Best of Boston

It’s hard to find a place in Boston that better exemplifies the national shift toward casual fine dining than this Kendall Square darling, which serves its inspired, refined take on southern cuisine on polished wooden tables topped with mason-jar water glasses. Here you’ll find the impeccable service, top-notch cocktail and wine choices, and outrageously good desserts (chocolate-espresso chess pie, strawberry-shortcake trifle) that you’d expect from a first-rate restaurant—all in an atmosphere that welcomes elbows on the table.