Mare
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 723-6273
12/05/2007 Posted by bostondiner26
Usually the North End is a destination I reserve for out of town guests with indiscriminate palates who want Italian food. The typical restaurant can serve a good version of pasta with marinara and meatballs, but is rarely notable. Mare, however, was awesome. The food was atypical for the North End with a focus on seafood and gourmet pasta rather than the usual, boring dishes that can be found anywhere on Hanover or Salem Streets. I started with the grilled octopus which, while smallish, was VERY tender and flavorful. I split the spaghetonni (spelling ?) with a friend for the second course and it too was awesome, tastes of (i think black) truffles and wile mushrooms with a creamy sauce were perfect for the fall/early winter Boston weather. For a main course, I had the Halibut which, though other reviews said was not worth it, I found to be great. The accompaniments were neither imposing nor unnecessary. I will definitely be going back. The service was very good, knowledgeable, and unrushed (though the server did have a difficult time helping us decide between a few dishes as he said our choices were "all very good" and "depended on personal taste"). Also, good selections of wine by the bottle including good reserves, though the at least the red wines by the glass could use a slight tweaking (only one Chianti, no Barolo and a seemingly randomly placed tempranillo for an Italian restaurant). All in all, a good experience with great food, will definitely return.
Pros: great food and good service
Cons: limited red wines by the glass
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