3 Somerville Eateries Named to 'Best New Restaurants' List

Photo Credit: Tasting Counter-Facebook

Somerville’s Tasting Counter, Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, and La Brasa, were all recently named to Boston Magazine’s “25 Best New Restaurants” list for 2015.

Tasting Counter, located at 14 Tyler Street in Union Square, was ranked the No. 1 new restaurant.

Here’s what Boston Magazine wrote about Tasting Counter:

‘To get to Tasting Counter, ticket-holding guests slip through an unassuming side entrance of the Aeronaut Brewing building, in Union Square. Once there, chef Peter Ungár and chef de cuisine Marcos Sanchez—both adorned in tall toques and crisp chef’s whites—shepherd up to 20 guests through nine exhilarating courses: briny urchin-and-kelp custard served in a chiseled eggshell; dry-aged sirloin cap shingled over red curry sauce and burdock-root purée; and a sublime sous vide duck breast marinated in miso and dashi, easily the best piece of fowl we had all year. Considering the slew of spontaneous freebies (duck-liver macarons), generous wine and beer pairings, and personal-chef-like service, Tasting Counter’s price tag (starting at $165 per person) seems like a bargain. And Ungár isn’t finished revolutionizing the tasting menu format. Next year, the chef plans to fully customize his lineups for repeat customers, so they’ll never see the same thing twice. Welcome to fine dining’s new frontier—personalized yet exquisitely prepared, and endlessly surprising.“

La Brasa, located at 124 Broadway in East Somerville, was ranked the sixth best new restaurant.

Here’s what Boston Magazine wrote about La Brasa:

“When he first opened his East Somerville restaurant, Daniel Bojorquez was like a culinary Icarus, drawn to the flames of his elaborate, custom-designed Blue Barn wood-fired oven and overwhelming his menu with misplaced ambition. Was it French? Pan Latino? Korean? The recent addition of Ribelle alum Dan Amighi as the inaugural chef de cuisine has had a stabilizing influence. Amighi has refined the menu and drawn on La Brasa’s greatest strength, namely the piquant flavors of Bojorquez’s Mexican homeland. Beets are now destination-worthy, thanks to crunchy quinoa and a sauce made from maple syrup and chile de árbol. Pork loin is carved tableside and dressed with ancho chimichurri and an incendiary au jus. Even the humble chicken wing gets the royal Mexican treatment, with a nuanced, 12-ingredient Oaxacan mole. Most restaurants need a little time to get their bearings, but it’s almost unheard of for one to quickly reassess and reinvent itself, and immediately become one of the city’s best.”

Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, located at 381Summer Street in Davis Square, checked in at No. 21 on the list.

Here’s what Boston Magazine wrote about Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar:

“Joe Cassinelli resurrected the formerly seedy Rosebud Diner by reupholstering the booths in deep, rich, tufted red leather, installing dark wood flooring, and painting the walls black. Voilà! The Davis Square spot has gone insanely upscale. Now a 140-seat behemoth, Rosebud Kitchen employs the skills of chef John Delpha to tackle the sweeping terrain known as “Americana.” That means the jambalaya of the Louisiana Gulf Coast; the milkshakes and griddled cheese-burgers of Rosebud’s greasy-spoon roots; and the St. Louis ribs and bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers of the competitive–barbecue circuit. But Delpha really shines when he wanders farther afield, such as with his lusty, Sichuan-inflected dry-fried green beans and barbecued hog’s head lacquered in gochujang—a hedonistic exclamation point on a menu that offers something for everyone.”

Click here to view Boston Magazine’s complete list of restaurants>>>