Prezza Boston was the first stop on a four day food tour.  Our journey began in the North End of Boston where we found ourselves a couple of times, the next to visit Neptune Oyster.  We took the train to Boston from NYC midday on a Friday and had early reservations Friday evening to kick off the trip.  We learned quickly we could walk everywhere we needed to go, which was awesome.

The North End of Boston is full of quaint little Italian restaurants, quite unlike NYC’s touristy Mulberry Street, but as tricky to navigate the mediocrity.  We’d read rave reviews on Prezza in advance, so we knew it was a good choice.  Steve even friended a chef on Facebook prior to the trip.  The owner began his career cooking with Todd English.

Prezza’s interior had a very traditional Italian restaurant vibe, warm and cozy.  It is sophisticated with dark wood, dim lighting bad for phone pics and artwork on the walls.  We got a corner seat, which gave us a nice view of what was happening.  This place was packed to the gills on a Friday night.  Good move making all of our reservations in advance!

Our meal kicked off with a couple of martinis.  Mine had prosciutto and parmesan cheese, Steve’s a fig with ricotta.

Prezza’s menu is a fusion of peasant food and other Mediterranean influences resulting in old world style with seasonal ingredients.  Portions are quite large and we ordered it all up like we’d never eaten before!  We over did it for sure and could have ordered half of the food!

Appetizers started with a seared scallop special and the wood grilled squid and octopus and braised white beans.  Steve’s scallops were nicely seared and the dish was a good size for an appetizer.  Mine looked a bit sloppy, running all over the plate.  It was hard to distinguish the ingredients, but the flavors of the grilled octopus and the cannelloni beans were homey and comforting.  I was full after this course!

For the pasta course, we had the ricotta ravioli with pancetta, onion, roasted tomato and pecorino cheese and the lobster tagliatelle with Amaro cream, fennel, tarragon and bacon appetizer size portions.  This time mine was a tad lighter and Steve was full after his creamy, calorie filled lobster dish.

And we finished with the fish stew and the homemade meatballs.  The stew had lobster, swordfish, shrimp, clams, mussels, squid, lobster broth and toasted bread with saffron aioli.  This was a New England seafood extravaganza.  I love seafood, so felt compelled to finish it off regardless of my full stomach.  Steve enjoyed the meatballs equally as much.  These were our favorite dishes and probably all we needed to order!

http://www.prezza.com/index.php
24 Fleet Street – North End