By Abby Bielagus By Abby Bielagus | March 14, 2024 | Food & Drink, Feature, Guide, Guides,
Just miles outside of Boston are top-notch restaurants worthy of a drive to the suburbs.
Sogno’s vibrant exterior.
SOGNO
It was always Ron Martignetti’s dream to open an Italian restaurant and luckily, he knew just the spot. His real estate investment firm owned an office building in Woburn with an 8,900-square-foot first floor. He tapped Robert Buckley, of the Niemitz Design Group, to transform the giant blank canvas. No expense was spared in creating the vision—the black marble bar with gold veining was sourced from Italy, the tables are mahogany-topped and the banguettes are upholstered in red leather. The quest for the best extends to the kitchen where chef Jesus Averalo, previously of Mistral, Strega and Smith & Wollensky, cooks his elevated cuisine. Sogno is warm but elegant, inviting but classy. It’s the perfect backdrop for both a celebratory dinner or a weekly date night. 304 Cambridge Road, Woburn, sognoitalian.com
Plated dishes at Bon Ami waiting to be served
BON AMI
It’s a dilemma many chefs face—how to maintain work/ life balance while pursuing a career in the restaurant industry notorious for late nights, grueling shifts and incredibly thin margins for success. Chef Gavin Lambert found a solution in his supper club called Bon Ami. After working as a line cook for years in New York City at popular restaurants Hearth, The Dutch and Cosme, he returned home to Concord, burnt out. He met his now wife and business partner Rachel Amiralian and the two decided to start a recurring, invitation-only, pop-up supper club on Monday nights in 80 Thoreau, the restaurant where they met. Together, they dream up inventive menus based on the ingredients available from the sea and nearby Applefield Farm. Past five-course menus have included dishes such as poached lobster in a red curry sabayon with cured fennel, crispy shallots and lime oil as well as a grilled lamb tenderloin with puntarella, preserved lemon, puffed rice and tahini. Perspective diners can sign up for an invite on the website. Bon Ami has become so popular that it’s now popping up at Tallulla in Cambridge. 80 Thoreau St., Concord, dinebonami.com
The Spicy Italian cocktail at Paolo’s
PAOLO’S
Like most under-the-radar-exceptional restaurants, Paolo’s is in a strip mall. Don’t be fooled by the unassuming digs. This establishment is run by industry vets. Executive chef and co-owner Paul Delios has been cooking for more than 40 years and originally opened Paolo’s in Charlestown in the early 2000s. Last February, he decided to reopen the buzzy neighborhood gem, just a few miles north. Not too much has changed with the rebirth. Chef de cuisine Rigo Cartagena returns to cook the Italian cuisine with a twist alongside Delios and the menu features a handful of old fan favorites as well as whimsical new riffs. The airy pizza with three-day aged crust is worth the drive alone. It’s like visiting friends who decamped for the suburbs—once you get there and easily find parking, you’ll understand why they moved. 304 Lincoln Ave. Unit E, Saugus, mypaolos.com
Settler’s intimate and understated interior
SETTLER
With his feet firmly planted on the ladder to success, chef Aaron Chambers decided to leap off. After working for years in Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Dubai and at high-end spots in Boston, Chambers walked away from the industry bigwigs to open a space all his own in Salem with his wife Shanna. Settler is intimate and understated with exposed wood beams and a pared-down aesthetic. The menu follows suit with approachable Mediterranean cuisine featuring produce from family-run farms, and fish right off the nearby docks. Everything from the sourdough bread to the pasta is made in house. Things may be a little less fancy, but the food is still world-class. 2 Lynde St., Salem, settlersalem.com
The egg noodles at Nightshade Noodle bar
NIGHTSHADE NOODLE BAR
The woman behind this inventive space in Lynn is a collector. Throughout chef Rachel Miller’s culinary travels, she’s picked up influences from her Moroccan Jewish grandmother, Virginia’s terroir, Ken Oringer’s Clio and her love of the ocean, to name a few. The many seemingly disparate pieces culminate in a wildly creative tasting menu at her Vietnamese and French-inspired restaurant Nightshade Noodle Bar, for which she receievd a James Beard Nomination for Outstanding Chef in 2023. Guests choose from a seven to 21-course menu of dishes like bone marrow banh mi and tamarind BBQ moulard duck. Before you head to Lynn, make sure you have a reservation. 73 Exchange St., Lynn, nightshadenoodlebar.com
INN AT HASTINGS PARK
Book a table at the Inn at Hastings Park’s Town Meeting bistro and pretend you’re on vacation. With options for breakfast, Sunday champagne brunch, lunch, dinner and high tea, there’s ample opportunity to sneak away for a bite in the pastoral locale. The menu showcases New England’s bounty in dishes that are historically inspired, yet modern and comforting, prepared by executive chef Alissa Tsukakoshi who previously had stints at L’Espalier and American Seasons on Nantucket. The Relais & Chateaux property (the only one in the area) offers plenty of picturesque settings like the heated all-weather porch or the culinary garden during the warmer months. 2027 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, innathastingspark.com
BALDWIN BAR
It feels like you’re visiting someone’s home when you pull up to the Sichuan Garden in Woburn, and in some ways you are. Ran Duan helms the upscale Baldwin Bar upstairs in his parents’ Chinese restaurant. Walk inside the 17th century house and climb to the tucked-away cocktail bar decorated in speakeasy style. Duan is a celebrated restaurateur and has since gone on to open several other restaurants and bars like the Ivory Pearl and Blossom Bar, but this was where he honed his skills. Order one of the unique boozy concoctions which are standouts on their own, or pair one with any of the crave-worthy, spicy dishes. Trust us, you’ll want to swing by this house again. 2 Alfred St., Woburn, thebaldwinbar.com
Photography by: COURTESY OF THE BRANDS; COURTESY OF THE BRANDS; JEN CHASE-CORWIN; FONTES-FRIED; ALYSSA BLUMSTEIN