Serious Eats City Guide: Boston

Last night, the website Serious Eats posted a guide to Boston eating, with recommendations from Amy Traverso at Boston Magazine. Her picks are pretty spot-on; for anyone visiting Boston, this would be a much better guide than many out there. Here are her choices, plus my take. What do you think?

O Ya: most worth a splurge in my book. (David Kamerman, Globe Staff)

Best Pizza
On Serious Eats: Pizzeria Regina and Santarpio's.
My take: Both good choices. I also like Emma's, Cambridge 1, and Picco.

Best Burger
SE: Bartley's.
My take: One burger? Agh. Ask me in 30 minutes and my answer will be different. Right now I'll go with Radius for high-end, Costello's for a more old-school burger experience.

Best Clam Chowder
SE: Turner Fisheries.
My take: Which style? Oh, I'm horrible at these "pick one best" things. Ask my editor -- I'm inclined to expansion, not concision. Anyway, if I were to go eat a bowl for lunch right now, I'd hit Great Bay. If I was going to recommend a bowl to a visitor, I might say Legal Sea Foods for a more classic, Boston-y experience.

Best Ice Cream
SE: Christina's and Toscanini's.
My take: What she said.

Best Late-Night Eats
SE: Stella.
My take: The Franklin Cafe. Serving till 1:30 a.m.

Best Wine Bar
SE: Bin 26.
My take: Good call. Also Troquet, though the bar can be a strange scene. It's very small, so there's nowhere to hide. But you can get oysters there, which makes up for having to listen to some guy debating whether the pretty girl walking by on the street actually works for him or just looks like the many pretty girls who work for him.

Best Beer Selection
SE: Sunset Grill & Tap.
My take: Publick House. I lurve Belgians.

Best Bargain Lunch
SE: Chacarero.
My take: Noodle soups at Xinh Xinh and Hong Kong Eatery in Chinatown, bahn mi from the Super 88 food court in Allston.

Best Date-Night Spot
SE: Oleana, T.W. Food, Persephone.
My take: I wouldn't sneeze at any of those. But without a doubt I'd have to say Ten Tables.

Best Sushi and Japanese Food
SE: O Ya, Uni.
My take: O Ya. Also a great date night, of a totally different kind. I like to sit at the bar.

Best Fried Seafood
SE: Clam Box, Woodman's, Farnham's, Morse.
My take: Clam Box, Essex Seafood, Tony's on Wollaston Beach. (By Clam Box, we both mean the one in Ipswich, not the one in Quincy.)

Best Cocktail Lounge
SE: Eastern Standard, Green Street, City Bar.
My take: Amy also predicted Drink would be up there when it opened, and after my experience there last night I'd definitely include it on my list, along with Eastern Standard and Green Street.

Most Worth a Splurge
SE: No. 9 Park, L'Espalier.
My take: I repeat myself, but O Ya.

Best Brunch
SE: Eastern Standard.
My take: I am often disappointed by brunch in Boston. But I'll say Centre Street Cafe, East Coast Grill, and dim sum (no place in particular I'm loving at the moment).

Must Eat Before Leaving
SE: Hungry Mother.
My take: Yeah, why not! I love Hungry Mother.

Best Pub Food
SE: The Garden at the Cellar.
My take: That's a good choice. Coda too.

Best Pre-Fenway Spot
SE: Eastern Standard.
My take: Agreed.

Best Food Market
SE: Formaggio Kitchen.
My take: ditto.

Best in the North End
SE: Marco, Neptune Oyster Bar.
My take: I love Neptune too. For Italian, maybe Prezza. This is probably the question I get asked the most. I never feel satisfied with my answer, no matter which one I give. (For fantastic Italian not in the North End, try Benatti.)

Best Streetside Vendor
SE: Formaggio's Saturday barbecue.
My take: Speed's hot dogs.

Best Bakery
SE: For bread, B&R and Clear Flour. For sweets, Flour and Sofra.
My take: Those are good choices for bread. I'd probably say Iggy's myself. I'm torn on sweets: as with brunch spots, there's no bakery I'm completely devoted to. I'll throw Canto 6, Japonaise, and Hi-Rise out there. The few things I've tried at Sofra have been good as well.

Best Steak
SE: Estragon.
My take: Huh, that was a surprise! I'll go with the more traditional choice of Grill 23.

Best Lobster Roll
SE: B&G, Neptune Oyster.
My take: Lobster rolls, like fried seafood, should be served shack-side. Essex Seafood has a good one. In the city, I'll go with James Hook for sentimental, rise-like-a-phoenix value. And Neptune for fancier environs. The last lobster roll I had at B&G was terrible, and I haven't been able to bring myself to try again. That was more than a year ago. Maybe it's time.

So, folks, there you have it. What are your choices for any or all of these categories?