A spread of dishes at Comfort Kitchen, including yassa chicken, jerk jackfruit sliders, and more. / Photo by Brian Samuels Every restaurant has a story, or at least a website “About Us” section with a founder’s mission statement. Some are more compelling than others. There’s the Plucky Indie First-Timer (“It’s been our lifelong dream to serve Mom’s cooking!”); the Solemn Luddite (“Our food demands intense focus, so no phones allowed!”); and the Food-TV Celebrity Jerk (which, regardless of the marketing spin, should always be read as: “This is my 19th chain outlet; don’t expect to see me here ..read more

Deep Cuts in Medford Square. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal It’s a sunny late-May afternoon after a music-packed opening weekend, and the lunch service at Deep Cuts is already bustling at its shiny new Medford Square location. Customers are relaxing at picnic-style tables in front of the stage or at bar seats with Mystic River views, snacking on hearty sandwiches and rectangular pizza slices, dripping with cheese. British post-punk band Shame plays over the sound system in the background, punctuated by the dinging of a Flintstones pinball machine. Deep Cuts’ black and bright yellow brandi ..read more

Courtesy of Liberty Bar If you notice game-day level traffic heading toward Gillette Stadium this weekend, it’s because the Swifties have arrived. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour makes its three-night Foxborough stop this weekend, from May 19-21, and if you know anything about her fans, you know they’re dedicated. Thousands upon thousands are expected to attend the pop-icon’s tour—a few of whom have already started lining up to secure exclusive merch. Scrolling on social, you’ve also probably seen fans have even flocked to the Eras Tour venues to listen and dance in the parking lots. Still, for tho ..read more

Steak tips at home. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal Ah, steak tips: those tender meat morsels unique to New England. Sure, you can try them at countless restaurants around Greater Boston, but sometimes you just want to bust out the grill and make them at home, especially when summer cookout season or tailgating rolls around. Preparing steak tips isn’t rocket science, but it does require a little know-how. Read on for tip tips from the pros. Plus: where to shop, what marinades to try, and what wines to pair—and what’s the difference between steak tips and tri-tips? Jump to:  Meat Mark ..read more

Steak tips at NewBridge Cafe in Chelsea. / Photo by Joe St. Pierre Don’t tell our doctors how many pounds of red meat we consumed while reporting on the mysterious origins of steak tips, the iconic New England dish that typically features flap meat from the bottom sirloin. Below, find some of our favorites, from old-school classics in timeless pubs north of Boston to new-school twists at an intimate Mediterranean spot in Cambridge, a brunch mainstay in Somerville, and beyond. Plus, we’ve included a few recommendations for excellent dishes from international cuisines to try if you like steak ..read more

When it comes to steak tips, NewBridge Cafe in Chelsea has perfected the art of the char. / Photo by Joe St. Pierre It’s just before 8 p.m. on a Wednesday, and I’m at a restaurant north of Boston that could be any New England sports bar and “grille.” It’s a quiet night, and the bar is emptier than I expected as some game or another is on the TV, providing the soundtrack for the intense wave of nostalgia that’s about to hit. I open up a gold-wrapped pat of butter and hopelessly attempt to spread it onto a piece of nondescript white bread. Soon, I’ll let a second pat dissolve onto my hot-as-la ..read more

Photo by Mona Miri Jump to: Beer | Canned Cocktails | Cannabis Beverages | | Non-Alcoholic Refreshers | Wine | Hard Seltzers | Beer Big, boozy brews are so last season. Start fresh this spring with five cans that are light, floral, fruity, and exceedingly refreshing. JACK’S ABBY CRAFT LAGERS Banner City Light Lager What else would Boston beer fans want to raise during the playoffs? As the official craft beer of the Celtics, cans of this easy-to-drink, 3.8 percent lager—a recent collab between Framingham brewery Jack’s Abby and our 17-time NBA champions—sport the team’s iconic green logo and ..read more

Bar Toscana is located on the ground floor of its older sibling Tuscan Kitchen in Boston’s Seaport. / Courtesy photo Want to live your Italian summer dreams without the long flight? Head to the Seaport District’s newest venue, Bar Toscana, now open on the ground floor of its big sibling Tuscan Kitchen. A delightful aperitivo awaits, not to mention small plates of caviar-topped pasta, braised duck arancini, fried calamari, and more. Bar Toscana’s mozzarella en carrozza, caviar pasta (lemon capellini with herb breadcrumbs), and arancini d’anatara (Sicilian rice balls with braised duck and moz ..read more

Photo by Jared Kuzia When the owners of Cambridge’s new seafood spot, Moëca, enlisted designers Alina Wolhardt and Jaz Bonnin of Wolf in Sheep Design to bring their vision for a cozy, neighborhood-y restaurant to life, the name (inspired by the Venetian-dialect word for green crab) hadn’t yet been decided. What they did know, however, was that they wanted the space to have the same warm, inviting vibe of its sister restaurant, Giulia—with an ocean-inspired twist. It was a tall order. Before Wolhardt and Bonnin worked their magic, the space was stark, white, and entirely minimalist—a holdover ..read more

Long Live Beerworks’ Boston taproom. / Photo by Jackie Young/Golden Age Collective Tasty pastry stouts, fruity sours, and crisp lagers are about to arrive in Roxbury: Providence’s popular Long Live Beerworks is awaiting final inspections before opening its second location at 152 Hampden St., says co-founder Jessica deBry. It’s a colorful, updated look to a space familiar to local brewery fans. DeBry and her partner, company president and brewer Armando DeDona, are the latest tenants of the taproom in the Newmarket Square area, on the ground floor of a renovated, 1850s piano factory owned by ..read more