More than reasonable in the North End
It happened bit by bit: The North End, once a reliable destination for reasonably priced Italian food, has become a costly place to eat.
Sure, there are still spots where you can get a cheap slice of pizza. But as the neighborhood goes upscale, restaurants serving sit-down meals that won't break the bank have steadily dwindled.
Good food is a wonderful thing. Good, inexpensive food is even better. That's why I often find myself at Dino's when I'm in the North End and don't want to drop big bucks on dinner.
Nearly a decade old, Dino's sits across from the 24-hour Bova Bakery and is basically a glorified sub shop, which means that besides selling comically oversize sandwiches (made on 16-inch French loaves), it also serves lobster ravioli, sausage cacciatore, frutti di mare, and a wide variety of other meat and pasta dishes.
Dino's isn't fancy. There's no table service or even a restroom, decor is minimal, and on cool nights, tables sometimes get blasted with chilly air as the door opens and closes. It's not the sort of place you go for romance. But the food arrives quickly, ingredients are fresh, portions are generous, and prices won't take your breath away. Most pastas are around 10 bucks, and you can order beer or wine with your meal. In other words, it's the quintessential cheap-eats destination. And Dino's recently began accepting credit cards, a relief to those of us who don't carry much cash.
Mohaj Shaban, who owns Dino's with his wife, Ann, is a sweetheart of a guy. Warm and gregarious, he truly seems to want his customers to enjoy their meals, and he accommodates nearly any special request. Once, craving more greens, we asked if he could whip up some broccoli sauteed in garlic and olive oil, even though it's not on the menu. For $5, he came through with a smile and a plate of perfectly crunchy, intensely garlicky green crowns.
Another time, I watched him dash from behind the counter and rap on an inside window to catch the attention of departing guests. Why? Simply to wave farewell. "My philosophy is have reasonable prices, good food, a clean place, and be friendly," said Shaban. "It's not all about money, you know? If you're enjoying your work and having a good time, that's worth something."
My favorite foods here are the simplest ones. The pastas can be made with a choice of sauces: marinara, pink cream, pesto, pesto cream, or scampi. But a trio of garlic, white wine, and olive oil is also an option, and tastes divine with chicken, ziti, and broccoli ($11) or the ravioli, gnocchi, and tortellini dishes. The lightness of the sauce lets the flavor of the pasta fillings, including cheese, spinach, and pumpkin, shine through. Sweet chicken marsala ($12.95) with meaty mushrooms and salty capicola is also a success. So is tender veal Parmesan ($11.95), although eggplant parm ($10.95) is oddly watery and fairly bland.
Fresh shellfish rim a plate of spaghetti and clams ($13.95), but the mixture would have deeper flavor if clams were also blended into the sauce. Baked fettuccini ($11.95) isn't what we expect; instead of a crusty, oven-browned casserole, it's a heap of noodles in heavy cream sauce that coagulates quickly and unappetizingly. It's mixed with chunks of chicken that are nicely tenderized by the cream, but this dish looks like a heart attack on a plate.
Once again, lighter is better, like the gorgeously green chicken pesto or Dino's chicken sandwiches ($8) topped with balsamic-glazed portobello mushrooms and roasted plum tomatoes. You certainly get your money's worth: A full foot long, they're so eye-poppingly big that even the linebacker-size customer at the next table looks awestruck as he prepares to dig in. 