Best of Boston

The reserved atmosphere may be more Cambridge than New Orleans, but Tupelo’s southern flavors are right on. Owners Mike Walker and Renee McLeod serve authentic comfort-food classics like creamy pimiento cheese (the caviar of the South), hearty gumbo, and crunchy fried crawfish tails. The crown jewel? Alligator prepped the way God intended: coated in buttermilk batter, hot sauce, and Cajun spices, and piled on a bed of creamy cheddar grits.