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Boston: Via Matta

79 Park Plaza , Phone: (617) 422-0008
www.viamattarestaurant.com
Closing day: Sunday

Reviewed by: Roz from MA, review #3489

When: 2010

Outstanding Italian -- as good as or better than anything in the North End.

Directions: In Back Bay Boston, just across from the Park Plaza Hotel and near the Arlington St T stop and the Public Garden.

Three of us ate here in mid-June, sitting outside on the patio, where the traffic noise was a bit of a problem, especially when the fire engines arrived across the street. As the evening went on and the traffic lessened, it was much more pleasant.

Food was excellent - possibly the best Italian we've had in Boston. I can't think of a North End restaurant I've enjoyed more. We shared a bruschetta of house cured ham with asparagus, grilled ramps and parmigiano - a different approach to bruschetta, and quite delicious. ($11)

Two of our party of three had the maltagliati 'alla puttanesca' with spicy swordfish and tuna. (Maltagliati means roughly cut pasta.) The fish was flaked (not in chunks); the flavors of the seafood and spicy tomato-based sauce blended perfectly. The third had the tagliatelle alla Bolognese, which he described as perfect Italian comfort food. Pastas were both under $20.

We also had two very good side dishes: Roasted asparagus with lemon and crispy frico [a kind of pan-fried cheese] and grilled polenta with applewood smoked vegetables and vine tomatoes - both big hits for $8 apiece.

Of the desserts ($10 ea), if you are a chocolate lover, don't miss the bittersweet chocolate terrine with nepitella (a kind of minty herb) gelato and salted almonds. It was a uniquely amazing blend of flavors. The non-chocoholic enjoyed the lemon zabaione torte with pine nut crust.

The service was prompt and attentive. The wine list was priced on the high side, I thought. I had researched the list online and wanted to try an unusual wine from the Marche, which got good reviews and was $36. But they were out of that, and had very few available options under $50. We just settled for the cheapest one on the list - a $30 Nero d'Avola, which was fine if not terribly special.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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