Recent Dining Out reviews

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CLAM BOX OF IPSWICH, 246 High St., Ipswich, 978-356-9707. If there is a fried-clam epicenter of Massachusetts, it is Route 133 in Essex and Ipswich. There, four places vie for clam lovers' hearts: Essex Seafood, J.T. Farnham's, Woodman's of Essex, and the Clam Box of Ipswich. Each has its own distinct charms. But which is best? After an unhealthy sampling at each place, the verdict is in: the Clam Box. It serves tender, sweet clams in a batter that is light and just crunchy enough.

CANTINA LA MEXICANA 247 Washington St., Somerville. 617-776-5232. OLECITO 12 Springfield St., Cambridge. 617-876-1374. Would you like your tacos with or without a chair? Taqueria La Mexicana, a mostly takeout joint in Union Square, now wants you to pull one up and sit a while. It annexed the next-door space and turned it into Cantina La Mexicana, a pretty little restaurant. Meanwhile, in Inman Square, the folks behind Ole Mexican Grill pulled the chair out from under diners with Olecito, a small, takeout-only space across the street from the original restaurant. Neither place is destination dining, but both are solid, inexpensive options. And in a town where many seem to crave Mexican food, more options are welcome.

BLUE GINGER 583 Washington St., Wellesley. 781-283-5790. Blue Ginger, Ming Tsai's ever-popular Wellesley restaurant, recently turned 10. The restaurant just underwent a renovation and expansion, and it now has three large private rooms, a lounge, and a bar. Although the space looks different, eating in the dining room at Blue Ginger today tastes a lot like eating there 10 years ago. Many of the original dishes are still here, though the classic sake-miso Chilean bass has morphed into eco-friendlier Alaskan butterfish. What really feels new at Blue Ginger is the lounge menu. The dishes are smaller, lighter, brighter in flavor. It's as if instead of opening a second, more casual restaurant, Tsai simply incorporated it into the original. The dining room dishes are Blue Ginger's bread and butterfish, but it was time for some fresh material. There's something to be said for classic. There's also something to be said for change.

ESTRAGON 700 Harrison Ave., Boston. 617-266-0443. Estragon has serious tapas bona fides. It's co-owned by Lara Gavigan and Julio de Haro, the Madrid native formerly of Brookline favorite Taberna de Haro. On the menu, you'll find plenty of Spanish classics, but also the likes of sea urchin and foie gras sliders. And then there are the garbanzos fritos, a.k.a. chickpea crack. These deep-fried legumes have extraordinary addictive powers. The restaurant is pleasantly low-key, which makes it a good place to come when you don't want to deal with the scene at that other tapas bar down the street. Estragon's growing crowds prove there's room for twice the tapas in the South End.