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Judith Ritter

Better known for its place in American revolutionary history with the Boston Tea Party of 1773, there's more to this east coast city than meets the eye, especially with a plethora of new eateries on the menu adding to the  centuries-old restaurants servings classics such as baked beans at Durgin Park   and Locke-Ober  for steak and lobster.

Brasserie Jo

120 Huntington Avenue

(www.brasseriejoboston.com)

This late-night Francophile hangout with its airy, mirrored dining room, tiled floors and white paper tablecloths has none of the fussiness associated with French restaurants. Each  meal begins  with an individual hot mini baguette-in-a-bag served  on the table, minus bread plate. Favoured perches are along the wall of windows looking out  on Boston's Avenue of the Arts, named because of its proximity to  museums, art schools and Symphony Hall. The  restaurant  is a hot spot  for post-symphony snacks such as Brasserie Jo's signature steak and frites and  the  Alsace golden tarte l'onion, foie gras terrine and choucroute. Main dishes cost from US$18  to US$30.

75 Chestnut

75 Chestnut Street

(www.75chestnut.com)

Beacon Hill,  a  19th-century residential neighbourhood, is famous for its brick row houses, gas street lamps and intimate feeling in the heart of downtown. And where do the residents  go for  contemporary regional American cooking? 75 Chestnut   is an elegant but non-stuffy  nook of a restaurant that locals prefer is kept quiet.  It uses only local products on a menu that includes Nantucket Bay  scallops, venison and the freshest of wild fish - caught, no doubt, by a Boston fisherman. Mains cost US$8 to US$19.

Lala Rokh

97 Mount Vernon Street

(www.lalarokh.com)

A visit  is like slipping into the plot of a romantic Persian  novel - and, in fact,  this small restaurant's name was inspired by a tale of a legendary Persian princess. This brother-and- sister-owned jewel serves family recipes that date back 16 generations. With the family's collection of tapestries, etchings and miniatures on display and traditional Persian music in the air,  exotic tastes are aplenty,  with  appetisers such as Kashk-e ademjan (velvety roasted eggplant with a hint of mint oil).  One of the oldest recipes on the menu is khoresht-ghormeh sabzi (leg of lamb, aromatic greens

and the surprising limo-amanu, a dried lemon-lime hybrid from  Iran).  The food is sensational and, as co-owner Babak Bina says, 'We're not here just to fill your stomach. We want to fill your soul.' Mains cost US$18 to US$25.

Bob's Southern Bistro

604 Columbus Avenue

(www.bobssouthernbistro.com)

When it comes to soul,  Bob's in the South End is the place to go. For close to 50 years,  locals with a craving for down-home soul food and camaraderie have headed to Bob the Chefs, an institution with deep roots in the city. Once a  luncheonette, Bob's is sporting a new name and a spiffed-up interior, but the corn bread, 'glorified' chicken, black-eyed peas and collard greens are still just as good. The ribs are burnished with a secret barbecue sauce invented in the 50s by the late Bob, and a few drops from the big bottle of red-hot sauce  on every table really heat up  the food. And the temperature  soars when Shanell Grant and her E-Water Band take to the stage to teach  the real meaning  of soul. Expect to pay US$12 to US$18 for mains.

Artu

6 Prince Street

(www.artuboston.com)

This isn't a restaurant, it's a  trip to Italy. Understated and affordable, the family-run establishment is in the heart  of Boston's Italian neighbour- hood, the North End. If it's a cliche to say 'just like grandma [or nonna] used to make it',  then so be it. Chef-owner  Nancy Frattaroli  was so  short  she couldn't reach the top of  the stove when she started cooking in her grandmother's tiny kitchen. Today, her grandmother's and mother's recipes (and mother still makes occasional appearances in the kitchen to keep an eye on things) are highlights of Artu's southern Italian menu. From the 100 per cent homemade manicotti to  the penne alla puttanesca that one patron claimed left him speechless, the food is stunning. Main dishes cost US$11 to US$23.



Boston