steam table at the register, today featuring polio guisado, spiced stewed chicken ($4.82); sauteed red onion; caramelized plantains ($3); and carne guisado, spiced stewed meat ($4.82). Another dozen dishes are available from the kitchen.

Brito, who is from Santiago in the Dominican Republic, was once a regular customer. She suggested to the owner that she take over as manager, waitress, and occasionally, chef. She redesigned the space, hired her god-sister to help out, and introduced some dishes. Her whole with coconut escabeche, which isn't on the menu ($17.50), is a 11/2 pound red snapper pan-fried in an inch of hot corn oil until golden on each side, then smothered with a sauce of green and red peppers, tomatoes, , red onion ("red has more flavor than white"), a bit of sopita (concentrated chicken bouillon), and a dash of . The dish has a marvelous balance of crisp and creamy, sweet and acid, and the fish is, on most occasions, expertly fried.

Many dishes at Tropical Island are the work of master chef Juana Chavez and her quirky apprentice, Augustin "Benu" Lopez. Stewed meats - chicken, beef, and goat - are braised in a complex sauce of finely chopped (and eventually liquefied) vegetables, garlic, and spices. The chicken is tender and flavorful, the inexpensive cuts of beef mercifully tenderized, and tasty. Goat deserves its own paragraph.

Goat is served in most of Boston's Caribbean . There are any number of Jamaican, Haitian, and Dominican preparations most Bostonians have never tried. Tropical Island is a good place to start, not for reasons of adventure, but because goat is a genuinely tasty meat when prepared correctly. In Chavez's stewed goat, chivo guisado ($4.82), called "cabrito guisado" by the restaurant's many Cape Verdian fans, the meat is rendered mild and tender, like roast lamb with a rich, beef-like color. The braising liquid is spiced to elevate- not cover- its flavor.

Mofongo is a traditional Dominican dish of fried plantain, mashed and rolled into a serving the size (and often weight) of a bocce ball. It is one of the reasons Dominican eateries from Lowell to Boston have names like "Strong Belly." Tropical Island's somehow lighter mofongo ($6) contains lots of crisp-fried pork belly bits, making an improvement even better. In any form, it's a manly dish. The barber who works next door reportedly comes to impress Brito by doing the impossible: eating two mofongo balls, smothered in garlic sauce, at one sitting.

Not all the dishes work. I found the oddly popular spaghetti ($3) to be hopelessly overcooked with too-sweet tomato sauce. So-called "curry" (goat or chicken, $7.49 each) contains no curry leaf or , or, in fact, any flavor we would normally associate with the word curry. I found the dish bland, but it can sell out midway through dinner.

Prices can be as attractive as the best dishes. One night I'm given an off-menu combo of excellent roast chicken with sauteed red onion, caramelized plantains, with black beans, and a mango-orange juice. Like so much here, the unexpected is a pleasant surprise. The check comes to $7.80, after tax. Good sushi in Union Square

EBISUSHI 290 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville, 617-764-5556, www.ebisushi.com. All major credit cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $4-$12. Entrees $7.50-$18.50. Sushi $1.50-$10.50. Hours Tue-Fri lunch 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m. Sat lunch 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Agedashi tofu, 12-piece sushi combo, yaki udon, sushi and saba lunch set, avocado salad, Japanese pancake. By Catherine Smart, Globe Correspondent

After the well-liked Wuchon House closed in Union Square, Somerville, locals wondered what would fill the large space. What emerged in June is Ebi Sushi (ebi means shrimp), a friendly, moderately priced sushi restaurant serving fresh fish and good Japanese .

The owners are not your typical sushi restaurateurs. Guatemalan-born Jose and Adolfo Garcia (Jose is Adolfo's nephew) insist this is authentic Japanese cuisine. Certainly their high quality fish sets Ebi apart from many other spots. Jose spent seven years learning his craft as a sushi chef at Blue Fin Sushi in Porter Square. Business partner Adolfo was in the same kitchen for nearly 12 years. After Blue Fin changed owners, the two took a brave leap in a down economy to open Ebi.

The space is much brighter than its former incarnation, with freshly painted walls and a brand new kitchen. Jose Garcia says they have been working hard to get a liquor license (never an easy task). He knows clientele want sake and Sapporo beer with sushi.

On the expansive menu is a sushi section that contains ubiquitous favorites like spicy-crunchy ($7), which is always fresh. Avocado salad ($7) features all the elements of a California roll - crabstick, tobiko, and the creamy green fruit - in spicy mayo over a garden salad with bits of tofu and a Japanese dressing. The creamy-crunchy combination is winning and more satisfying than its California roll cousin.

A 12-piece sushi combo at Ebi ($20) is a great deal, with your choice of any six nigiri pieces plus one specialty roll. On one visit, the eel has an unpleasant, muddy taste, but salmon, tuna, and yellowtail are happily devoured along with a house roll ($10.50 if ordered separately), a crispy shrimp roll with cucumber and tobiko topped with avocado, spicy mayo, and eel sauce. Sushi and saba lunch sets ($12) are a fantastic bargain (offered midday only). You get a sushi roll, choice of udon or saba noodle soup, gyoza, tempura, salad, and tofu with bonito flakes in a delightful little box. Lots of flavorful bites and more than enough food.

For non-sushi fans, the kitchen turns out plenty of good food. Agedashi tofu ($5.50) combines addictive, fried pieces of soft tofu in a rich dashi broth with grated daikon . It's an umami bomb. Or try fried oysters ($8) or pan-fried pork gyoza ($5), which are juicy .

Ebi's tempura is done well. The mixed appetizer ($7.99) contains tender-crisp broccoli, bell peppers, soft sweet potato, and large shrimp, all fried nicely and offered with a salty-sweet dipping sauce. Shrimp tempura udon ($9) is also a good choice if you like slurpable noodles and savory broth. Spicy ($10.99) comes on a sizzling with a puzzling garnish of a single gigantic cooked carrot, a small baked potato, and buttered spaghetti. The meat itself is spicy and juicy. Yaki udon with chicken ($9.99) is delicious, with chewy udon noodles, stir­ fried veggies, pickled ginger, and moist chicken in a soy-based sauce.

Japanese pancake ($8) is a messy, tasty hodgepodge of cabbage, grated yam, and pickled ginger cooked into a crisp-bottom round, topped with a thick, sweet sauce, spicy mayo, and bonito flakes. This is serious comfort food, not suitable for light eaters who might be here for sashimi and seaweed salad.

Union Square finally has a sushi restaurant, with a brisk takeout business and a group of happy regulars perched at the sushi bar. When the Garcias get that liquor license, it will turn Ebi into the bustling hangout they're hoping for. Father and son in a lucky little Roslindale bistro

SEVEN STAR STREET BISTRO 153 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale, 617-325-8686, www.sevenstarstreetbistro.com. All major credit cards. Entrance wheelchair accessible, no restroom. Prices Small bites $4-$16. Wok dishes $7-$13. Rice and noodles $1-$8. Hours Wed-Sat 5-10 p.m., Sun 5-9 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Peking ravioli, baby back ribs, crab rangoon, hot and sour soup, Sichuan spiced beef, -style pork chop with fried egg over rice, rna po tofu, with pork.

By Sheryl Julian, globe staff

It's a winning story if ever there was one: The son, raised in his father's Chinese restaurant in Newton, goes to culinary school in San Francisco, works in California when he graduates, then decides to return home to be closer to his family and learn his dad's trade. One day, the father and son are in a tiny Roslindale Chinese takeout to help the struggling owner when she announces that her business is for sale.

That's how Christopher Lin, 30, became a restaurant owner. "We both looked at each other and decided to do it," says the son, whose father, Joseph, 76, owned Seven Star Mandarin House in Newton Centre with his family for over two decades. "It's the first time we've cooked together," says Christopher.

But winning stories are like luck: They're nothing without skill. And the duo of luck and skill makes people like Lin unstoppable.

At Seven Star Street Bistro, he offers modern versions of the Taiwanese he learned when he and his dad toured the father's homeland (his mother is a New Englander). You'll find extraordinary orange-soy glazed baby back ribs ($8- $16), scallion pancakes with sliced beef inside ($8), slender, crisp vegetarian spring rolls with cabbage and carrots ($6), fried crab rangoon in triangular shapes, the creamy filling wonderful with the crisp wrappers ($7), and the best hot and sour soup I've ever sipped ($4 and $7), a taste that is actually hot, sweet, and sour, with gingery spoonfuls of tofu, mushrooms, and cabbage. "It's my father's signature dish,'' says Lin.

The chef buys meat from T.F. Kinnealey & Co. (owners of John Dewar & Co.; the butcher had a location, now closed, across from Lin's father's restaurant). That quality shows in deliciously spicy and tender meat in Sichuan spiced beef ($9), with bell peppers, water , and peanuts. Taiwan-style pork chop, one of Lin's street food riffs ($10), contains a medley of fun textures with a chewy chop, fried egg and its runny yolk, and slices of pickled radish, all on a bed of fried rice. Spicy green beans ($8) are bright, very crisp, lightly charred, and cooked with addictive salty pork bits. Faintly hot and very creamy is rna po tofu ($8) flecked with peas and peppers. And fried rice ($7), with pork and bits of egg, is an exemplary dish. Seven Star's dining room is so small, you might think you're in the entrance. There are eight seats, where you can dine in (no restroom), and a theater curtain to keep out the cold (it doesn't do much good).

Lin kept the name Seven Star to honor his father and because seven is a lucky number in Chinese culture. This is largely a takeout operation, every item made to order, four other cooks working with the father-son team to keep up. Still, you phone in an order and it will go into the queue and you might be picking it up in an hour or more. Counter workers are friendly (one woman is Christopher's fiance). "All the guests who came to my father's restaurant were considered friends," he says. "All the people who come in here matter to us."

The son returned to Boston, he says, because he wanted the opportunity to learn from his father while he had the chance. "My father and I together every night. Yeah, it's pretty cool." Lebanese specialties in JP earn A's for authenticity

CAFE BEIRUT 654 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-522-7264, www.cafebeirutjp.com. All major cards (except American Express). Wheelchair accessible. Prices Soups, salads, savory pies, sides 99 cents-$9.99. Roll-ups, platters $5.49- $15.99. Desserts 99 cents-$3.99. Hours Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-9:30p.m., Sun till 9 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Moujadara, soup, fool moudammas, roll-up, lamb kebab platter (rice), lamb kafta roll-up, . By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

Moujadara is a Lebanese specialty of lentils with rice. It's a dish made so many different ways in its country of origin that you can imagine old women in villages discussing how they cook theirs. At Cafe Beirut in Jamaica Plain, the grains simmer with onions, and when it comes to the table, the dish is topped with more caramelized onions and served with a cucumber-yogurt "salad" (really a sauce). This moujadara ($5.99 and $7.99) probably has half a dozen ingredients and it manages to taste complex and interesting. It's just one on an extensive Lebanese menu here.

The 20-seat Cafe Beirut, formerly Sami's Falafel, is under new management. It's still owned by Sami Saba, son of Ghazi Saba, who started the Sami' s truck in the Longwood Medical Area in 1979. Now Sami Saba has a new business partner and chef, Ali Hachem. Hachem, who worked at many upscale spots in Lebanon, is turning out authentic dishes that have a cooked-ali-day quality but come out of the kitchen swiftly.

The falafel here (one for $1.25; three for $3.49; six for $6.99), made with fava beans and chickpeas, are exceptionally crisp and flavorful. You can get them in a roll-up (almost everything comes this way), but then you would miss the halloumi roll-up ($5.49). Halloumi holds its shape when heated roll-ups are pressed until hot and crisp on the outside. It has substance in the pita and becomes a little saucy as the cheese mingles with mint, , tomatoes, and cucumbers.

All meats are halal. Tender pieces of lamb on a platter with rice the traditional one mixed with crushed, sauteed vermicelli and homemade pickles ($13.99) are cut from the leg. Succulent kafta, which is ground meat made from beef or lamb (order lamb), comes on a platter ($11.99), in a roll-up ($5.99), or in patties simmered with potatoes ($10.99), a homely dish with wonderful flavors.

This food deserves better . You order at a counter (Saba is a savvy restaurateur with a long memory; he can tell you on the second visit what you ordered on the first). When your food is ready, it is plated on Styrofoam; some things come on those flimsy white paper plates with the scalloped edges that soak through with a drop of oil. Napkins from a dispenser are too thin. Plastic tableware makes it hard to cut food to share.

So your table will look like an indoor . Keep dispensing those napkins.

Spicy yellow ($4.49) comes with pita chips you can scatter on top. Lamejun ($3.49) , a flatbread with a very thin garnish of ground beef and lamb, made in-house, is a puffy round that's not crisp like some lamejun, but very pleasing.

Cafe Beirut's fool moudammas ($3.49 and $6.99) is a delicious thick puree of chickpeas and favas, with lots of onions and . Saba tells me that in many homes, fool moudammas is part of breakfast with olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, labneh, the Lebanese yogurt, and bread. Sign me up.

The chef is also making finger-shaped baklava (99 cents), regular baklava ($2.49), both filled with cashews and , other flaky phyllo pastries, a milky rice pudding ($3.99) flavored with rose water, and more.

Something about this food seems like it was made by village women. That such thoughtful slow cooking can come so well prepared and so fast makes me forgive the paper plates and napkin dispenser. In Newton Corner, pizza so good , you'll exclaim, "Well done"

MAX AND LEO'S ARTISAN PIZZA 325 Washington St., Newton Corner, 617-244-7200, www.maxandleos.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Pizza $10.95-$14.95. Wings $10.50. Salads $8-$8.50. No desserts. Liquor Beer and wine. Hours Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m. What to order Arugula salad, spinach salad, lemon-rosemary and hot habanera wings, Margarita pizza, Paradigm pizza, Maximilian pizza. By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

A warning: The dining room at Max and Leo's Artisan Pizza is as big as a minute. There are eight bar stools and two tables, yielding a grand total of 16 seats. And the very cozy, friendly spot in Newton Corner, with the warmth of a handsome coal-fired oven and its diffused heat, makes diners want to stay.

You have to decide if this pizza is for you. The top of the menu reads: "All Our Pizzas are cooked WELL DONE." By that, identical twins Maximilian "Max" Candidus and Pantaleon "Leo" Candidus really mean blistered, with plenty of charred spots. The crust is thin and so incredibly crisp you can almost hear a crackle when you bite into it. If pizza can be described as exquisite, this is exquisite pizza.

Thin crust pies have their fans, so the brothers weren't afraid to open a few doors down from a Pizzeria Uno and around the corner from a Bertucci's. "I wasn't that concerned because I lived here all my life and I thought our product was different," says Max Candidus. When customers complain that a pizza crust has some blackened edges and isn't soft, the owners might direct them to one of the neighboring establishments.

The twins, 43, were raised in Newton and have been running a mobile pizza catering trailer, with an identical coal-fired oven, for two years, from spring to fall. The idea was to perfect the pizza before they opened a restaurant, says Max Candidus. They spent a year creating pizzas and getting the oven temperature right. It takes two minutes to cook a pizza, but the brothers prefer to leave the rounds in the oven for 3 114 to 4 minutes (that's the "well done" part). The oven fires to 900 degrees. The partners have also been in the automobile business for 18 years and own a car dealership in Hudson, N.H., where they specialize in wholesale transactions between dealers.

Pizzas come 14 inches ($10.95-$14.95) and 9 1/2 inches ($6.50-$8.99), the smaller ones served as a limited menu, only during lunch on some days. In addition, there are two salads and two wings (what wings!). Nibble on snappy baby arugula salad ($8) with shaved Parmesan and roasted corn while you wait for pizza. The other bowl of greens - baby spinach with glazed pecans, bacon, and goat cheese ($8.50) - is heartier, but nicely sweet and salty.

San Marzano tomato sauce covers the Margarita pizza ($10.95) with mozzarella and a dusting of Parmesan. This is a beautiful, perfect pie, and you could stop right there and have dined well, but what would be the point?

Paradigm ($14.95) might seem like overload, with its tomato sauce, sausage, pepperoni, meatball, bacon, and mozzarella topping, but the meaty ingredients are added in tiny amounts, so you get them all, but you can still waddle off your stool. The pie is named for the restaurant's plumber, who loves this combo. Maximilian ($14.95) is sweet with roasted eggplant, salsa, and mozzarella, topped with arugula and balsamic vinegar (Max named that one for himself). L 'Enza ($14.95), with tomato sauce, sausage, mushrooms, and mozzarella, is named for the owners' childhood friend, Enza Sambataro, formerly known as Mrs. Kevin Youkilis.

Chicken wings ($10.50) emerge from the oven moist and saturated with their flavors. In the case of lemon-rosemary, that means a deep herb flavor and a large spoonful of caramelized onions, very dark with crisp edges and fine shreds of lemon rind. hot habanera are pleasantly spicy, without the harsh aftertaste you often get with hot wings because these are softened with wildflower honey and roasted peppers.

It's unusual that a new spot can feel like it's already a neighborhood fixture, but Max and Leo's does. Sizzling Japanese food in Brookline with a side of theatrics

OSAKA 14 Green St., Brookline, 617-732-0088, www.osakarestaurantgroup.com. Most major cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $2.25-$9.95. Entrees $9.95-$28.95. Special rolls $8.95-$15.95. No desserts. Hours Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-midnight, Sun noon-11 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Hibachi chicken dinner, hibachi N.Y. strip steak dinner, dynamite roll, tuna sushi. By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

The service at most restaurants is more demure. By mid-meal, a young man seated at Osaka's waist-high, steel-top teppanyaki counter looks a bit terrified. The chef, Chinese and in kitchen whites, is yelling at him from the bar. "Open your mouth, Brendan! Come on!" Out comes the squirt bottle, and an arc of alcoholic sake jets into Brendan's mouth. Fellow diners count along: "One! Two! Three!" Brendan makes it to 13 before the sake drools onto his shirt. The chef relents, gesturing and declaiming: "More sake, more honey!" Over the of the evening, many other words will be contorted to rhyme with sake.

Antics like these are not uncommon in US teppanyaki bars, sometimes called "hibachi restaurants." The restaurant genre, and its physical theatrics, were developed by the unpredictable Olympic wrestler and restaurateur Rocky Aoki at his Benihana chain in the 1960s. Aoki had three children by three women at the same time, and once (in 1961) broke my father's nose at a college wrestling practice. Osaka in Brookline is faithful to the model - the chef's banter is rated R, and the cooking antics could break your nose.

Knives are juggled, eggs are split in mid-air, cubes of food are propelled from the chef's spatula toward -but seldom into- diners' open mouths. (Just try to catch one when you're 10 feet away and drunk on sake squirts.) It's great theater and the clientele can wind up out-shouting the chefs.

You'd expect such a sizzle-reel to fizzle on the plate. Surprise. When it finally arrives, the food is the real star of the show.

All the hibachi follow the same script. When it's time to cook, the squirt bottles return, this time to douse the hot cooking surface until an alarming cloud of flame explodes. While diners regain their composure, white rice and chopped vegetables sizzle in butter, , and equal squirts of teriyaki and soy sauces. The result, scooped directly onto your plate with the spatula, is an incomparably fresh fried rice that seems designed to accompany dry Japanese beer (Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo are all available). Next is the moment you have ostensibly been waiting for: Scrabble piece-sized quality vegetables ($13.95), chicken ($18.95), New York strip steak ($22.95), or even select lobster tails ($28.95) hit the grill and sizzle just-so in the same seasonings as the rice. Servings are large enough for a couple to share, perhaps with an appetizer or two.

The shape of the vegetables, meat, or fish is intentional, in dice thick enough to be hearty, thin enough to maximize tenderness. The grill's heat is calibrated to sear and brown the morsels at the same moment they cook through.

Somewhere in the back of the building, out of the limelight, a hard-working kitchen crew fills out the menu with good quality non-hibachi dishes. The sushi shines, and a quirky assortment of pan-Asian plates are available. Osaka, Chinese­ owned and mostly Chinese-staffed, also has extravagantly plated versions of traditional faux-Polynesian staples like pineapple fried rice ($15.95, served in the pineapple) and flaming seafood ($24.95) that are delightfully light, tasty - and kitschy. Their cocktail cousins, including mai-tais and scorpion bowls, are on the menu and in the restaurant's sleek post-collegiate bar-cum-night club, hidden in the building's basement.

The teppanyaki bar is only half the story at Osaka - and half the seating. At the other side of the divided floor, a demurely lit 90-seat dining room, all gold, black, and walnut, is a quiet and perhaps more romantic place to dine.

Osaka's "special rolls" ($8.95 to $15.95 for 8 pieces) exceed any reasonable expectation you could have for sushi at a multi-function restaurant. Classics like dynamite roll, a mixture of salmon, asparagus, crab, tempura, and spicy sauce ($11.95) highlight fresh quality fish in precision presentations. Fusion rolls demonstrate similar skills, perhaps with too-creative sauces (sweet cream, black truffle salsa, "Amarillo sauce") and an odd fondness for asparagus. Traditional a la carte sushi, served on white or brown rice, have consistently fresh, clean tastes, from the familiar (maguro/tuna, $6) to the exotic (hokkigai/red clam, $4). Well­ curated wine and fine sake lists add class to this phase of the meal. The best pairing at Osaka remains the first offered: fine dining with flying zucchini cubes, or force-fed sake. Social lubricant with culinary dazzle. After that, anything can happen. Sumptuous Sichuan in Tewksbury

TOP GARDEN 1921 Main St. Tewksbury, 978-858-3889, www.topgardenrestaurant.net. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $1.95-$8.95. Entrees $4.25-$39.95 (most under $14). Hours Mon-Thu 1:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun noon-10 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Roast beef, tongue, and tripe with chili-peanut vinaigrette, dan dan noodles, peppery fried lobster, dry-hot chicken, tea-smoked duck.

By Catherine Smart, Globe Correspondent

Top Garden is a small, unassuming restaurant across the street from the Tewksbury Country Club. If you don't live in the area, you probably wouldn't know it exists. Owner Kevin Chu bought the place and though he says business is fine, we have the place to ourselves on three visits. The space is clean, with cloth napkins in bright Easter egg pink, a TV playing the news, and not much else.

It's a trek for a group of Somervillians who could just as easily head to Chinatown, just 3 miles down the road. In Tewksbury, of course, the parking situation is infinitely less stressful. With the first tingly taste of the oily, spicy, and absolutely addictive chili-peanut vinaigrette, we know we've made the right decision.

The sauce is ubiquitous at Top Garden and tops three of our favorite cold Sichuan dishes. This section of the menu is a bit misleading, as many of the dishes are actually served warm. First we try roast beef, tongue, and tripe ($7.95), which is indeed cold, and quite delicious. My dining companions are a little timid about this dish until they dip in their chopsticks. By the end, we are all diving into the bowl of tender, thinly sliced beef parts until it is practically licked clean.

Dan dan noodles ($5.95) are round topped with ground pork and more of that delicious chili-peanut vinaigrette, this time served warm. On another visit, we try Sichuan pork wantons, delicate little dumplings, each containing a succulent porky meatball and tiny shrimp - and more vinaigrette. This is a remarkable spicy dressing, and though all three dishes are standouts, they are also a vehicle for this delicious sauce, and half the reason we love them.

You can order Americanized Chinese fare too, but we stick to the chef specialties. Alas, there are not many vegetable options on that part of the menu, so we dine on meat-centric meals. Tea-smoked duck ($13.95) is a generous portion of bone-in meat, with delightfully crispy skin and juicy, smoky flesh. You have to eat around the bones, but go ahead and get your hands dirty. Sichuan dry-fried shrimp ($14.95) are crispy and come with a scattering of chopped sauteed peppers and onions. The table is split on whether the coating is too heavy, but in happy agreement over the mildly spicy flavor of the tender shrimp. Top Garden's house dry-hot chicken ($9.95) is one of the more fiery dishes, with lots of savory flavor and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppers, stir-fried with tiny pieces of crispy chicken. Sichuan-style tofu with minced pork ($7.95) is less spicy than expected and comforting, with soft tofu and in a mild chili sauce that's good over white rice ($1.25 to $2.50). Speaking of comfort, Sichuan beef noodle soup ($7.25), mild with tender beef tendon and rice noodles in a delicate broth, is the perfect antidote for a winter cold.

On the back page of the menu you'll find one of the best deals around: twin lobsters ($26.95) or three ($39.95), hacked up and stir-fried one of several ways, including -style or with ginger and scallion. We choose a peppery fried version, which results in a huge platter of succulent, flavorful crustaceans, with a thin fried coating that locks in the juices. Gnawing on the spicy, crunchy pieces feels hedonistic, and is less labor intensive than cracking it open yourself. It's hard to with steamed lobsters and drawn butter, but all of us (all lifelong New Englanders) agree this Chinese lobster is the best we've tried.

We pile into the car with full bellies, slightly numb mouths, and a tinge of regret. To satisfy another craving of this delicious Sichuan food, we have to head back to Tewksbury. Here's hoping it doesn't happen during rush hour. Jam-band music and jam-packed sandwiches in East Boston

DOUGH 20 Maverick St., East Boston, 617-567-8787, www.doughpizza.com. All major credit cards. Restrooms not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers and salads $2.50-$8.50. Pizzas, sandwiches, entrees $5.55- $14.95. Desserts $2. Hours Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat 1-9 p.m. Liquor None. What to order The Vermonter, the Gobbler, the Chicken Wing pizza. By Glenn Yoder, Globe Staff

Dough in East Boston takes its laid-back vibe seriously. Psychedelic posters of the band Phish cover much of the wall space. The SiriusXM station Jam On provides a fitting soundtrack. With only three tables and countertop window seating, it's more of a takeout than dine-in spot, but you can order from the counter and, well, chill. And on a quiet weeknight, we immediately feel like we own the joint.

"You guys ordered a lot of good food, so this is going to come out -style," announces co-owner Kevin Curley, delivering roasted garlic bread ($2.95 and $4.95), fries ($2.50 and $4. 75), and beer-battered onion rings ($2.95 and $4.95) with a spicy concoction he calls "boom boom sauce."

Fries and onion rings are good, but don't taste homemade. The boom boom sauce helps. Garlic bread with caramelized onions and mozzarella is fantastic.

Curley, 34, and Michael Sanchez, 37, opened Dough outside Maverick Square in 2006 after meeting in Vermont during college. "These Eastie customers are tough," Curley tells me later on the phone. "With pizza and sandwiches, they don't really mess around." The place likely has survived because it lives up to those high standards.

The main courses at Dough take a while, but we don't mind the wait. Then two enormous sandwiches quickly win fans. The Vermonter ($7.95) is a signature meal featuring , gouda, bacon, , red onion, and sun-dried tomato mayo on multigrain bread, all baked in the oven. The Gobbler ($7.50) is one of the best Thanksgiving-style feasts on bread we've had, with thin-sliced turkey and stuffing, slathered with a delicious cranberry mayo, also on multigrain.

Cajun chicken cheese steak sandwich ($7.50) receives a mixed reaction. "I wish I kept that boom boom sauce to put on my sub," says one dining companion, pushing away the pairing of shredded blackened chicken, roasted red peppers, and provolone on a spucky roll. Another likes the cheese steak as is. The first diner reconsiders. "Maybe because it wasn't greasy as I expected."

Raves also go to a curried chicken salad sandwich ($7.50), layered with grilled chicken salad, curry, mayo, red onion, celery, , and grapes on a braided roll. The combination of sweet grapes and crunchy nuts and celery give it a punch.

Chicken wing pizza ($9.95 and $14.95) with grilled chicken, blue cheese, mozzarella, and hot sauce, is delectable but lacks the kick we expect from wings. Pesta pizza ($9.95 and $14.95) has loads of taste spread between pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms, but the flavors compete with no clear victor. Orchard pizza ($9.95 and $14.95) is varied, as the names implies, with grilled chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, apple chunks, and mozzarella. The odd mix of flavors works, especially with apple.

Neither meatball calzone ($9.95) nor pasta polio ($10.95) measures up. The grilled chicken in the pasta, which also has prosciutto and broccoli in alfredo sauce, is perfectly cooked and delicious, but broccoli too heavily influences the dish. Meatball calzone leaves us wishing we'd ordered the buffalo chicken version. The dough is fantastic, making it great for dipping, if nothing else, but the meat tastes off.

One night a man with long, curly hair, a pink shirt, and khakis tucked into his socks orders a pizza and begins a juggling act. Restaurant patrons warmly applaud when he pulls off a feat. He's a neighborhood regular, and Sanchez eggs him on.

A triple-chocolate ($2) is packed with Reese's peanut butter, chocolate chunks, and dark chocolate. I ask if it's homemade - a foolish question at a place named Dough. "Oh, you bet it is," Curley says.

A young couple walks in as we're leaving one night, and they're serenaded from the kitchen by Sanchez, loudly singing to Dave Mason's 1977 hit "We Just Disagree." The customers hardly react. They simply settle into a table and go with the flow. A moving experience with sushi at Wasabi in the Natick Mall

WASABI Natick Mall, 1245 Worcester St., Natick, 508-720-0326. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.50-$5. Entrees $3-$10. Desserts $3-$3.50. Hours Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun noon-6 p.m. Liquor Beer, wine, and sake. May we suggest Tobiko sushi, salmon nigiri, tuna nigiri, shrimp tempura roll.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

It takes a while to make sense of what's going on at Wasabi. Most of the standard restaurant conventions - ordering, pricing, courses, menus - have been turned upside-down in a space with no walls and few right angles. Snaking through the dining area, a divided stainless steel conveyor belt curves like a surreal bi­ directional river. Along its banks, diners in plush booths are encouraged to grab brightly patterned plates of sushi that float along on 300 elevated white discs.

There's seating for 100 here, in a bright expanse in the upscale Natick Mall. A grove of faux-willow trees rustle in a ventilator breeze, while shoppers stroll by with curious glances at the robo-restaurant.

The Natick location is the company's third and largest. Soon to come: South Shore Plaza in Braintree, and five new outposts in Los Angeles. None will match Natick in size.

The fish served at Wasabi is, in general, as fresh and flavorful as you can find at any lower-cost sushi bar. The variable becomes the skill of the sushi chef, and at Wasabi, it is indeed variable.

On some nights, sushi is correctly cut with respect to the grain of the fish, and maki rolls are pleasantly precise. With luck you will arrive on such a night. At other times, maki rolls are comically misshapen; sashimi chopped to a grisly fare-thee­ well. The skills of the chef-on-duty seem to vary dramatically.

Through it all, the simplest salmon ($3.50) and tuna ($4) nigiri -just a slab of fish on a pad of rice - are consistently excellent. These three fish are shipped fresh to the restaurant. Other varieties arrive flash-frozen, but these can also shine in simple preparations. Among them, escolar (called "white tuna" here, $4) and Japanese yellowtail ($4).

The five varieties of melamine plates you can grab off the conveyor are color­ coded according to price, from $2.50 to $5. When you're done, stack the plates, and pay at the end. In Japan, such kaiten-zushi restaurants are often regarded as tacky, even unseemly. Abroad we can have fun. In California, elaborate boats bring the plates to you in a water-filled canal. In Australia scale trains chug by. In England, it's little double-decker buses. Wasabi's tobiko sushi (flying fish , rice, and nori seaweed, $5) features a generous swath of tiny ruby-red roe spheres that pop in your mouth, on a pad of rice encircled with a sheet of green nori. The taste is savory, saline, and quite mild. It's a lot of fun to eat and pretty on the plate. Probably why kids (and there are many here) go for it.

The restaurant also makes nontraditional complex rolls. Most are too ambitious, hiding quality fish in a miasma of crunch, spice, and distraction. A signature spicy red mayo makes an appearance in many, as, say, lava atop the "eel sauce" California volcano ($4) or glue in an otherwise wonderful shrimp tempura roll ($5). As the rolls get more complex, more skill is required in the kitchen.

Yes, sushi cognoscenti might deride the malformed rolls, or the fact that the rice is not proper sushi rice - traditionally vinegared, seasoned, and sticky. But intentionally or not, Wasabi is an effective evangelist for the simple fish itself. It's a powerful and delicious lesson for children (and some adults) whose fish typically comes as sticks.

The machinery at Wasabi is in high gear at the Christmas season. Saturdays, some 4,000 plates fly off the belt. The show is half the fun. Thai-Vietnamese gem near Symphony hits high notes

PHOBASIL 177A Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-262-5377. All major cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.95-$8.95. Entrees $7.95-$14.95. Hours Sun-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Liquor Beer and wine. What to order Beef cinnamon curry, fish basil, com ga.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

Inexpensive restaurants in the Symphony area don't need to try very hard. That section of Massachusetts Avenue is a fault line, where the massive appetites of Northeastern students collide with a daytime throng of Berklee students. At night, wary suits and dresses who make a beeline for Symphony Hall have already dined to the tony east.

Out of view, across from $2.68 pizza slices and the gutted shell of a mini strip mall, the Thai-Vietnamese fusion restaurant Pho Basil treats its clientele - in jeans, sweat pants, and hoodies - like kings. The dining room is sparkling white; floral arrangements adorn the walls. The service brings to mind magazine ads for exclusive Asian airlines: attentive, warm, anticipatory even. It's an utterly unexpected upgrade for the coach-class price.

Nearly all the cheap eateries in the neighborhood are packed. But the energy here is different. You see diners really enjoying themselves. The menu is full of well-prepared Thai and Vietnamese dishes, as well as some fusions of the two - from the exotic, to the authentic, to the familiar.

Thai chef Wasun Lerddeekunlam, of the South End's now-defunct haut­ Vietnamese hot spot Pho Republique, is head chef at Pho Basil. In many dishes, and in the ambience even, you feel some of the magic of the late, beloved Republique.

Wild boar ($10.95) is served here as a saute with mushrooms, fried basil leaves, eggplant, and haricots verts in a spicy white wine chili sauce. The boar- essentially a high-quality pork - is tender, textured, and mild, seasoned and cooked with subtlety and finesse.

Beef cinnamon curry ($10.95) at Pho Basil is an astonishing dish. Spicy, tender flank steak is somehow seared so caramelized coconut milk clings to the surface. Cinnamon sticks sizzle in the wok as well, imparting a second layer of fragrant spice. The meat is served with firm, fresh vegetables (pea pods, broccoli, mushrooms, more haricots verts), still nicely crisp, in a green cinnamon curry over rice. It takes discipline to order other dishes on subsequent visits.

A red "Oh-nooo-Mr.-Bill" face appears next to spicy dishes on the menu. Both these dishes receive two red faces, the highest listed. But the scale should refer to the complexity of the spice. Neither is aggressively spicy, both are dazzlingly complex.

Fish basil ($14.95, and proudly disclosed as fresh ) matches the flavor of the familiar Chinatown Vietnamese fried-whole fish swimming in crispy basil leaves, sauteed onion, and sliced ginger. Here it's also cooked quite perfectly. But this version is a boneless fillet, an unconventional hat trick of sorts that, for some, could make Massachusetts A venue the preferred destination for this dish. As a bonus, sliced red chili peppers provide an accidental and explosive blast of heat. Until you stumble upon them in the dish, you will have no idea why the menu bills it as two red faces.

And then there's the pho ($6.50 to $9.95) - waitstaff will politely remind you it is properly pronounced "fuh" - the traditional Vietnamese soup featuring house­ made stock, onion, scallion, thin rice noodles, raw bean sprouts, basil leaves, a lime wedge, and impressively tender meats. Pho Basil offers dozens of traditional and imaginative variations.

Even the simplest and most typical of Vietnamese plates at Pho Basil, com ga ($7.95), demonstrates an attention to quality. Grilled chicken accompanies sliced tomato, cucumber, and lettuce, a scoop of , and the restaurant's own nuoc cham (a traditional mixture of sweet vinegar, fish sauce, lime, and garlic). A fried egg ($2 extra) is a popular addition.

It would take a year of weekly trips to exhaust the menu of this affordable off­ campus spot. Sweat pants or bow ties, all are welcome to try. In Quincy, fish goes from the case to your plate

BURKE'S SEAFOOD 61 Billings Road, Quincy, 617-328-9765, www.burkesseafood.com. Wheelchair accessible. All major credit cards. Prices Appetizers $2.49-$6.49. Sandwiches $6.99-$15.99. Entrees $8.99-$18.99. Hours Tue-Wed 11 a.m.-6:30p.m., Thu-Sat 11 a.rn.-8 p.m. Liquor Beer and wine. What to order Crab cakes, stuffed quahogs, lobster roll, fried scallops, , fisherman's platter, broiled salmon.

By Bella English, Globe Staff

The fish you eat at Burke's Seafood is in the display case, cut by Richard Burke, who opened the Quincy place in 1979 and has been behind the counter ever since. Much of that catch is for cooking at home. Now Burke's uses its own seafood to make lunch and dinner in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Joining Burke in this venture is his wife, Margaret, and their son Matt. You know exactly what you're getting because they remove it from the case in front of you and whisk it to the kitchen to be cooked.

In fact, you place your order next to the fish display, then head to the adjacent small dining room with seven tables to wait for your order. If the staff is busy in the kitchen, you can help yourself to water at a small serving station.

Crab cakes ($5.49) are golden mounds and enough to share (I am not sharing), with generous chunks of crabmeat in a moist filling, slightly crisp on the outside and barely breaded. They're served with Matt's divine spicy mustard-mayo sauce. I could have a couple of these for dinner and leave happy. But then I'd miss the stuffed quahogs ($3.99), Margaret's specialty. Quahogs are the official shellfish of Rhode Island, which produces a quarter of the country's annual catch. Margaret fashioned her recipe from those in Rhode Island fish markets. She mixes clams with her own stuffing, which includes linguica and a splash of hot sauce for a smoky, spicy flavor. The second time we order them, we're charged only $2.99 because "the shells are smaller today."

Lobster rolls at Burke's ($15.99) come heavy on the lobster meat- fresh, never frozen- light on the mayo, served on an overstuffed, toasted bun. No little green things, no lettuce. The overflowing lobster falls onto the plate and must be scooped up with a fork to eat (I am not complaining). On the side, I order ethereally light onion rings.

You can also get 1 1/4-pound steamed lobster with corn on the cob ($16.99). The lobster is tender and so fresh you can almost taste the ocean brine.

If it's fried seafood you're looking for, Burke's delivers in a straightforward style. Scallop dinner ($13.99) is a generous portion of sweet and tender shellfish, with and cole slaw. Fish and chips ($8.99) is a large, crispy helping of scrod. Two of us share the enormous fisherman's platter ($17.99), with delicious haddock, scallops, and clams. Note: Many dishes are available in smaller portions.

Dinners from the broiler are served with rice pilaf or roast potatoes and slaw. Salmon ($18.99) is a thick slice, perfectly cooked, with very light crumb topping.

On our way out, we grab a couple of frozen entrees, homemade on the premises, for when, and if, we get hungry again. In Watertown, Strip-T·s menu gets a delicious shake-up

STRIP-T'S 93 School St., Watertown, 617-923-4330, www.stripts.com. MC, Visa, AmEx. Restrooms not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers, salads, sandwiches $6-$10. Entrees $9-$18. Desserts $1.50-$4. Hours Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 5-10 p.m. Sat lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m. Liquor Wine and beer. What to order Moxie wings, mussels and fries, cioppino, fish 'n' chips, grilled skirt steak, Strip-T' s burger. By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

The french fries look hand cut, and when we bite into them, they're crisp and stunning. "These are homemade!" exclaims someone at our table. In a glorified sub shop, you're not expecting this. The burger ($12) is powerfully savory, as if this ground beef is the very definition of umami. Smoked miso on the bun enhances moist, sausage-y meat. Fries also accompany plump mussels ($16), presented in a tall footed Polynesian bowl decorated with dancing ladies. These mollusks are covered with a salted-crab sauce mixed with chilies, lime, and cilantro. The sauce that falls to the bottom of the bowl bathes the fries in the most wonderful, juicy seafood tastes. Even wings ($8 and $12) are exceptional, a sauce made from reduced Moxie turning them succulent.

The chef running the much talked-about dinner menu at Strip-T's in Watertown is Tim Maslow, son of owner Paul Maslow. Tim Maslow, 27, trained at the French Culinary Institute and worked for almost six years for star New Y ark chef David Chang, first at Momofuku, then at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Father and son wondered whether to collaborate, since business at Strip-T's was sagging. As Tim puts it, he told his father, "We can try to make your business busier, or I can go find another restaurant.'' Tim joined the staff.

Strip-T's, named for a sirloin strip and Caesar salad sandwich, was established in 1986 as a lunch place by Paul Maslow and a childhood friend. A corny logo shows a strip of sirloin dancing inside a bun. Over the years, the place has enjoyed a steady stream of Arsenal office employees (Strip-T's is walking distance), who come for dependably good roll-ups, hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and salads. The shop also does lunchtime catering; Maslow offered an early dinner.

After he started brining turkey breast for lunch, ordered Iggy's breads for all the sandwiches, brought in local beers from small breweries, and made a brief wine list with his girlfriend, Jee-Eun Burke, Tim Maslow settled in to concentrate on dinner. In the 29-seat room beside the take-out at the entrance, painted black benches have no cushions and brushed aluminum chairs aren't comfortable enough to sit on for too long. The happy, no-nonsense waitress doesn't always pick up first course plates before she sets down the second.

On today's menu, the fish stew cioppino ($18) includes salmon and haddock in a lightly spicy tomato-based broth that's as good a fish dish as you'll find in this area. Fish 'n' chips ($17) is mahogany colored, a thick piece of haddock in a beer batter, a wild look to an ordinary dish, with a very crisp coating and tender haddock inside. Grilled skirt steak ($18) comes on micro greens, the pleasingly chewy beef marinated and served with a beautiful green chimichurri sauce.

Thick flavorful ($1.50 each) look a little anemic, but taste deliciously of their ingredients: chocolate chips, oatmeal and raisins, and peanut butter. A chocolate cake with white frosting ($4) is very sweet, with an Oreo-cookie quality.

As he plans new dishes, Tim Maslow realizes that the clientele is changing too. "Almost every single dish was not well received," he says. Customers wanted the old menu back. "A week ago I started bringing in oysters," says the chef. "I was afraid to buy them." The first night, he sold three dozen. That might not seem like a lot, but in this little spot, it's a great sign.

"It's harder to change a restaurant than to open one," says Maslow. He has the talent to do the hard part. And you never know: Former customers may return to discover they like fish and chips this way, and skirt steak is just as good as steak tips (of course, skirt is much, much better). Adventures in Pakistani-Indian comfort food in Brighton

DARBAR 130 North Beacon St., Brighton, 617-779-8800, www.darbarrestaurant.net. Wheelchair accessible. All major credit cards. Prices Appetizers $1.50-$3.99. Entrees $9.99-$32.99 (all but one under $15). Desserts $3.25-$3.99. Hours Mon-Fri 11:00 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat-Sun 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Liquor None What to order Meat , magaz masala, chicken tikka, kahari gosht, nihari, aloo mutter, garlic naan By Catherine Smart, Globe Correspondent

After years of taking trips to New York to find Halal dishes for family gatherings, Pakistani-born Irfan Khalid decided he could fill the niche here. Darbar is the result, with Khalid in the kitchen, his brother Gulfam Mian, who owned the former cafe Habibi in Brighton, running the front of the house, and Khalid's wife, Rani, a native of India, answering phones, clearing tables, and doing whatever else keeps the restaurant running smoothly. Pralad Basnet, from Nepal, is the sous chef. Darbar, says Khalid, might be the first stop for South Asian techies in town looking for a taste of home.

Darbar isn't the kind of restaurant you just happen upon. It's tucked away in a rather unappealing corner of Brighton far enough from the lively BU college bars and pizza spots so it doesn't receive much student foot traffic. Which is a shame, because the comforting Pakistani and Indian fare at this family restaurant is perfect for any adventurous diner on a budget.

Magaz masala ($11.99), otherwise known as lamb brains, is a specialty. The idea of eating brains may be a bit alarming to the timid diner, but the deeply rich, savory flavor is delicious on fluffy basmati rice ($2.99). Another favorite is kahari gosht ($12.99), braised goat shanks with barely a trace of gaminess, thanks to several days in a marinade of yogurt, ginger, and a long list of aromatics. We taste coriander, , and cumin, but Khalid will reveal only that "it has all the spices.'' This treatment leaves the goat so tender and flavorful it could easily be mistaken for lamb.

Another favorite is nihari, a traditional Pakistani dish of braised beef with chilies, garlic, ginger, and more of those undisclosed spices. It's quite oily, but the spoon-tender chunks of spicy meat are delicious wrapped in blistered, buttery naan ($2.50).

Those looking for more traditional fare will be happy with vegetable and meat samosas, ($3.50 and $3.99), delectable little pastry pockets that pack a savory punch. Seekh kebab ($2.50), a skewer of ground chicken with bits of red and green pepper, ginger, and cilantro, is flavorful, with a noticeable hit of cardamom, but a little dry. It's served with raita, the thin yogurt sauce made with shredded carrot and cucumber.

Palak ($10.99) has cilantro, spinach, and other greens and is lighter than creamier versions at other Indian restaurants. It has a generous amount of paneer cheese but could use more salt. Chicken tikka ($9.95) arrives succulent and spicy. The boneless thighs are slightly charred on the outside, juicy inside, with lots of good ginger and garlic flavor. Aloo mutter ($9.99) is another winner, with large pieces of potato and peas in a garlicky sauce.

Darbar owners are eager to introduce new customers to their cooking. I overhear Khalid suggest dishes to an enthusiastic young student picking up a large order, who is back for the second day in a row. The young man tells Khalid which dishes he likes best and asks him to go easy on the chilies as Khalid heads back to the kitchen.

Perhaps the third time will be the charm, and the student's friends will come too. In Waltham, go for the pho at Thai-Vietnamese eatery

PHO & SPICE 457 Moody St., Waltham, 781-788-8899, www.phoandspice.com. All major cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $4.95-$8.95. Soups $3.95-$9.95. Entrees $7.95-$15.95. Liquor None. Hours Sun-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. What to order Goi cuon, pho ga, duck noodle soup, spicy basil pad thai

By Louise Kennedy, Globe correspondent

On the outside, the tiny Moody Street storefront that houses Pho & Spice may look a little dingy. Step inside, though, and the cheerily bright walls, the friendly staff and, most of all, the clean aroma of freshly made soup will dispel any lingering doubts.

And you have plenty of choices- almost too many, it seems at first, with a menu that ranges throughout Vietnam and Thailand and even, with , makes a brief stop in Korea. Owner Suwan, formerly of Pho & Rice in Somerville, is Vietnamese, born in Thailand. A few visits make the decisions easier: The Thai food is decent here, but it's the Vietnamese dishes that make Pho & Spice worth the trip.

In particular, it's the pho, the rich Vietnamese broth brimming with noodles, vegetables, and your choice of several meats (or none). There's good reason why Pho comes first in the name.

For the novice, the pho ga is a fine place to start. In any of its three sizes ($7.95, $8.50, and $8.95), it's a substantial bowl of silky chicken stock, generously supplied with supple rice noodles, chunks of chicken, bean sprouts, and the fresh lime, scallions, cilantro, and basil that give all pho its intoxicating green scent. The richness of the broth, the chewiness of the noodles, the sharpness of the herbs - each satisfies in its own way, and each calls to the next in a harmonious play of contrast and balance. Better branch out and try the dac biet (same three sizes, same prices), a beef broth with steak, tendon, and tripe. Don't be frightened - that's just three ways of saying "delicious meat." There's also tai, the beef broth with just the steak, and bo vien, with "season meat ball of ground beef." Or the irresistible duck noodle soup (one size, $8.95), which is, in a word, ducky.

That's a good thing, for us lovers of duck. And so is the delightful inclusion of duck among the meat options over on the pad Thai side of the menu. At $10.95 for lunch or $12.95 for dinner, it's slightly pricier than the other options (chicken, pork, beef, or tofu for $7.95/$10.95, or crispy chicken or seafood for $8.95/$11.95) but it turns out that crisp bits of duck skin are just what you've always been missing in the iconic Thai noodle dish. It's best of all in the spicy basil pad Thai, though regular, country, and crispy-noodle styles are also available.

That's as deep as you need to venture into the Thai offerings, which in general are less spicy and a little sweeter than the best of this cuisine. But if you tire of pho (how?), there's still plenty more from Vietnam to explore: toothsome goi cuon (fresh summer rolls), banh mi (sandwiches), bun (noodle bowls), and rice dishes galore. It's hard to believe all this fresh, colorful food could emerge from such a tiny kitchen. But it does. Sri Lankan specialties in heart of Malden

BIRYANIPARK 105 Broadway, Malden, 781-397-1307. MasterCard, Visa. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $2.99-$11.49. Entrees $6.95-$13.99. Desserts $3.99-$4.49 Hours Tue-Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Eggplant curry (aloo baingan), , fish larnprais platter

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe correspondent

My friend Sarah could hardly contain herself. She had already heard from a doctor who worked in about Park. Now she's telling me: "It's all over the blogs!" The same is true for my in-the-know South Asian neighbor, who's tweeting it to his friends, and begging me to go. It's a trek to Malden - on traffic-clogged Route 99 - that I initially resisted. But I soon found that those who appreciate the authentic cuisine are already making regular trips. One weekday, it's a group of Sri Lankan guys from Boston University, on another, a family from Acton.

At Biryani Park, owner Premila Mathews has created an otherworldly space out of what could have been just another large storefront. Bold, wide stripes of color rule the airy 20-seat dining room, and even the exterior of the building. The restaurant has a clean, floral, and lightly spiced aroma: It might be the kitchen, the various Sri Lankan hot peppers out for sale, or, somehow, the Indian Ocean itself. "It doesn't feel like we're in Boston," suggests one of my tablemates. Others chime in with comparisons to Tahiti, South India, and beachside San Diego. But those who know tell me it is pure Sri Lanka. The space, so effortlessly bright, unique, and fragrant, stands in proud and mocking contrast to those twin sentinels of American culture across the street: Valvoline and McDonald's.

Sri Lankan cuisine has a canon all its own. String hoppers ($11.99 to $13.99), thin noodles house-made from milled red rice, are coiled in small nests to be dipped in accompanying dishes of hothi (sauteed onion, tomato, fresh curry leaf, tumeric, and rice flour) and (shredded coconut and roasted rice flour). The hearty noodles, properly eaten with your hands, provide a textured contrast to the thought­ provoking and utterly delicious sauces.

Two other traditional staples come with hothi and sambal. Pittu ($11.99), tasty steamed cylinders of roasted-and-crumbled rice flour with coconut, are cooked in an ancient contraption involving hollowed out bamboo. And ($7.99 to $12.99), a crepe of sorts made from urid dhal (an Asian black bean) and rice flour, is flavored with fenugreek leaves.

Heartier meals abound at Biryani Park. So-called "devilled grills" of chicken, goat, beef, lamb, or various seafoods ($11.99-$13.99) are an aromatic mix of Sri Lankan spices and lots of what the restaurant calls "": roasted hot red chili peppers. The goat is tender and tasty. Too often, curry means sparse bits swimming in gloppy sauce. The traditional dry curries at Biryani Park are like a sophisticated cousin: Concentrated flavor clings to tender meat, forkful after tidy forkful. The technique applied to eggplant is sublime - a dish you will remember, and long for, days after. The samosa chaat ($7.49) innovates as well. A bowl of gently broken samosas (deep fried potato and vegetable crescents) solves the super-heated-center and crumbling-apart problems of the typical Indian version, where they' are served whole on a plate. Biryani Park's user-friendly version is garnished with savory chutney. With 24-hours notice, varied sampler platters called lamprais are prepared for groups.

Mathews left her job as an executive at the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche to open the restaurant in June. She invited "all the old Sri Lankan ladies in Boston" to consult with head chef Veera Muthu on the best preparations of traditional dishes. Prior to his arrival in Boston, Muthu honed his skills at the Marriott in , India's IT outsourcing capital, and then as a chef (he admitted reluctantly) for Carnival Cruise Lines. General manager Kanupriya Goel was working as an architect. The three bring a level of sophistication to the service, and menu, that is quite unexpected at a place that also sells Crunk grape energy drink.

Swept up in an economic downturn, the team at Biryani Park have reacted with a brilliant turn of innovation: Combine who they are with what they know. It's a homespun restaurant with low cost structure and world-class taste. As you approach, when you see the McDonald's on the right, take a hard left. And see how they do it. Vegetarian diner food in Central Square reaches for the stars

VEGGIE GALAXY 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-1513, www.veggiegalaxy.comhttp://www.veggiegalaxy.com. All major cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Breakfast $4.50-$9.25. Lunch $5.75-$9.95. Dinner $8.95-$11.95. Dessert $2-$7.50. Hours Mon-Thu 7 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor Wine and beer. What to order Open-faced seitan sandwich, baked mac, sweet potato mash, grilled cheese sandwich, cream of tomato soup, Kendall Square burger, Boston cream pie. By Jialu Chen, Globe correspondent

You would expect Adam Penn, 49, the owner of two vegetarian restaurants - Veggie Planet in Harvard Square and the new, diner-style Veggie Galaxy in Central Square - to be pretty passionate about vegetarianism. But he says something else is even more important. "I feel like the vegetarian-vegan aspect of it is just secondary. Really it's about great food."

It's precisely this attitude that makes his restaurants so appealing. Who wants to miss the meat they could have eaten? At Veggie Galaxy, meat is like a long­ forgotten summer fling.

Dinner entrees are served after 5 p.m., but they steal the spotlight and our hearts. My boyfriend is a little grumpy at the thought of a vegetarian restaurant, but his face lights up in surprise and pleasure when he bites into the open-faced seitan sandwich ($10.95). The seitan (wheat gluten) is thinly sliced and grilled so that its texture resembles gyro, placed atop rainbow chard, caramelized onions, and two slices of toasted bread, and slathered with red wine gravy and baked beans. With a hearty, meaty flavor, it is quite the man sandwich.

I fall for baked mac ($8.95). Creamy ricotta and cheddar sauce envelop soft macaroni; the top has a layer of light and crispy panko. You can add roasted eggplant, , and peas ($2 each), well worth it. We both love the side of sweet potato mash ($3), which is thick and pleasantly mushy, with a hint of cinnamon.

Sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads are offered at lunch and dinner. The grilled cheese ($6.95, on rye, sourdough, or wheat) with Vermont cheddar and slices of tomato goes perfectly with its longtime mate, tomato soup ($2.95 and $4.50), each spoonful sweet, vinegary, peppery, and creamy. French fries ($3) are a disappointment. They look beautiful with a sprinkle of and a dollop of homemade ketchup but are consistently not crisp. Of the four burger selections, each named after a square in Cambridge, the Kendall Square ($9.50) is the best. Roasted red pepper puree, roasted garlic mayo, a choice of chipotle black bean patty or mushroom chickpea patty, and two enormous beer-battered onion rings more than an inch thick, make the burger an adventure to eat. The black bean patty doesn't come close to tasting like ground beef, but it is satisfyingly savory and filling. You can also create your own burger from a selection of 24 toppings ($9.25 for three, 50 cents for each additional), including corn apple salsa, Brussels sprouts, and seitan chorizo.

Like at any good diner, Veggie Galaxy serves breakfast all day, and all the staples are here: eggs ($4.50 for one with and home fries, $5.95 for two), French toast ($6.25), pancakes ($6.75), omelets ($8.50-$9.25 with toast and home fries, or build your own starting at $8.50, same options as burger toppings), and even eggs Benedict ($8.25). Also offered are a few accommodations for vegans: tofu eggs (50 cents extra each), tofu omelet (50 cents extra), soy butter, and house­ made vegan cheese.

Veggie Galaxy's pastry chef, Lesli Turock, is neither vegetarian nor vegan, but likes the challenge of whipping up desserts that are. Dissatisfied with traditional vegan substitutes, she invented her own. Try her Boston cream pie ($5.25) which has a frosty, thick center.

Sitting in Veggie Galaxy feels like being in a healthier, greener Johnny Rockets - a long serving counter, red vinyl stools, and deep booths. "I love diners," says Penn. "When I think of diners, I think of places where everybody can feel welcome and where everybody is welcome." In Woburn, Thai dishes with a homegrown touch

LANNA THAI 901c Main St., Woburn, 781- 932-0394, www.lannathaidiner.com. All major cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.50-$11.95. Entrees $9.95-$15.95. Desserts $2.95-$5.95 Hours Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-9:30p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m-10 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Yum nua (grilled beef), chicken noodle curry, Lanna Thai string beans, spicy noodle soup, mango sticky rice.

By Catherine Smart, Globe Correspondent

Lanna Thai is housed in a 1952 lunch car, complete with vinyl bar stools and faded lace curtains. On the bar is a pile of massive zucchini with a sign informing us they are from Max's garden and selling for 50 cents apiece. Owner Agachai "Max" Katong has a formidable green thumb. In cargo shorts and a polo shirt he saunters around his tiny restaurant, running the front of the house, cracking jokes. When asked, he explains dishes in detail, including which ones feature fresh veggies from his own garden.

The food here is quite terrific, beginning with yum nua ($10.95), an appetizer of thinly sliced grilled beef, which comes with bell peppers, chilies, and onions, over a salad of cucumber, cabbage, tomato, and iceberg lettuce and topped with mint and a spicy chili-lemongrass dressing. Flecks of toasted and ground uncooked sticky rice offer a unique and crunchy garnish. The dish hits every taste bud - a superb combination of salty and sweet, spicy and cool, crispy and warm. Yum koong ($11.95) is the shrimp version of the same dish. Mango shake ($2.95), just sweet ripe mango, ice, and milk, is the perfect pairing for these delicious hot dishes.

Lanna Thai bags ($6.95) are fetching fried phyllo bundles, all crunchy, filled with ground chicken, cabbage, and carrots. They come with a dipping sauce. It's tasty enough, but a bit bland after yum nua and yum koong.

Chicken prik pow ($10.95) is a dish of stir-fried ground chicken with onions, green beans, pineapple, and summer squash (from Katong's garden), served with lettuce cups to scoop up the mixture. We dip the packets into a spicy-sweet sauce that's served over a flame, like fondue. It's a little cumbersome to eat but nicely sweet and hot. Duck chao chee ($15.95), a Thai menu classic, comes with a somewhat underseasoned bird in a mild kaffir lime, coconut curry sauce, with snow peas, and broccoli that are nicely crisp-tender.

Lanna Thai string beans ($12.95), a specialty of the house, comes topped with chicken and a spicy chili sauce, with galangal, lime leaf, and to our surprise, ketchup. The sauce has an addictive sweet heat but doesn't stick to the beans, so we soak it up with the sticky rice Katong brings to the table and teaches us to eat with our hands. Spicy noodle soup ($9.95) tastes like good Vietnamese pho - a clear flavorful broth with hints of chili and lime, garnished with tender chicken, rice noodles, Thai basil, scallions, and peanuts.

And then there's the ubiquitous Pad Thai ($9.95), made quite well here. At Lanna, when you ask for spicy, it actually comes that way. These rice noodles are delightfully chewy, garnished with egg, peanuts, chicken, bean sprouts, and flecks of crushed red chilies. Chicken noodle curry ($12.95) contains carrots, baby corn, broccoli, and egg noodles with white meat chicken in a rich, yellow curry coconut broth. This flavorful and deeply satisfying bowl is topped with kaffir lime leaves and sliced scallions.

Mango sticky rice ($5.95) is made with black grains that are chewy and sticky, and delightful with the sweet, silky mango. This delicate dessert is only available during peak mango season, which explains why the table next to us orders multiple rounds. A perfectly good excuse, so we follow their lead. Get a plateful , and an earful, in Brookline

BOTTEGA DI CAPRI 41 Harvard St., Brookline Village, Brookline, 617-738-5333. Most major credit cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $9-$11.95 (some serve two). Entrees $6.95-$10.45. Desserts $3.99. Hours Mon-Sat 10 a.rn.-9 p.m., Sun 10 a.rn.-6 p.m. Liquor None. What to order pumpkin with butter and sage, penne amatriciana, ravioli with pesto Rosa. BY IKE DELORENZO, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT As recently as several years ago, I hoped to find a homespun restaurant like Bottega di Capri on every corner. Why not? There are plenty of Italian-Americans here, and New Englanders are, at least by reputation, a frugal lot. You'd expect a demand for good workaday Italian pasta plates - at workaday prices - in every neighborhood.

The grandly named Bottega di Capri (the "boutique of Capri") close to the Brookline Village T stop, claims to be the best hidden secret outside of the glamorous Italian resort of Capri. Instead of waiters, the 18-seat restaurant has Ivan Conill, a young emcee of sorts at the counter. Conill, 21, is an affable Argentine of Italian descent who now hails from Newton and bears more than a passing resemblance to comedian Jonah Hill. He has plenty of unrestrained advice for everyone - especially the regulars - on life, sports, politics, and, at length, the dishes on the menu.

Bottega is owned by Carlos and Gustavo Perez, who came to Boston from Colombia in the late 1990s with no previous culinary experience. Here the brothers found work, and learned Italian cooking from the previous Tuscan owner. They bought the restaurant in 2008 after 10 years of apprenticeship, keeping the same suppliers, menu, and, as regulars can attest, standards of quality.

Pesta Rosa is an early Perez creation designed to suit the tastes of the many Arab customers in the neighborhood. Spicy arrabiata sauce is made with basil, garlic, and other spices, then fortified with a bit of cream. It's much lighter than you might expect, and a delight, I thought, even with delicate imported tortellini ($8.95). These are filled with pumpkin ("zucca"), which in Italy are blotchy, malformed green-orange vegetables whose savory taste puts our sweet sugar pumpkins to shame.

Conill tried to dissuade me from ordering pesto Rosa sauce on the tortellini. "Oh please. Get that sauce on penne or something. The pumpkin tortellini are best with butter and sage." When I can't find this dish on the menu, Conill throws up his hands. "We don't need to put it on the menu. Everyone already knows to order it that way." If he weren't smiling so broadly, you might think he's upset.

To make the dish, whole sage leaves are fried almost crisp in "three squares" of salted butter, the cooked tortellini enter the hot pan for a quick stir, and the contents are promptly plated. "It's simple - and perfect," says Carlos Perez. The dish is as aromatic as it sounds. The herb adds a bit of finesse to the firm, buttery pasta, and elevates the pumpkin's flavor.

Bottega di Capri offers 21 sauces with any of eight pastas. Math like that usually adds up to not-very-good. But it works: from amatriciana (pancetta in spicy tomato sauce, $6.95) to vongole (red or white clam sauce, $6.95).

The basics here are solid - good red sauce, good technique, and quick plating. These strengths serve Bottega well as a foundation for the most successful dishes (there are many). Yes, on occasion the kitchen uses tomatoes that are canned, that are packaged, peas that are frozen (here they have to; fresh ones aren't in season).

The chefs make none of the pastas in-house, but all of the sauces. And the prices are unbeatable. Fine Italian staples (prosciutto, olive oil, pignoli, pastas, Parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses) keep quality good and consistent. And the policy of preferring fresh ingredients, or skillfully using packaged substitutes, will hold up all winter.

After their Tuscan tutelage, the brothers took other liberties with tradition. They now add chicken ($2.99) or shrimp ($3.99) to any of the pastas on request. Italian purists may scoff, but Americans want protein on the plate.

Of course, add them at your own risk. You'll need to convince the man at the counter that it's a good idea. In Malden, savory flavors from Morocco

MOROCCAN HOSPITALITY RESTAURANT 188 Salem St., Malden, 781-605-0520. All major cards. Restrooms not wheelchair accessible. Prices Soups, salads, sandwiches $1.49-$6.99. Entrees $8.99-$14.99. Desserts charged by the pound. Hours Mon-Sat 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Liquor None. What to order (soup), roasted peppers, roast chicken, lamb with prunes, lamb couscous (Fridays only). BY SHERYL JULIAN, GLOBE STAFF

We're in a big rush. It's a Friday night during - couscous night- and the crowds will descend on Moroccan Hospitality Restaurant for Iftar, the meal to break the sunup-to-sundown fast. We're looking for couscous, of course, and also for harira, the multi-grained saffron-based soup that's so nourishing you could live on it.

Alas, hardly any customers are in the little storefront. Only one man with a handlebar mustache is sitting near the window. He is obviously enjoying the soup (if it's possible to smile while you slurp hot liquid, that's what he's doing). Beside it, a tagine, tucked under the traditional conical top, is hiding something aromatic.

When our own soup arrives, we're too busy smiling and slurping to see what our neighbor is dining on. This harira ($1.49 and $3.49) is simmered with bits of lamb, lentils, chickpeas, rice, ginger, fresh cilantro, and saffron. As more customers come in, many for takeout, we watch co-owner Nouzha Ghalley ladle out many bowls. She makes the meat version only during Ramadan, she tells me later on the phone, and a vegetarian version the rest of the year.

Ghalley owns Moroccan Hospitality with her sister, Amina Ghalley McTursh. The sisters ran a small restaurant in Rabat, Morocco. Their mother, Fatima El Haddad, 75, is also cooking here, along with some other women.

This is labor intensive cooking. One night, we ask for something besides fries with a sandwich and Ghalley sends out beautiful, velvety, roasted bell peppers bathed in olive oil. She roasts them on a flame, just several at a time.

And the couscous ($13.99), which comes in a tagine: The grains are feathery, each one tender, but separate, deliciously moist, but not saucy. Lamb, rutabaga, potatoes, carrots, and chickpeas sit on top. We did not eat better couscous in Morocco (other couscous dishes are $9.99 to $11.99).

Chicken is roasted with preserved lemons ($11.99), and the lemons mixed with onions, saffron, and turmeric forms a crust on the skin. The stunning dish arrives with handfuls of very crisp, slender fries on top. A melting lamb shank with prunes ($13.99) is cooked in a deliciously nutty sauce, which comes studded with almonds. ($14.99), a big, incredibly flaky little pie sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, is filled with chicken and almonds.

Dinner comes with two homemade breads, one golden slices from a loaf, the other heartier slices of a whole-wheat loaf (whole loaves to go are $1.50 each).

We fall hard for sfous (also called selloh, $14.99 a pound), which is a powdery ground mixture of toasted flour, sesame seeds, aniseed, honey, walnuts, almonds, and cinnamon, mixed with butter, and eaten with a spoon. When the cooks add more honey to the powder, it turns moist like a pudding and tastes exactly like .

A group of men come in one night for Iftar and waiting on their table is a plate of plump dates and some hard-cooked eggs. A thoughtful touch.

This is a barebones outfit. It looks like the owners turned around the large white plastic menu board over the counter so the clear side shows. Some unlit decorative Moroccan lamps hang from the ceiling. In this former pizzeria, white cotton curtains block the view into the kitchen. Most patrons help themselves to cutlery and paper towels serve as napkins. Brown felt-back plastic cloths cover tables. Don't come for the aesthetics.

An adorable 6-year-old boy is a constant presence, dashing in and out of the kitchen. One night his mother, who is cooking, takes him out of the restaurant and they return with a brown bag. She sits him at a corner table and out comes a large slice of pizza.

Extraordinary tagines are an arm's reach away. He wants pizza. Only in America. Back to delicious basics at Dorchester's Savin Bar

SAVIN BAR + KITCHEN 112 Savin Hill Ave., Dorchester, 617-288-7500, www.savinbarandkitchen.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices $6-$10. Large plates $14-$20. Hours Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Fried calamari, Cajun popcorn shrimp, clams casino, chicken tostadas, mac and cheese with , miso seared salmon, beer can chicken. BY BELLA ENGLISH, GLOBE STAFF

When the popular C. F. Donovan's Pub in Dorchester closed, neighbors in Savin Hill mourned. It was a beloved watering hole with good bar food. Then Savin Bar + Kitchen moved in. The new owners opened up the dining area and the kitchen and added large windows. For the bar, they brought in reclaimed oak from a mill in Vermont; and there are pretty new light fixtures. The feel is light and airy, more South End than Dorchester.

But the locals didn't love the fancy new food, so the restaurant responded by changing the menu and hiring a new chef, John Norton, from 14 Union in Plymouth. "We listened to the neighbors," says general manager John Murray, who grew up in Savin Hill. "They were screaming at us for more affordable, regular food, like a nice steak, fish, a nice chicken dish, mac and cheese.'' Owners Ken Osherow and Driscoll Docanto both live in Dorchester; Osherow owns McKenna's, a bustling cafe across the street from Savin Bar + Kitchen, open for breakfast and lunch.

When we sit down at Savin Bar + Kitchen, a warm basket of bread arrives, served with cinnamon-sugar butter. It's an odd thing, more suited for a breakfast biscuit, perhaps, but after the first bite, we aren't complaining.

The menu ranges from sandwiches - including a Cuban ($12) to die for - to small and large plates, salads, and sides. The small plates concept still may sound South End, but in truth they're generous appetizers to share. Try the fried calamari ($9), which the calamari snob at our table declares perfect. Lightly breaded, they are golden and tender, easily cut with a fork. They're served with a coarse romesco sauce. Cajun popcorn shrimp ($10) are also light, no heavy batter hiding the flavorful shrimp.

Pork tostadas ($8 for two) are a meal in itself. The tortillas are grilled and loaded with meat, drizzled with a mango hot sauce; a grilled corn salad comes on the side.

Savin Bar + Kitchen is just a few blocks from Dorchester Bay, so it offers a "beach menu" of fresh steamers, clams, shrimp, and scallops. Nightly specials include one on Red Sox Fridays: For 5 bucks, you get a ballpark frank, fries, and a pint of Narragansett. Notes Murray: "At Fenway, it will cost you $9 just for the beer." The tequila bar offers 39 kinds, and on Fridays, there's a margarita special with some Mexican dishes, too.

The general menu includes three mac and cheese variations. Beer can chicken ($18) is a generous portion of a tender lemony bird, with perfectly mashed potatoes and broccolini. Here's to listening to customers. Tempting combinations at Greek spot in Natick

THE GRILLIN' GREEK 3 Union St., Natick, 508-655-4711, www.thegrillingreek.com. All major cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $2.50-$9.50. Entrees $5.25-$10.95. Desserts $1.50-$3.25. Hours Daily 10:30 a.m.-8:30p.m. What to order Lil Bo Peep's Lost Sheep Salad, White Princess of Cheese pizza, spinach and Greekadilla, chocolate drizzled baklava flute. BY LOUISE KENNEDY, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

The seductive genius of The Grillin' Greek shows up even in a menu item that isn't grilled at all. It's called a chocolate drizzled baklava flute ($3.25 for two), and it's just what it sounds like: flaky baklava that's been curled into a tube before baking, then squiggled with just enough dark chocolate to counterpoint the honeyed sweetness. Baklava and chocolate? Irresistible.

But it's not just the desserts in this tiny, mostly take-out, year-old establishment that evince a dangerous flair for irresistible combinations. White pizza with hearts and feta? Thin slices of lamb and a great Greek salad with homemade dressing? A "Greekadilla" that marries the gooey delight of a quesadilla with the classic zing of spinach-and-feta pie? Yes, yes, and yes. And, yes, more please.

That pizza, aptly if cutely dubbed the White Princess of Cheese ($9.95 to $19.50, depending on size), also features chicken, mushrooms, and plenty of garlic - a pungency it shares with several other white pizzas here, along with a pleasingly blistered crust that's thinner than you would expect for Greek style. All these are listed in the "house pizza" section, as is a Red Meat Rage ($9.95 to $18.75) that seems to feature everything but yak. (OK: shaved steak, bacon, sausage, ground beef, and pepperoni.) That one pleased the resident teenager so completely that we never had to resort to the "traditional pizza'' sector. But, yeah, you can get pineapple if you want it, and if you've lived in Boston long enough to consider a pineapple pizza traditional.

Don't stick with pizza when you can get a Lil Bo Peep's Lost Sheep ($8.75), the aforementioned salad with lamb. It's an omnivore's dream: Crisp greens, olives, feta, a light and tangy dressing that's a family secret, and on top of all that, thin slices of the same savory lamb that goes into a tender, homemade pita for a fine gyro. In cooler weather, we'll go back for the lamb stew, the Greek-style steak tips, or the lamb with rice pilaf. For now this salad or another winner, the salata Kalamata, Greek salad with extra olives and lemony stuffed grape leaves ($7. 75), is all we need for .

The Grillin' Greek is barely a restaurant, with just one table inside and another out back. It's perfect for takeout - or delivery if you live nearby. On one visit, we were happy to yield the table to a gaggle of teenage girls sharing a large plate of golden Greek potatoes, with plenty of yogurt-based for dipping. Clever girls: They already know it's the food and the company, not the size or status, that makes the meal. Simple Mexican in the South End, hold the sauces

ELCENTRO 472 Shawmut Ave., South End, Boston, 617-262-5708. Most major credit cards. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $6-$18. Entrees $12-$22. Desserts $7. Hours Man-Wed 5-10 p.m., Thu-Sun 5-11 p.m. Liquor Beer and wine. What to order Shrimp al chipotle, flour tortillas, carne asada al carbon. BY IKE DELORENZO, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

It's an unusual arrangement. Robi , the owner of the South End restaurant Siraj Cafe, closed his doors, only to reopen later as a Mexican restaurant called El Centro. In the interim, the interior was entirely renovated, with the result that it oddly resembles the popular South American restaurant Orinoco just across the street. (The new tiled ceiling, for instance, is almost an exact match.) Portraits of the immortal actor Pedro Infante and a pensive Frida Kahlo now overlook the transformed space, from places on the wall where Buddha and Ganesh once reigned.

Islam's new business partner, Allan Rodriguez, owns the construction company that did the renovation. Rodriguez also helped find a new staff, nearly all of whom are from Sonora, Mexico. Dishes of that region are, as you might expect, the focus of the new menu. Both men are there nearly every night, and the interplay between them, their untested Spanish-speaking employees, and the high-maintenance clientele could be just what NBC needs for an 8 p.m. time slot.

At El Centro's unannounced soft opening, prices were high ($18 for one stuffed pepper), and the food was merely passable. Six weeks later, both problems are being addressed. You will now spend only double what you might in a good Mexican place in East Boston. "The ingredients we use are the best available," explains Islam, "and this is the South End." In this part of Boston, El Centro enjoys a monopoly on the genre.

The good news is that quality has become consistent, and some dishes exceptionally good. Pricing appears to be a work in progress: chips and salsa are $5, but if you make a face, they come for free. Practice your best look of shock before you head over.

A favorite among dinner mates, various neighboring diners, and the waitstaff is the shrimp in chipotle sauce ($16). Rodriguez simmers dried chopped chipotles in homemade chicken stock with onion and garlic, then fortifies the reduction with Mexican cream. Separately, fresh shrimp is flash-sauteed, then mixed with the warm sauce. It's as good as it sounds. The -orange dish has a broad spiciness that would not be out of place in, say, Thailand. But the dish is pure and traditional Sonora, and perfectly done, with plump shrimp and heat that does not overwhelm them. The most impressive item is the simplest: flour tortillas, made in-house using Rodriguez's father's recipe (flour, vegetable shortening, butter, scant sugar). Here they are fresh, fragrant, and almost paper-white. The taste is reminiscent of pie crust. You get a half -dozen or so with certain dishes, and they are used for all the taco varieties. The meat for the al pastor taco, tender, subtly seasoned shredded pork loin flavored with pineapple, is perhaps the best accompaniment.

The kitchen would do well to let such fine ingredients shine, but it has a habit of drenching them in sauces. Take the caramelos tacos ($5): delicious barbecued beef and melted Oaxacan cheese arrive in the beloved tortillas, only to be smothered by guacamole and thin sour cream. Fish tacos ($5) and various versions of chimichanga ($15) suffer a similar fate. Corn on the cob ($7) is nicely grilled and still crunchy, but rolled in too much queso fresco. ($7), the traditional extruded fried-dough dessert, is dusted with sugar, then inexplicably doused with caramel-chocolate sauce, rendering it hyper-sweet.

Such zeal is part of the charm of the restaurant; the waitstaff is more than eager, the management more than attentive. But even they can overdo it. Everyone is wearing El Centro logo-emblazoned uniforms that are more Panda Express than neighborhood eatery. Red shirts for staff, black for managers. Unfortunate for both.

At some point, and perhaps with some encouragement from customers, El Centro will find that it's already doing what it does best: simple, authentic dishes made with good, fresh ingredients. Sauce, if you must, lightly applied or on the side. Traditional Vietnamese in Dorchester, hot and hearty

PHO LE 1356 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, 617-506-6294. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.95-$8.50. Entrees $5.50-$14.95. Desserts $3-$3.50. Hours Daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Roast quail, Vietnamese crepe, vermicelli with grilled shrimp, duck salad, beef pho with beef eye round and , catfish in clay pot. By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

There's a moment when it probably looks like we're about to cover the table top with our pho (pronounced fuh). we're struggling with the broth, beef, and a mass of rice noodles at the bottom of the bowl, trying to break them up and ladle the mixture into smaller bowls. our waiter, who has told us his name is edwin (this is the first vietnamese restaurant where a server has introduced himself) rushes over. first he instructs us to put the garnishes in the bowl. in go bean sprouts and thai basil. then he deftly ladles in broth and noodles. not a drop on the table. this is a traditional, hearty pho ($6.95, $7.50, $7.95) with very thinly sliced beef eye round that cooks in the heat of a fine, intense, clear broth.

Edwin also helps us shape bahn hoi, which are essentially roll-your-own fresh rolls. They begin with rice paper dipped into hot water, then filled with pieces of deliciously caramelized chicken, compact bundles of vermicelli noodles sprinkled with peanuts, shisho leaves, mint, Thai basil, carrot, and daikon. No dipping sauce. Edwin thinks it will be too pungent for us. Bring the dipping sauce! It's just right with that unmistakable aroma of fish sauce, this one slightly sweetened.

Pho Le Vietnamese Cuisine is the latest venture of Duyen Le, who opened the Pho Pasteur chain, and changed the Brighton and Cambridge locations to Le's Restaurant. The fourth, in Chinatown, is owned by someone else. At every table in this Vietnamese neighborhood you see large groups and lots of children. One night the room doesn't fill until 8:30, when families pour in, many with babies in tow. The space was formerly occupied by Pho Hoa, before that establishment moved practically next door (Le had been the landlord).

The menu is large. Among the highlights are roast quail with a sticky barbecue quality on a bed of watercress with red peppers and onions; Vietnamese crepe ($8.95), a stunning yellow half-moon filled with shrimp, pork, and loads of sprouts; vermicelli with grilled shrimp ($7.95), shredded vegetables, and fish sauce; and roast duck salad on shredded with a sweet and hot dressing you can't get enough of, and very crisp prawn crackers that you heap the salad onto. A chicken pho with vegetables ($6.95, $7.50, $7.95) has a watery broth that doesn't resemble its gutsier beef cousins. Stir-fried yellow noodles with broccoli, carrots, and red peppers ($7.95) is dull. Chinese broccoli with beef ($10.95) has chewy meat, though the broccoli is divine.

Catfish roasted in a clay pot, with caramel sauce ($12.95-$14.95), is placed in the center of the table. You use chopsticks to pull out pieces of the succulent fish and you'll work hard to rid them of bones. This dish shows what the kitchen can do and what this clientele is looking for. If you're having trouble, holler for Edwin. In Arlington, a Mexican bistro with flair- and no burritos

A CITRON MEXICAN BISTRO 473 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, 781-777-2839, www.acitronrestaurant.com. All major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $6-$10. Salads $7.25-$8.25. Entrees $15.95-$24.95. Hours Mon-Thu 5-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 -11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Sopes surtidos, crepas de rajas poblanas, camarones en mole de tamarindo, polio relleno en mole verde, cajeta ice cream. By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff

Not a single burrito or taco or chimichanga appears on the menu at Acitr6n Mexican Bistro. Purists will balk because the chef (who is from Mexico City) sometimes inserts a very un-Mexican fish, like cod, into a Mexican dish. Or he adds an unusual ingredient- - to a traditional Mexican sauce like mole.

But this restaurant is a creative take on Mexican, with New England ingredients and a Parisian air to its name. This creative take on Mexican cuisine reminds us how much the country's food varies by region. In the same location, servers at Rio Brazilian Barbeque once carried around skewered meat. The place has been renovated into a small but sophisticated dining room with a small bar beneath pendant lights.

Our server starts the meal by bringing us homemade corn chips and salsa, and though the chips are a little soft, the next batch, with the guacamole we order (pricey at $10) are excellent. Sopes surtido ($7.50), three hand-shaped little corn disks with raised sides, each holding a different topping, are one of our favorite appetizers. Potato and Mexican chorizo is the best, though the shredded chicken is also good. Cactus salad, with mild cotija cheese, is beautiful but bland. Aguacate relleno de ensalada is perfect for a hot day, but the tiny shrimp are nearly tasteless and the cilantro sparse.

Crepas de rajas poblanas ($16.95) are thick crepes stuffed with grilled strips of poblano peppers, corn, yellow squash, and zucchini and topped with a creamy spinach sauce. The dish is so large that it doesn't come with the two sides awarded to most entrees, an interesting range of vegetables and rice. Although the crepes are a bit dense, the vegetables are fresh and tender. Polio relleno en mole verde ($18.95), a Mexican version of stuffed chicken, is from the Yucatan. The chicken breast is tender and filled with asparagus and huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn and is less appetizingly known as corn smut. We love camarones en mole de tamarindo ($20.95), a blend of shrimp and a thick, sweet sauce served over small pieces of cornbread. The tamarind mole is the highlight of the dish, and although Acitr6n owner Gotu Hule notes proudly that every dish has a different sauce, we wouldn't mind another chance to try this one again. One of the sides, elate - a half-ear of corn on the cob rolled in cheese and spices - is excellent. Hule's wife runs Tango, the Argentinian restaurant across the street, and Acitr6n's most expensive entree, filete sonorense ($24.95) from Mexico's northern border, is reminiscent of Tango's beef-heavy menu.

Desserts include four flavors of ice cream, and the best is cajeta ($2.50 for a scoop), a coffee-colored concoction made from caramelized milk. Not traditional, maybe, but we don't mind. Breakfast (and more) to remember in Roslindale

SUGAR BAKING CO. & RESTAURANT 4174 Washington St., Roslindale, 617-327-4174, www.sugarbakingcompany.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Breakfast and $5-$14; lunch $5-$11; dinner entrees $7-$12. Hours Daily 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Stuffed French toast, a breakfast sandwich to remember, surf & turf sliders, lemon ricotta pancakes, grits, almond , fudge caramel brownies.

By Bella English, Globe Staff

Any restaurant with the words "sugar" and "baking" in its name has to be worth a visit. In this case, Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant is worth several visits. In the few months it's been open, the cheerful 45-seat cafe has already gained a well­ earned reputation for its wonderful breakfast and weekend brunch. People wait up to an hour and a half for Sugar's manchego grits ($11 with ham and sunny-side up eggs) and lemon ricotta pancakes ($9), not to mention the best stuffed French toast known to mankind.

See for yourself. Go in an off-hour - early or late - and you'll get a table; we walked right in at 1 p.m. on a Sunday. In good weather, the large accordion-type windows are open to the street; there is no room for outdoor seating on a busy sidewalk.

About that French toast ($11): Picture two thick slices of homemade , dipped in milk and egg with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Stuffed between the warm slices is a slab of brie and some fig confiture. The brie melts into a delicious ooze and offsets the natural sweetness of the dish, and the figs add a nice fruity note, as do the blueberries and strawberries that garnish the plate.

On a recent weekend special, surf & turf sliders ($14) are a different and fun combination: One is a lobster roll, the other braised short rib, each served on a dinner-size eggy roll, accompanied by french fries.

Our dining companion orders "a breakfast sandwich to remember" ($8) - and it lives up to its name. Part bakery, part restaurant, Sugar has the advantage of making all its own bread, from biscuits to baguettes, on the premises. This sandwich comes on a big, fluffy biscuit and includes an egg (any way you want), a chunk of English farmhouse cheddar, lots of high-quality seared pancetta and a schmear of fig preserves, similar to that on the French toast, to bind it all. It's an interesting melange of flavors and textures, the sharpness of the cheddar playing nicely off the sweetness of the preserves.

Speaking of which, Sugar Baking Co. owner Eric Battite makes his own strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry preserves several times a week. Battite also owns the Real Deal restaurant in Jamaica Plain, and another in West Roxbury, next door to his Sugar Bakery. His newest place is on the site of a Roslindale landmark, Boschetto Bakery, which closed in 2009. But the Boschetto sign has been saved and hangs over Battite's bakery, which is adjacent to the dining area, in the back. Try the ethereal almond macaroons, among the best I've tasted, and the fudge caramel brownies, worth every decadent calorie. Cupcake lovers, there are at least a dozen and a half flavors at any given time, from strawberry milkshake to an "Elvis," with peanut butter and banana.

Executive chef Johnny Fortin, who owns a diner in West Roxbury, is also a local and the man behind the menu.

When Sugar first started serving dinner, you could tell its heart isn't in it yet. Battite seems to be putting his energy into breakfast, brunch, and lunch. If dinner turns out to have the quality of the rest of the menu, you'll be in luck Southern comforts in Winthrop are satisfying with sauce and smoke

BLACKSTRAP BBQ 47A Woodside Ave., Winthrop, 617-207-1783, www.black strapbbq.com. MasterCard and Visa. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $2.99-$8.99. Plates and sandwiches $6.99-$23.99. Desserts $2.99-$3.99. Hours Tue-Thu 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Liquor None. What to order Smoked chicken wings, pork ribs, Carolina-style pork, fried green tomatoes, buttermilk fried onion rings, chili, baked beans, cornbread pudding, chocolate pecan square. By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

GPS will get you anywhere in pursuit of good food, which is how we find ourselves on a gorgeous night in Winthrop at Blackstrap BBQ. Everything on the blackboard sounds irresistible, so hungry travelers that we are, we order what seems like half the menu.

A generous stack of buttermilk fried onion rings ($4.99) arrives right away, and one bite of these sweet, juicy rings with their nearly crackly crust and we're smiling as more food starts coming. Will there be enough?

After fried pickles ($3.99) with ranch dressing, crusty on the outside and all pickly inside, then deliciously, juicy fried green tomatoes with vegetable salad and remoulade dressing ($7.99), and crisp fries that stay crisp throughout dinner, we're about to hand out a award.

Hunks of cornbread ($1.50), tied in waxed paper bags, are dense and sweet, something like pound cake. "Bad, tastes like cake" says the gentleman to my left. "Fabulous," says the woman to my right. "Of course it tastes like cake." They don't have a chance to launch into the North-South sweet vs. unsweetened cornbread debate because someone sets down a bowl of Grammy Kath's Rip Your Lips Off Chili ($4.99 and $6.99). Its dark and luscious liquid is sprinkled with cheddar and onions. The chili, simmered with chunks of pork and beef (no beans or tomatoes), is pleasingly hot rather than alarmingly so. We all dip in spoons until the cup is scraped clean. Sticky BBQ chicken wings ($5.99-$16.99) are plump, smoky, and succulent.

At Blackstrap BBQ's 22-seat spot (primarily take-out), you order at a counter and food comes in plastic containers, foil-lined paper boats, and plastic baskets. Napkins are so thin we use dozens and break at least two plastic knives trying to divvy things up. Blackstrap is co-owned by Chris Thompson and Jim Economides. Thompson met Economides's wife, Kate, when she was the events coordinator at East Coast Grill and Thompson was head chef of the catering unit. Jim and Kate opened All Star Sandwich Bar with Chris Schlesinger, then the couple took off to start their own catering venture in 2009, called tasty plates. The restaurant came in October 2010. "One of our passions is barbecue," says Thompson. "Most places in this community are Italian. We decided they needed a change of pace."

Thompson, who is from Middlebury, Vt., spent a lot of time in Virginia. "A lot of barbecue," he says. "A lot of church parties." To that end, his Carolina-style pork ($12.99 for a plate with sides; $11.99 for a pint) is a tender, saucy cluster of barely sweet meat; shredded BBQ chicken ($12.99 plate; $11.99 pint) isn't as rich as the pork, of course, but deliciously saucy. And now to the highlight of the menu: Memphis-style dry-rub pork ribs ($2.99 for one bone, $12.99 for half rack; $23.99 for full rack). You get a smoky sauce in which to dip the ribs, which are center cut and meaty, smoked over cherry and local hardwoods until the pork is intensely flavorful but still moist.

Almost forgot The Hog ($7.99-$10.99)! It starts with sausage, which is wrapped in bacon, smoked, then fried to crisp the bacon. Order it with peppers and onions, or get a Cowboy Hog with baked beans and slaw. There's so much going on here, you could feed a family of four. The molasses beans are exquisite, the slaw creamy but not too sweet, the hog a big mess of meat and smoke.

The cooks here know how to add smoke without hammering it into everything. A sweet potato salad ($2.50 half pint) has a hint of it and a creamy dressing that perfectly suits it. A few shreds of bacon enhance long-cooked collards ($2.50 half pint). Dinner ends with a chocolate pecan square ($2.99) and cornbread pudding with Cruzan Black Strap rum, which the owners abbreviate as "BS rum" ($3.99). The sweets are a little rough and ready, but just what you want after all this smoky, sticky, immensely satisfying food.

On the way home, even the robotic voice giving directions on the GPS sounds as if she's had a good time. On Newbury Street, enjoy sushi with a view­ and new friends

SNAPPY SUSHI 108 Newbury St., Boston, 617-262-4530. MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.95-$10.95. Entrees $8.95-$14.95. No desserts. Hours Sun-Wed 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Tim-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. What to order Striped bass sushi, rainbow battera, mamemaki roll, Boston lobster roll.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

It seems there's a boom in reasonably priced sushi in Boston. In the past few months, Brookline's quirky Super Fusion Cuisine expanded to four locations, and a third Fin's Japanese Sushi + Grill opened in Beacon Hill. Franchise-ready spots have appeared in Chinatown and Peabody. And location scouts from the high­ design British mega-chain YO! Sushi are reportedly scouring Boston for suitable locations.

So Snappy Sushi jumped into the fray. Chef-owner Kazu Aotani has operated good, affordable sushi locations under various names since 2003. Now he's in a tony corner of Newbury Street for an ambitious expansion: moving his tiny eatery up the street to a three-tiered space with seating for 76. The lower level offers small tables and a traditional bar and outdoor seating for 30. An elevated mezzanine offers a communal table with a charming view of the street.

The communal table, sized for those traveling samurai you might see in an anime movie, seats 18 very comfortably. A meal here is entertainment. Many at the table are dining alone, stopping in while shopping or running errands. The ambiance is easy and friendly. Around lunchtime, polished female luxury shoppers of a certain age often mix with unshaven college guys over dramatic presentations of maki, sushi, and the restaurant's own inventions. The food is a conversation starter.

At Snappy, it's important to figure out the day's best fish before ordering (another good reason to chat up your new dining companions). The restaurant uses fresh striped bass (suzuki), salmon (sake), and sea urchin (uni). Striped bass sushi ($1) is perfect: mild and subtle, with an almost crunchy texture and a slight, fresh pop as you bite down. Many fish are flash frozen, shipped from afar by suppliers better able to comply with stringent regulations.

Flash frozen fish, quite good if properly handled, thawed, and cut, is the norm for moderately priced sushi. On one visit, the tuna nigiri (maguro, $2) is excellent. On another visit, it is off color, chewy, and nearly inedible. Our server agrees to substitute the delicious striped bass for the unwanted tuna, which turns out to be a wonderful trade. Rainbow battera ($11.95), a pressed open-face sushi with avocado and a variety of fish, is marvelous. The only rice used at Snappy is light brown koshihikari, popular in Japan for its flavor and texture. Koshihikari rice has a subtle taste that suggests hazelnut and bread crust, and is firmer than ordinary sushi rice. In most of the rolls, it adds a welcome complexity and substance. In sushi with delicate fish, such as yellowtail (hamachi, $4.95), it can overshadow a bit.

Fancy rolls, many of which do not contain raw fish, abound. One is the tasty Boston lobster roll ($12.95), creamy and fresh, brightened with wasabi. Mamemaki roll ($9.95) adds citrus (yuzu) flavors to raw tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, and shisho leaf, packaged in a tasty soy wrap called mamenori, instead of the usual seaweed paper. The seasoned rolls are both delicious and strategic. Sometimes a zingy sauce evens out the uneven quality of the fish.

The unadorned fish might be wonderful or adequate, so there's some strategy to ordering well here. First discuss matters with your tablemates. Seasoned rolls are a better choice one day, open-face sushi the next. But even this or that dish misfires. A seat outside under a large shade umbrella, or inside, chatting with new friends, is fine consolation. A mess of pasta choices at Comella's in Belmont Center

COMELLA'S 43 Leonard St., Belmont Center, 617-489-7777, www.comellasrestaurants.com. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Pasta $6-$15.99, pizza $5-$14.99. Hours Mon-Sun 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Liquor Wine and beer. What to order Garlic bread, sweet potato ravioli. BY KATHLEEN BURGE, GLOBE STAFF There was much upset in Belmont Center when the Charlesbank Bookshop closed its doors and the Leonard Street storefront sat empty. Brown paper swathed across the windows and a town waited to see what would emerge. Then came Comella's - in an area with no shortage of restaurants, including il Casale and Stone Hearth Pizza. But the appetite for Italian food seems to be sustaining this new restaurant, the company's eighth in the area. The small dining room has been packed on most nights since Comella's began serving its Italian-American comfort menu, heavy on red sauce and cheese. It's mostly counter service here, but your orders are brought to the table. The family-owned company includes dad Gene Comella, and sons Matt and JP, daughter Erin, an uncle, and two cousins.

This restaurant is sleeker than some others in the mini chain, with a small bar - six seats and one bar table - and modern black tables. But the dishes are the same: an astonishingly long menu whose sauce variations create a total of 120 pasta and ravioli combinations. And that number doesn't include Comella's famous , giant piles of pasta and sauce with a host of added ingredients, from eggplant to sausage. There are pizzas and sandwiches and salads, soft and buttery garlic bread (75 cents a slice), and a few Italian desserts.

Comella's, which started in 1988 with a single Wellesley location, is not the best Italian restaurant in town, but the newcomer's menu is longer and the prices are generally cheaper, especially considering the mass of food that constitutes a portion. One colossal bargain is the 16-inch cheese pizza ($5). Food can also be ordered in larger portions: by the bucket, half bucket, or gargantuan double bucket (serves 20 to 25).

Pastas can be ordered with a variety of sauces - Marinara, pesto, meat, sun-dried tomato, Alfredo, a simple elixir of oil, butter and garlic, all $1.50 extra; the default sauce is Marinara, a sweet, thick tomato sauce. We order lobster ravioli ($15.99) and forget to specify oil, butter, and garlic sauce. The Marinara sauce overpowers the lobster, though it works better with the mushroom ravioli ($9.99), which is packed with mushrooms and holds its own. Sweet potato ravioli ($11.99) is so good, we eat some of it without any sauce, plump half-orbs of dough filled with a mixture of spicy .

Comella's pesto (we try it on the homemade fusilli, $8.50) is thick and leafy, and arrives with an oddly gritty texture. We order pesto on a second visit, and once again, the texture persists. We do like the soft fusilli, long hollow spindles of pasta. The messes start with Ma's mess ($6.99), a vegetarian base with pasta, Marinara sauce, and cheese. The other messes - including versions with eggplant, sausage, and lasagna - are still bargains, priced up to $15.99. But though this may be blasphemous at Comella's, which plays up the secret ingredients in its messes, we like the other pastas better.

Seating arrangements make this location a bit less kid-friendly in a kid-heavy town. The restaurant doesn't yet take reservations, although that might change. Tables can be hard to snag. We overhear cashiers explain repeatedly to customers that they should make sure they have a table before they order.

Tiramisu ($4) is disappointing, a simplified version of the dessert, more custard and less the complex arrangement of sweet and bitter. Cannoli ($2, $1.25 for minis) are better, filled with very light cream, the shells crunchy, even the next day. Storing well is one essential for Comella's food. With portions this size, there will always be doggie bags. Build a better burger at 5 Napkin at the Prudential Center

5 NAPKIN BURGER 105 Huntington Ave., Prudential Center, Boston, 617-375-2277. www.5napkinburger.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers and sushi $6.75-$15.95. Burgers, entrees, salads $7.75-$19.50. Desserts $3.50-$7. Hours Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri 11:30 a.m-midnight, Sat. 11 a.m.­ midnight, Sun 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Original 5 napkin burger, lamb kofta burger, tuna burger, turkey burger on a salad, grilled fish tacos, vanilla malted or cookies 'n' creme shake, espresso brownie sundae. By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff

Five Napkin Burger appeared in the Pru with a roar. Located across from Brasserie Jo, along a strip of Huntington Avenue that could use a great pre­ symphony burger, the new spot has a smart but self-conscious look of an old butcher shop. Off-white subway tiles with black grouting line the walls. Several steel racks curve around the room with meat hooks and single light bulbs hanging from them. It's a comfortable space with dark wood tables and soft black cushions on banquettes. The place seats 160 and the music is loud. Five Napkin Burger has other locations in New Y ark; Miami and Atlanta are coming soon.

The restaurant was started by three partners. Two, Simon Oren and executive chef Andy D'Amico, own Nice Matin, the wonderful New York eatery on the Upper East Side. The burger that gives the establishment its name was developed at Nice Matin, which is a French-style spot. As a result, the original 5 napkin burger ($14.95) is a handsome and delicious patty, made with ground chuck, set on a soft floury roll with rosemary aioli, carmelized onions, and Gruyere.

A lot of thought has gone into the menu. Ahi tuna burger ($16.95) on brioche comes with wasabi mayonnaise and tempura fried onions. It's amazing! Turkey burger on a salad ($14.95) covers the Crayola box with green beans, bell peppers, endive, tomatoes, red onions, , celery, and a pink mayo-based sauce. Lamb kofta burger ($14.95) with chopped salad and sauce is a treasure, all the components of a Middle Eastern kebab. Veggie burger ($11.95) on a multigrain roll with bread and butter pickles, another delight, shows thoughtfulness all around.

Regular fries ($2. 75) and sweet potato fries ($3. 75) are exemplary. Get either instead of Tuscan fries ($3. 75), sprinkled liberally with chopped garlic, unless the person you're going home with ate them, too.

There is sushi here, oddly out of place. A theatrical stack of cornmeal-crusted onion rings ($6. 75) looks grand, until the rings are gone and we're left with the empty metal stacking device. Deep-fried pickles and ($7.50), little rolls of meat around pickles, taste luscious. Just as sweet are pork taquitos ($8. 75), an array of savory two-bite morsels.

Pescatarians will find plenty on this menu, including grilled fish tacos ($14. 75) with avocado, tomato salsa, and sweet and sour onions. The poor fish is lost. Steak frites ($19.50) is a strip loin, perfectly cooked but lacking flavor.

Glorious desserts include espresso brownie sundae ($7), with a homemade confection, whipped cream, salted peanuts, and Edy's ice cream. Shakes ($5.50) come in the classic, conical stainless steel cups they are made in. Get extra glasses for your mates. Vanilla malted tastes like a '50s diner. Cookies 'n' cream is like melted but cold ice cream.

Many things about 5 Napkin are wonderful. But friendly service is slightly inept. Two waiters appear one evening, prompting us to think we're about to be well taken care of. When we want a couple of things, we have to hail a busboy. He assures us, without checking, that everything is on the way. And of course it isn't. After dinner, the garage attendant informs us that our parking fee is $35. When we ask how on earth it reached that ridiculous amount, she explains that we should have had our ticket validated. No one - not the hostess who took our reservation, nor the one who seated us, nor the tag team of waiters - ever mentioned stamping our ticket.

A thunderously high tariff from the garage can put a damper on a fine night. Five Napkin needs to dot a few more i's and cross a few more t's to look after the experience from beginning to end. Beyond the great, classy burgers and marvelous shakes. Spicy and true Mexican in Framingham

LACARRETA 270 Cochituate Road, Framingham, 508-424-2535, www.lacarretamex.com. All major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $4.95-$9.95. Lunch specials $7.25-$10. Entrees $12.99-$26.95. Hours Tue-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Enchiladas poblanos, de Mama, fish tacos, grande burrito.

By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff

Before the brick building near the Post Office on Cochituate Road in Framingham began serving Mexican food, it was one more Bickford's, a towering sign out front, breakfast served all day. Walking into La Carreta, past another large sign and a wooden wagon, still feels like entering a chain restaurant. La Carreta has three New Hampshire restaurants.

So it's a happy surprise to find that this new Mexican spot serves fresh and original food.

"Hola!" announces a waitress as we enter for lunch. The owners renovated the restaurant into a warm dining room, with tile floors, earthy colors, deep blue chairs, and hanging lamps. One end of the restaurant is devoted to a sprawling bar with big-screen TVs and 83 kinds of tequila. On weekend nights, a mariachi band serenades diners and drinkers. The restaurant displays a whimsical touch: One day at lunch, servers congregate around a table of women celebrating a birthday. As one of them slips a sombrero onto the head of the birthday girl, whose blush can be seen across the room, the group breaks into a rousing Mexican song.

Once we are seated, our server brings tortilla chips and salsa. The chips are warm and the salsa is served in a small carafe. The restaurant does not cater to palates adverse to spice - the salsa has a kick. We order a side of guacamole ($4.95), which has been freshly made but needs salt (the version made tableside costs $8.95).

La Carreta's enchiladas poblanos ($9.75 for a lunch portion), with homemade corn tortillas, are one of our favorite entrees. The mole is dark and rich, slightly sweet, and the dish arrives warm. There's nothing wrong with the Veracruz plate ($9.99), with grilled shrimp, vegetables, tortillas, and , but there's nothing memorable about it, either. A side of rice and beans arrives with some entrees and we like the slices of onion added to the beans.

Grande burrito ($13.85) lives up to its name, huge and packed with chicken, rice, and beans. The burrito is covered with salsa and a thin layer of melted cheese; although the menu describes it as "smothered" in cheese, we are glad it is not. Arroz con polio de Mama ($15.50) is an interesting twist on the common dish, with cubes of sauteed chicken mixed in with the rice, peppers, asparagus, and the largest green pimento-stuffed olives you have ever seen.

Grilled fish tacos ($12.50) are made with strips of grilled mahi mahi and a tart red cabbage. The chipotle sauce keeps them from being bland.

La Carreta offers a dozen combination plates for lunch - tacos, burritos, chili rellenos, enchiladas, quesadillas - and even more for dinner. It gives us a chance to get to know what this new restaurant does best. Many things, we decide. Comfort food in Back Bay

GEOFFREY'S CAFE 142 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-424-6711, wwwgeoffreyscafebar.com. MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $6.95-$9.95. Entrees $8.95-$14.95. Desserts $6-$8. What to order Maple-glazed pork chop, burgers, country chicken and biscuits, Key lime pie.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe correspondent

You might think that the restaurateur behind Geoffrey's Cafe owns a moving company for all the times he's changed the addresses. In 1991, Geoffrey's opened in the Back Bay, moved two years later to Tremont Street in the South End, then almost a decade later to a different Back Bay location. To the dismay of its Boston regulars, the restaurant moved to Roslindale in 2007. Now Geoffrey's has returned to Back Bay in the largest space yet (185 seats). It shares an enviable destination block with the upscale French restaurant Mistral, and the gay mecca Club Cafe. "We have a 20-year lease here," says chef-owner Michael Aplin. "We are not going anywhere."

The huge menu is - and always has been - a canon of comfort food: , beef burgundy, meat loaf, lasagna. Aplin and his staff have had 20 years to perfect them - and it shows. A maple-glazed French-cut pork chop ($14.95) seems impossibly tender, thick, and juicy, which I decide must mean it has been brined. It's actually a center cut of pork loin, bone intact, giving the appearance of a very plump chop. "I love the look," says Aplin. "It's really dramatic."

If there's one thing in abundance at Geoffrey's it's drama. Lighting is seductively low; decor mid-century bordello. Walls are deep red, with frills in gold. Fontella Bass and Dusty Springfield join Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller on the soundtrack.

The bar is classy, with dark wood and lots of detail. Seated there are many longtime regulars, mostly gay men, with a candor and humor rare in our still buttoned-down city. Geoffrey's was one of the first openly gay-owned restaurants in Boston, founded by Aplin and his partner, Geoffrey Seelen, who died in 1995 from what obituaries then called "a short illness."

The lively restaurant is now one of the best values for anyone who wants a good meal in the otherwise pricey Back Bay. Country chicken and biscuits ($10.95) - a.k.a. chicken a la king - is an example of how the chef elevates what might be a pedestrian dish. A seasoned white sauce is smooth and light; the chicken is flavorful and tender; peas add color and freshness; biscuits are perfectly baked. There's no attempt to complicate or even modernize. It's a simple, satisfying dish prepared very well.

Very good burgers ($7.95) come in various configurations. Milanese ($8.95) - my regular gotcha-dish to test over-frying - is light, crisp, and tender. The plating is often flamboyant. And Geoffrey's does have a habit of providing inexplicable sauces and sides, as in sweet-and-sour sauce for fried calamari, sour cream for the liver, mounds of rather ordinary "exotic greens." Ignore them and enjoy the food.

Desserts are enormous, and meant to be shared, perhaps by three. Key lime pie ($6), baked by Aplin each day, is extraordinary. Tart, sweet, citrusy, fresh, authentically pale yellow with an admirable crust.

Back at the bar, men of a certain age tell me they have been coming to Geoffrey's since they felt less welcome elsewhere. And so, the venue for many dinner dates and partnership ceremonies is now a very frequent host of the anniversary meal. Comfort food, in every sense of the word. A quiet, elegant respite at Nordstrom in Burlington

BLUE STOVE AT NORDSTROM Burlington Mall, 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-345-7800, shop.nordstrom.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Price Salads $5.95-$7.95. Small plates $5.50-12.50. Hours Mon-Sat 10 a.rn.-8:30 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Liquor Full bar. What to order Lemon-scented with seared scallops and French beans, cilantro lime chicken tacos, sweet potato frites with cilantro lime aioli, clams fideo with toasted pasta and Spanish chorizo. By Kathleen Burge, GLOBE STAFF

One of the nicest things you can say about eating at Blue Stove is that you forget where you are. That would be the second floor of Nordstrom in the Burlington Mall, up the escalator and past racks of Michael Kors bikinis and glittery blouses. After all the harsh lights of the department store and the vast sea of clothing, Blue Stove feels like a soothing cave, with dim lights, soft music, and wine.

You're in a mall, but the menu is unrelated to mall food. Blue Stove serves a sophisticated array of small plates, from clams fideo to risotto to tiny chicken tacos. Whether these eats are cheap depends on how much you order. But the small plates are moderately priced, most of them under $10. One nice perk not usually seen at restaurants like this one: Nordstrom puts all nutritional information for all of its restaurants online.

During weekday , the restaurant is populated mostly by women, including some with young children. (Blue Stove has a children's menu, with basics like mac and cheese and chicken fingers.) On the weekend, the restaurant gets livelier and louder, and more men make an appearance. Although the dining room, with a bar along one side, is filled with neutral browns and beiges, mushroom­ shaped lamps with red glass bases and tall shades add an air of whimsy.

Every meal at Blue Stove begins with slices of a baguette, a few olives, and a plate of excellent olive oil. Warm goat cheese salad with beets and arugula ($6.95) is a nice mix of golden and red beets, and soft cheese. Diet Coke is delivered in a carafe. Lemon-scented risotto with seared scallops and French beans ($11.50) is one of our favorite dishes, with perfectly , tangy with lemon. Cilantro lime chicken tacos ($7.95) are adorable miniature tacos with a nice balance of crunch and salt and tang. These small dishes are so perfectly assembled that you picture a back room of tiny-fingered kitchen staff. Sweet potato frites with cilantro lime aioli ($5.50) are addictively crunchy, and even better dipped into the aioli. Ahi tuna stack with ponzu and crisp wantons ($9.25) arrives beautifully assembled into a circular tower, but the fish has been so oversalted that we can barely taste other flavors. Lump crab cakes with remoulade ($12.50) are also uninspiring, dominated by egg and bread crumbs. Seared wild mushrooms and grilled asparagus ($7.50) taste as if they were in season locally, no small feat in New England in March.

The blinds are drawn at Blue Stove, blocking out the parking lot and dirty remnants of snow. The dressing rooms are forgotten. This is a respite, if only for an hour, and then it's back out into the mall to do some serious shopping. Lucy, an Ethiopian gem hidden near Symphony

LUCY ETHIOPIAN CAFE AND RESTAURANT 334 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-536-0415. MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $5.99. Entrees $8.99-$10.95. Desserts $3.99. Hours Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-9:30p.m.; Sat 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. What to order Zilzil tibs, che'che bsa, Addis combo, Ethiopian coffee service.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe correspondent

There's a white 1970s-style strip mall above the Green Line's Symphony Station. Hidden amid its tax prep and tanning centers is Lucy, a restaurant named after the world's oldest celebrity: the Australopithecus woman who lived more than 3 million years ago and was unearthed by archeologists in Ethiopia in the 1970s. Boston's Lucy is almost as hard to find (look upward to the building's mezzanine). Its food is a major discovery.

I have often found food at Ethiopian restaurants to be disappointing, especially the spongy flatbread known as , which can be oddly tart and gray. Since it accompanies most dishes, bad injera can ruin the meal. At Lucy it was bready, golden, and firm, with a hint of lemon, and the scent of fresh-baked sourdough bread. "The injera is moody," explains chef-owner Girmay Cirsto Ziegaye. "It takes two days to make, and you have to watch carefully or it can overferment." His wife, Netsanet Woldesenbet, explains that in Ethiopia the injera would be made with 100 percent teff (an indigenous grain). But "it's cold in Boston, so we need to add some wheat flour so it comes out properly."

This is the kind of care I found in every dish on the short menu. Dinner offers just six entrees, half of them vegetarian, and a few appetizers.

But let's start with breakfast. Che'che bsa ($7.99) is a moist, crumbled corn bread of sorts seasoned with a hint of and drizzled with honey and cardamom-scented butter. It's served with a mug of coffee, made from beans Lucy imports from Ethiopia. The coffee is sweet and chocolaty without milk or sugar. Not that you could get any - Ziegaye politely refused, saying, "Our coffee is best just as it is." He will allow a sprinkle of salt on your espresso, as is common in Ethiopia (and, of late, in trendy New York espresso bars).

At dinner, attractive vegetarian combination plates ($8.99) include spiced red lentils, garlicky split peas, and yellow lentils sauteed with onion, white pepper, and ginger. One combo features a clever "salad" of precision-cut potato blocks, carrot shavings, and parsley. Others combine the potato with spinach, seasoned collard greens, or delicately spiced simmered cabbage.

The star of the meat dishes was the zilzil tibs ($10.95). Small dice of lean sirloin are seasoned with Ethiopian mitmita - a mix of cumin, African chili, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon - and sauteed with onion, garlic, and jalapeno. On one night the dish was spectacular - devoured in minutes by my table-mates as they pinched it out of my bowl using the injera bread (forks are not offered). On another night, the dish was simply good, and I got to eat a bit more of it.

At 6:30 on Friday and Saturday evenings, Lucy offers an Ethiopian coffee service ($6.50). Over 90 minutes, in the center of the spacious dining room, women wash, roast, and grind the beans using traditional utensils, then brew the beans in a clay pot, and pour for the guests. As is customary in Ethiopia, men do not assist in the service.

The dozens of coffee preparation items are on display in the center of the dining room all week, leaving room for relatively few tables. I ask Ziegaye, respectfully, if tradition requires the arrangement to be left out. "No," he laughs. "You can thank the City of Boston. We're only licensed for 20 diners. And it's a big room." Definitely good food in Chinatown

THE BEST LITTLE RESTAURANT 13A Hudson St., Chinatown, Boston, 617-338-4988. MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Not wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $5.95-$10.95. Entrees $6.50-$18.95. No desserts. Hours Sun-Thu 11:30 a.m.-9:30p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-9:30p.m. Liquor Beer only. What to order Jumbo shrimp with walnuts in creamy sauce, stir-fried pea pod stems, braised fried spare ribs, -style rice noodles.

By Ike DeLorenzo, Globe Correspondent

The three Chinese characters that form the name of the Best Little Restaurant in Chinatown translate to "Definitely good." And the food certainly is. As for the restaurant interior, let's just say sparsely furnished, half-underground, unrelenting white. Successive aluminum doors clatter as guests come in. Waiters are clad in tuxedos that look to be made of papier-. Not a great place for a first date. But if you can eat upstairs, do. There's so much here to enjoy if you can just concentrate.

New England has a unique tradition of . The dishes in Boston's small, family-run restaurants are different from those found on the West Coast, and certainly China. The fiery spice of Sichuan and Hunan cuisines may rule San Francisco, but Bay State eateries, like this one, are dominated by the milder, more savory/sweet flavors of Cantonese cuisine. Both are Americanized. There's much more meat on the plate, vegetables are fewer and firmer, and, of course, Western ingredients (onion, carrot), replace unfamiliar ones (offal, bitter gourd).

Waiters here politely serve you such familiar menu items without comment. But if you choose right, you earn a broad smile, and praise (for the dish and for you). Order jumbo shrimp with walnuts in creamy sauce ($14.95) and you get the pink crustaceans tossed in a light mayonnaise sauce, with whole candied walnuts, served on a bed of steamed broccoli and carrots. It sounds odd but looks beautiful, and the taste is a surprise. There's a spectrum of textures (meaty, firm, creamy, crunchy), which offer an array of effects on your tongue (salty, sweet, milky, cool, warm) that are all pleasurable. "It's always been my favorite, since I was a kid," another dining companion, Phil Lee, tells me between bites. Lee has enjoyed the dish at Chinatown restaurants over the past 30 years. "Theirs is very good."

Best Little Restaurant is a retirement project for owner Frank Wong, a founder of the Chinatown institution China Pearl some 20 years ago. Many dishes here demonstrate that experience and expertise.

Among my favorites: brilliantly fresh pea shoots sauteed simply in garlic ($13.95); braised-then-deep-fried pork ribs ($11.50), both tender and somehow light; subtly curried Singapore-style rice noodles with shrimp, scallion, and a wonderful aroma ($7.95); hon sue bean ($9.95), a deeply savory hot pot tofu seasoned with ground pork and mushrooms (sorry, vegetarians). With 181 dishes on the menu, and as many stories behind them, it's a good addition to that short list of Chinatown restaurants where, with some advice from the wait staff, dinner will definitely be good. Best to get on their good side. You want their smile of approval when you order well. Indian fare in Wellesley feels right at home

SINGH'S CAFE 312 Washington St. (Route 16), Wellesley, 781-235-1666, www.singhscafe.com. All major cards. Wheelchair accessible. Prices Appetizers $3.95-$10.95. Entrees $10.95-$21.95. Desserts $2.95-$4.95. Hours Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat noon-10:30 p.m., Sun noon-10 p.m. Liquor Full bar. May we suggest Sarson ka saag, lamb rogan josh, appetizer platters, salty lassi. BY LOUISE KENNEDY, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

An Indian restaurant in Wellesley is a rare find. A bargain here is an even rarer find. But a bargain Indian restaurant? Unimaginable - unless you've discovered Singh's Cafe. Singh's occupies the ill-fated below-street-level space in a nondescript brick building on Washington Street that has seen a number of restaurants (most recently Vela) come and go. But this one feels like a keeper. For one thing, Singh's Cafe does a bustling take-out and delivery business, making the slightly odd location less of an impediment. For another, it has a full bar - yet another welcome anomaly in this town. And then there's the daily attraction of a lunch , with an ever­ changing menu of items both familiar and unexpected. It's $7.95 weekdays, $11.95 on weekends (try sticking to that budget for any other brunch-time buffet).

Most important, though, is the food. Chef-owner Harpreet Singh produces consistently fresh textures and cleanly focused flavors, thanks, no doubt, to his insistence on grinding his own spices every day. The care shows in everything from a deliciously pure spinach-ness in the Punjabi dish sarson ka saag to the delicate flecks of spice in the basmati rice. Even such standard condiments as the mango chutney display an unusual clarity and punch. Singh also owns the Kebab Factory in Somerville, so it's no surprise that the selection of kebabs here is extensive and appealing. Singh's non-vegetarian appetizer platter is an easy way to sample a few, from succulent chicken to fragrant lamb. But that means you won't have room for the vegetarian platter; you'd better at least order a couple of vegetable samosas, which are flaky without, just moist and spicy enough within.

Wash down the apps with Flying Horse, Taj, or another Indian beer, then move on to the main courses. Punjabi dishes are a specialty and reliably tasty, but we don't find any weak spots in the other corners of the extensive menu, either. On a dinner visit, lamb ragan josh, smoothly enrobed in its warm red sauce, is particularly addictive.

Generous portions and enticing variety barely leave room for dessert, especially as the friendly waitress brings a creamy, soothing salty lassi to accompany the Punjabi saag. (That is the second unexpected treat of the evening, after an amuse­ bouche that paired a tender shrimp with a tiny cup of magically complex tomato soup.) Still, we can't resist ordering , that milky improvement on standard-issue rice pudding - for the toddler, we tell ourselves. Never mind that, when the gracious and unhurried service extends to playing with the baby while we chat over tea, we can't stop eating every last spoonful ourselves. vook

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