Bar Mezzana

Bar Mezzana opened this past spring in the South Ends new Ink Block development boasting an ultra modern atmosphere with sleek white subway tiled walls and crisp blue banquets. To match the glossy, airy space, Chef Colin Lynch is serving simple yet elegant Coastal Italian cuisine - beautiful crudo, thoughtful, approachable crostini and soulful homemade pasta. 

What we devoured (next time, more crudo is necessary!): 

Crudo: Salmon with green chile salsa verde ($12)

Crostini: Chicken Liver, bacon, onion ($10)

Cocktails: Five Days of Milan ($12) Mad River Revolution Rye, meletti 1870, meletti amaro / 

Stirred Beetle ($12) St George Terror gin, bruto americano, cocchi americano rosa

Homemade Pastas: Orecchiette ($21) sausage, fennel, radicchio / 

Farro Tagliatelle ($22) duck ragout. 

Dessert: Affogatto ($5)

Boston Magazine recently came out with their Top 25 New Restaurants of 2016 - a list I look forward to perusing to see which of my favorites made the cut and which restaurants I need to add to my list for 2017! Bar Mezzana comes in strong at #7. I concur - the food and the hospitality in this space are worth the hype. 

And because I am constantly getting asked for Boston favorites - new spots to take out of town guests, date nights, you name it - check out the new restaurants I am a big fan of that made the critics list, too! 
#18: Branch Line / #17: Little Big Diner / #11: Tiger Mama / #7: Yvonne's / #5: Little Donkey / #3: Waypoint / #2: SRV / 

Restaurant goals for 2017 include - #4: Uni / #4: Mamaleh's / #9: Juliet / #12: Season to Taste / #14: Saltie Girl / #20: Ganko Ittetsu Ramen / Plus: Asta, Café Sushi, Giulia, Hojoko + Shepard.  

{edited to add that in 2017 I made it to: Uni, Saltie Girl and Shepard!}

Since we're on a roll - Boston Magazine's annual list of the best in town -  50 Best Restaurants in Boston is worth a glance. I'm digging deep into the blogs archives for some of these....so if you need a recommendation, enjoy! Alden + Harlow / B&G Oysters / Banyan Bar + Refuge / Bergamot / Bistro di Midi / Brewers Fork / Coppa / Craigie on Main / Erbaluce / Grill 23 / Island Creek Oyster Bar / Kirkland Tap + Trotter / La Brasa / Mei Mei / Menton / Myers + Chang / Neptune Oyster / No. 9 Park / Oleana / O Ya / Row 34 / Sarma / Select Oyster Bar / Shōjō / Strip T's / Sweet Cheeks / Sycamore / Toro. 

What were your favorite Boston restaurant openings this year and where do you want to eat in 2017?!

Bar Mezzana

360 Harrison Avenue

Boston, MA 02118

Select Oyster Bar

One of the foods I can truly say I eat the most of (this time of year, especially) is oysters. I never seem to tire of these pristine specimens, and Boston does them oh-so-well. Take the recently opened Select Oyster Bar where an irreproachable selection is matched by stunning crudi and inventive fruits de mer. 

what we ate:

raw oysters ($2.75) | wellfleet, marthas vineyard, kumamoto

dressed maine lobster ($29) | fine herbs + lemon

faroe island salmon crudo ($14) | togarashi, pistachio oil, lime

flash seared hamachi ($19) | sweet corn salad, whipped avocado, lime slaw

spanish octopus ($18) | roasted tomatillo, chimichurri, blistered snap peas, serrano chili

and drank:

Ulacia txakolina rose ($15/glass)

hemingway daquiri ($13.5) | privateer rum, maraschino, fresh citrus

green issac's special ($13.5) | cap rock gin, coconut water, bitters, lime

Gramona Imperial cava ($65/bottle)

While I will admit that I can hardly keep up with Boston's booming restaurant scene, I was so happy that the ladies and I made it a point to visit Select in its infant state. Tucked neatly into a small, narrow space on Gloucester Street in the Back Bay - this bright, cheerful oyster bar with a charming back patio is a welcome addition to the seafood scene. 

Read Meghan's recap of our evening on Travel Wine Dine here.

Select Oyster Bar

50 Gloucester St

Boston, MA 02115