The perks of tasting menus: Part of the fun is the element of surprise, and part is being served something that you wouldn't ordinarily order—and discovering a new, unlikely favorite. That's how it happened with me and the Grilled Trout ($22) at Il Casale. More

Cheong fun, or Cantonese steamed rice rolls, is my holy grail of dim sum dishes, which makes its Vietnamese cousin, bánh cuốn, my default appetizer when I go for a bowl of pho at Pho Hoa. More

Mark Bittman, in a 2002 New York Times article, called No. 9 Park's Prune-Stuffed Gnocchi appetizer "a no-holds-barred spectacle." Ike Delorenzo, in a 2009 Boston Globe retrospective on five of the all-time-best dishes in the Hub, dubbed it "marvelously clever." And Globe restaurant critic Devra First spelled out a bold truth when she said this is "possibly one of the best dishes ever served in a Boston restaurant." More

It was the breakfast tacos that I'd come for. Austin is basically the nation's capital when it comes to scrambled eggs and fixin's wrapped in tortillas, and I'd been craving them since my last trip here almost a year and a half ago. Izzoz came highly recommended by a coworker of mine, and as luck would have it I was staying just down the road from the trailer park where they set up shop. More

If you've spent time in Manchester, Vermont, you've probably driven by the best pizza in town and not even known it was there. That's because what you see from the street is a home furnishings store called Depot 62. The stock is mostly high-end, brightly upholstered Mediterranean and North African pieces, plus art and ornate rugs—a unique shopping option in this quaint New England town, to say the least. But the more remarkable find is what's in the middle of the store: a huge brick oven, a cluster of tables, and a menu featuring thin-crust pizza and Anatolian fare. More

I really don't like conventional Baked Alaska. Meringue is far too sweet and too lean for me, and I've never been a huge fan of cake—especially sponge cake. But if there's one thing to know about Oleana, it's that nothing is conventional, particularly not the dessert menu. Pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick's reputation for dreaming up some of the most inventive sweets in town starts here. More

Ever since the charter issue of Lucky Peach hit newsstands, I've been making myself a promise: This is the weekend I'm going to make ramen. Unfortunately, I've been saying that for months now, but not because my noodle soup craving has subsided. Not in the least. It's just that this place, Masa Miyake's noodle shop called Pai Men Miyake, has been feeding me so well that procrastination has become a delicious habit. More

It all started when my friend (and occasional Serious Eats collaborator) Kate Shannon asked her culinary school instructor and famed cookbook author Helen Chen where she likes to eat Chinese food in Boston. Chen's reply: Joyful Garden in the Day's Hotel in Brighton. The Days Hotel? More

Last fall, Portland welcomed Schulte & Herr, a breakfast- and lunch-only spot a few blocks over from the old Portland Public Market building. The food is traditional meat and potatoes fare up and down the menu, but everything we had tasted surprisingly delicate—refined, even. There was none of the heft and gut-busting fullness that I usually associate with German food. More

There are certain neighborhoods in Boston that are known for great Mexican food, but Waltham isn't one of them. When I think of Waltham, I think of Brandeis, Gordon's Liquors, watches, and some good Indian grocers on Moody Street. I'd never thought of it as a taco destination, until recently. More