[Feature]

DIG THIS AWARDS 2009

Eats + Drinks

By DIG STAFF

BBQ
Redbones Barbecue
[55 Chester St., Somerville. 617.628.2200. redbones.com]
Runners-up: Midwest Grill, Soul Fire, Blue Ribbon

Beer Store
Publick House Provisions
[1706 Beacon St., Brookline. 617.487.4322. eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com]
Runners-up: Downtown Wine & Spirits, Marty's Liquors, Choice Mart

Breakfast
The Friendly Toast
[One Kendall Sq., Cambridge. 617.621.1200. thefriendlytoast.net]
Runners-up: Neighborhood Restaurant & Bakery, S&S Restaurant, 303 Café

Brunch
Sound Bites Café
[704 Broadway, Somerville. 617.632.8338. soundbitesrestaurant.com]
Runners-up: Aquitaine Boston, Johnny D's Uptown, The Paramount

Fast Burgers
b.good
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. bgood.com]
Runners-up: Boston Burger Company, Flat Patties, Uburger

Slow Burgers
Eastern Standard
[528 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.532.9100. easternstandardboston.com]
Runners-up: R.F. O'Sullivan & Son, Pops Restaurant, Craigie On Main

Burrito
Anna's Taqueria
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. annastaqueria.com]
Runners-up: Picante Mexican Restaurant, Boca Grande Taqueria, Cantina La Mexicana

Café
Crema Café
[27 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 617.876.2700. cremacambridge.com]
Runners-up: Sherman Café, Teele Square Café, Café Pamplona

Chinese
Golden Temple
[1651 Beacon St., Brookline. 617.277.9722. healthyfreshfood.com]
Runners-up: Food Wall Chinese Restaurant, Hong Kong at Harvard Square, Chau Chow City Restaurant

Coffee Shop
1369 Coffeehouse
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. 1369coffeehouse.com]
Runners-up: Bloc 11 Café / Diesel Cafe, Cafenation, True Grounds

Falafels
Falafel Palace
[25 Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.864.0827]
Runners-up: Rami's, Cafe Jaffa, South End Pita

French
Gaslight
[560 Harrison Ave., South End, Boston. 617.422.0224. gaslight560.com]
Runners-up: Sel de la Terre, La Voile, Petit Robert Bistro

Gourmet Meat
The Butcher Shop
[552 Tremont St., South End, Boston. 617.423.4800. thebutchershopboston.com]
Runners-up: Savenor's Market, Dom's Sausage, McKinnon's Meat Market

Gourmet Shop
Formaggio Kitchen
[244 Huron Ave., Cambridge. 617.354.4750. formaggiokitchen.com]
Runners-up: Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe, 570 Market, Sagarino's

Ice Cream / Gelato
J.P. Licks
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. jplicks.com]
Runners-up: Christina's Homemade Ice Cream, GiGi Gelateria, Wheeler's Frozen Dessert

Indian
Diva Indian Bistro
[246 Elm St., Davis Sq., Somerville. 617.629.4963. divabistro.com]
Runners-up: Punjabi Dhaba, Namaskar, India Quality Restaurant

Late-Night Joint
South Street Diner
[178 Kneeland St., Boston. 617.350.0028. southstreetdiner.com]
Runners-up: Victoria's Diner, Splash Ultra Lounge & Burger Bar, Apollo Restaurant

Liquor Store
Blanchard's Liquors
[103 Harvard Ave., Allston. 617.782.5588. blanchards.net]
Runners-up: Kappy's Fine Wine & Spirits, Brookline Liquor Mart, Charles Street Liquors

Mexican/Central/South American
Olé Mexican Grill
[11 Springfield St., Inman Sq., Cambridge. 617.492.4495. olegrill.com]
Runners-up: Tu Y Yo, El Oriental de Cuba, Muqueca

Middle Eastern
Middle East
[472 Mass. Ave., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.864.3278. mideastclub.com]
Runners-up: Sabra, The Helmand, Café Barada

Natural / Organic Food Store
Harvest
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. harvestcoop.com]
Runners-up: Lionette's Market, City Feed & Supply, Cambridge Naturals

Neighborhood Grocery
Trader Joe's
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. traderjoes.com]
Runners-up: Foodie's Urban Market, Market Basket, Dave's Fresh Pasta

Newcomer
Sofia
[1430 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury. 617.469.2600. sofiaboston.com]
Runners-up: Dorado Tacos & Cemitas, Tupelo, Trina's Starlite Lounge

Italian, North End
Lucca Restaurant & Bar
[226 Hanover St., North End, Boston. 617.742.9200. luccaboston.com]
Runners-up: Giacomo's Restaurant, nebo restaurant, Antico Forno

Italian, elsewhere
Bottega Fiorentina
[264 Newbury St., Boston. 617.266.0707. botteganewbury.com]
Runners-up: Anchovies, Lil Vinny's Ristorante, Via Matta Restaurant

Outdoor Dining
Charlie's Beer Garden
[10 Eliot St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 617.492.9646]
Runners-up: Stephi's on Tremont, Grafton Street, Daedelus Restaurant

Pastry
Mike's Pastry
[300 Hanover St., North End, Boston. 617.742.3050. mikespastry.com]
Runners-up: Modern Pastry, Lyndell's Bakery, Flour

Pizza
Upper Crust
[Locations throughout Greater Boston. theuppercrustpizzeria.com]
Runners-up: Santarpio's, The Paddock, Stone Hearth

Place to go on Somebody Else's Dime
Radius
[8 High St., Boston. 617.426.1234. radiusrestaurant.com]
Runners-up: O Ya, Lineage, Neptune Oyster

High-End Seafood
East Coast Grill
[1271 Cambridge St., Inman Sq., Cambridge. 617.491.6568. eastcoastgrill.net]
Runners-up: B&G Oysters, Atlantic Fish Co., McCormick & Schmick's

Inexpensive Seafood
Barking Crab
[88 Sleeper St., Boston. 617.426.2722. barkingcrab.com]
Runners-up: No Name, Live 'n' Kickin, Morse Fish Co.

Sandwich
Parish Café
[361 Boylston St., Boston. 617.247.4777. parishcafe.com]
Runners-up: Sam La Grassa's, Nick's Famous Deli, J. Pace

Soul Food
Highland Kitchen
[150 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617.625.1131. highlandkitchen.com]
Runners-up: Hen House Market, Coast Café, Soul Fire

Steakhouse
Grill 23
[161 Berkeley St., Boston. 617.542.2255. grill23.com]
Runners-up: Frank's, Mooo, Abe & Louie's

High-End Sushi
Oishii
[1166 Washington St., Boston. 617.482.8868. oishiiboston.com]
Runners-up: O Ya, Uni, Douzo

Sushi on a budget
Ginza
[16 Hudson St., Boston. 617.338.2261]
Runners-up: Snappy, Café Sushi, Hana Sushi

Small Plates
Dali
[415 Washington St., Somerville. 617.661.3254. dalirestaurant.com]
Runners-up: Cuchi Cuchi, Estragon, Tangierino

Thai
Brown Sugar Café
[1033 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.787.4242. brownsugarcafe.com]
Runners-up: Spice, Ronnarong, Dok Bua

Vegetarian
OtherSide Café
[407 Newbury St., Boston. 617.536.8437. theothersidecafe.com]
Runners-up: Grasshopper, Prana Café, Veggie Planet

Wine Shop
Cru
[1750 Washington St., Boston. 617.867.8600. cruboston.com]
Runners-up: Bin Ends, Wine Gallery, Best Cellars

 

Best 10-topping pizza

The No. 25 at Emma's Pizza has smoked bacon, Canadian bacon, hot sausage, Italian sausage, pepperoni, grilled chicken, traditional sauce and mozzarella. Let's add cilantro and basil to that bad boy. Veggie lovers can rock the No. 3 and add sundried tomatoes, Kalamats and extra cheese. Can't go wrong at this thin-crust destination, with indie-rock icon Thalia Zedek sometimes making the pie and the impressively friendly staff controlling the chaos. Goddamn are we hungry. Anyone for pickup? [40 Hampshire St., Kendall Sq., Cambridge. 617.864.8534. emmaspizza.com]

 

Best Ten Tables

The new Ten Tables in Cambridge wins by default, with twice the eponymous 10 tables of its flagship restaurant. The menu reads like a recipe, outlining the frequently rotated dishes' locally procured ingredients in detail. The chef, Dave "food is my obsession" Punch, serves up a four-course tasting menu for varying types of -vore and the wine list is extensive, including many biodynamic and organic bottles). [5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge. 617.576.5444. tentables.net]

 

10 best taplines in town:

Chimay Rouge — Anchovies [433 Columbus Ave., 617.266.5088]

Haverhill Brewery draft — Alchemist Lounge [435 S. Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain. 617.477.5741. alchemistlounge.com]

St. Bernardus ABT 12 — Sunset Grill & Tap [130 Brighton Ave., Allston. 617.254.1331. allstonsfinest.com]

Southern Tier Back-Burner Imperial Barleywine — Bukowski's Tavern [1281 Cambridge St., Inman Sq., Cambridge. 617.497.7077]

Unibrou La Fin du Monde — Tavern at the End of the World [108 Cambridge St., Charlestown. 617.241.4999. tavernattheendoftheworld.com]

Sam Adams Boston Sun Ray Ale — Milky Way [284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain. 617.524.3740. milkywayjp.com]

Victory Golden Monkey — Cambridge Common [1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617.547.1228. cambridgecommonrestaurant.com]

Berkshire Brewing Co. Coffeehouse Porter — Deep Ellum [477 Cambridge St., Allston. 617.787.2337. deepellum-boston.com]

Harpoon Leviathan IPA — Lower Depths [476 Comm. Ave., #1, Kenmore Sq., Boston. 617.266.6662]

Charles River Porter — Cambridge Brewing Co. [One Kendall Sq., Bldg. 100, Cambridge. 617.494.1994. cambrew.com]

 

Best $10 cocktail

Cuchi Cuchi is seductive, and that's not just the vintage drinks talking. The Old World meets early Hollywood atmosphere, with its European nuances, lends itself to celebratory tippling. For a 10-spot, submerse yourself in a Jack Rose (LUPEC Boston's Pink Lady's preferred gateway cocktail), Caipiroska, Singapore Sling or the ominous-sounding Blood & Sand, served by a fancily dressed waitstaff. A dollar more will grant you access to the Cuchi cocktail list, known for their fresh fruit and herb ingredients. [795 Main St., Cambridge. 617.864.2929. cuchicuchi.cc]

 

Best 10-cent wings

Monday, the morose start to the week-long slog is a little more palatable thanks to Olde Magoun's Saloon in Somerville. Monday night football begets Monday night 10-cent wings. From kickoff to the game's end, get your fill without emptying your wallet. A verifiable cure for the Sunday blues? Perhaps not, but you'll be fed and entertained ... more than you can say for your work environs. [518 Medford St., Somerville. 617.776.2600. magounssaloon.com]

 

Best 10 beers in one hour

Common sense dictates this is a bad idea. Both your wallet and your brain would feel the hurt in the morning, assuming you survive the night. But a place that lets you sample 10 different beers in an hour, during the day, without killing you? And microbrews from Harpoon, no less! The price is right, too! Harpoon's weekend brewery tours (a tour of the palate really ... not a whole lot of walking or looking involved) costs only $5, and Tuesday through Friday at 4pm you can taste all these beers for free. [306 Northern Ave., Boston. 888.427.7666. Tue-Thu 4pm, Fri 2pm & 4pm/21+/free. Sat 11:30am-4:30pm, Sun noon-3pm, every half hour/21+/$5. harpoonbrewery.com]