Making A List, Checking It Twice

I am a classic type-A personality. Competitive, impatient, organized. Like any good type-A, I have a strong adoration of lists. I make lists for everything. Lists of things I need to do, lists of places I'd like to visit, lists of songs I want to download from iTunes, lists of wines I want to buy again, lists of artists that I am keeping an eye on, and, oh yes, list of restaurants I want to try. I love lists.

Happily, I am not alone in this passion. It seems like every media outlet on the planet is compelled to do their own restaurant lists. The Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine, and the Phoenix (to name a few) have all recently published their lists of the "must trys" for the year. I figure that, in order to keep my blog's status amongst these fine publications, I probably need to produce my own list. So, here goes...

The Foodie's Guide to Places She is Dying to Try in the Hub in 2008 (You think these list titles should have some kind of word limit? I hope not. Oh yeah, and you know how they say, "in no particular order..."? Typical type-Bs. This list is in order.)

10) Beehive - The Globe called Beehive "the place to be (over 30)." Sigh. I guess at this point that pretty much describes the perfect destination for me. Beehive is probably better known as the South End's newest nightspot to hear a little music and, more importantly, see & be seen. But Boston Magazine promises "tasty, wallet-friendly" fare in addition to the entertainment. Sounds good to me.

9) Petit Robert Bistro - A friend of mine at work brought me a business card from Petit Robert Bistro more than a year ago. She implored me, "you have to check this place out." I never did and I have been sorry ever since. Every time you turn around some other reviewer is writing about this restaurant - and it's always favorable. The owners, who include a member of the venerable Maison Robert family, as well as a cutie-patootie young Frenchman, recently opened a second location in response to a booming business. Apparently, if you want to be mentally transported to the little Parisian bistro you discovered in your semester abroad, this is the place. Oh, and it's also affordable - what's not to like?

8) O Ya - This is the kind of place that makes me want to shut this blog down all together and simply post the following closing message: "I give up. Cool, fabulous, foodie-friendly places are opening in this city faster than Nancy Pelosi blinks. I can not possibly eat at them all, much less blog about them. Thank you for your patronage over these past five months." Ok, I know, O Ya was so June of 2007. I still haven't been! The Asian cuisine is supposed to be so good, the Globe quipped, "who needs Nobu?" Holy crap.

7) La Voile - I walked by the place destined to be La Voile on Newbury Street at least a dozen times while it was under construction. Each time, you could see a little more of this Mediterranean bistro take shape - like a tantalizing present being slowly unwrapped. Finally it's here and it's getting a lot of good buzz. Daily Candy called it "authentic" southern French fare. Having living in Aix-en-Provence, I can't wait to decide for myself.

6) Myers+Chang - I'll keep this simple. One of the owners, Christopher Myers, is also behind Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay. If this place is even a fraction as good as Radius or Great Bay, I am there+there+there.

5) Orinoco - One of my best friends spent several years living in Bolivia, so when she told me that a restaurant offering South American cuisine is one of her new favorites in the city, I paid attention. Not long after that exchange, Boston Magazine recognized Orinoco's chicken arepa one of the 52 best things to eat in Boston. Two recommendations from sources I trust, how can I go wrong?

4) T. W. Food - Oh god... maybe I have worked in Cambridge too long (about ten years, if you add up the different stints). Here's where the list starts getting all, "eat local, love your Mother." I can't help myself... if the menu sources most of its food from within 100 miles of the restaurant, I am like a bee drawn to organic honey. Daily Candy oozed that T.W. Food "emphasiz[es] biodynamic wines, house-made charcuterie, and sustainably raised meats, every meal is kind to both planet and palate." I don't even know what some of those words mean. That makes me want to go even more.

3) Gaslight, Brassarie du Coin - Unlike O Ya, Gaslight is just starting to get noticed and still needs to prove itself a bit. But the early press is promising... Gaslight offers a true French menu that will give Eastern Standard a run for its money. Both the Globe and Boston Magazine promise an atmosphere and decor that is straight from the Latin Quarter.

2) Summer Winter - Ok, now this place better be good. Because if I drive to Burlington and it's a bust, someone is going to hear about it. You gotta figure it's a pretty safe bet - the restaurateurs behind Summer Winter also own Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, considered one of the best dining establishments in the country. And forget about food sourced from a hundred mile radius, Summer Winter grows all its own produce in a greenhouse that is less than a hundred feet from the kitchen.

1) Ten Tables - Yeah, it's all local. Oh, and mostly organic. It's a small business in a grassroots community. I might as well pull out the Birkenstocks and stop shaving my legs. Listen, I like to do my part for the earth, and I like that Ten Tables does its part too, but that's not what makes it my top destination for the year. I love the idea of it... only ten tables in the dining room, making for a cozy, family-style atmosphere, where the staff encourages you to linger all night. And the chefs? Heck, they're only making food for you and nineteen of your newest pals. They can pour all the love and dedication in the world into each beautiful dish (check out the photos on the website). It doesn't hurt that Ten Tables made every list this year. I'll be lucky to get one of those ten precious tables before 2009, but I tell you what - I'm going to do my best. And I will be sure to report back.

Boy, I've got my work cut out for me this year. This is a heady list, but I know I can do it. Type-As are nothing if not committed.