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The sweetest fish

Branzino, which are shipped from Europe, appear in markets this time of year with their heads, tails, and bones intact. The flesh is a little like...

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Restaurants

Easy elegance near the shore

  Oro in Scituate is an anchor of good taste. And even though it's not perfect, it can still be the perfect end to a day spent strolling by the sea.

Building a better burger

Many things about 5 Napkin Burger — great, classy burgers and marvelous shakes — are wonderful, but the service needs some help.

Recharging Battery Wharf

The deck at Aragosta Bar + Bistro is the perfpect spot to nosh a plate of lobster ravioli.

Globe critic

Devra First

The latest reviews from The Boston Globe's restaurant critic.

• Reader Q&A; (March 2)
• Reader Q&A; (Feb. 16)
• Reader Q&A; (Feb. 2)
• Reader Q&A; (Jan. 12)
• Reader Q&A; (Dec. 29)

• Email critic Devra First

By the Glass

Sparkling wines big on bubbly charm

One of wine's enduring charms is its power to make us more content with our company than we might otherwise be. It's a talent sparkling wines possess in spades.

99 Bottles columns

Special occasion brews

You probably filed your taxes recently and have either received (or will soon) a refund. A refund! Now that's a good excuse to celebrate with a pricier beer than you usually buy. Here are a few outstanding beers for a special occasion.

• A red ale with the taste of spring
• Thinking big: Three heavy-duty ales from local breweries
• Eight great imperial stouts for dark days of winter

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff/File)

Where are Boston's best restaurants? Cambridge

Cross the river for innovating and experimenting — and some lower rents and cheaper liquor licenses.

Chicken in the pot makes two meals

Sometimes you want a nourishing meal that involves so little preparation you might as well have bought takeout. That’s when you make chicken in the pot.

• • Recipes Chicken in the pot
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  • Chicken-rice soup
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  • Shopping list

• • More Recipes Potato curry with chickpeas and green peas
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  • • Roast leg of lamb with olive sauce
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    • Curried lamb and red lentil salad
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    • Braised brisket
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    • Brisket-potato casserole
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  • • Asian dipping sauce
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    • Brown rice
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    • Gratin topping

These cooks put their own spin on extra helping

A gift of food — for new neighbors overcome by stacks of boxes, new parents coping with little sleep, an ill friend, a family in mourning — can be as simple as a basket of muffins or cookies, or as elaborate as a complete meal. The gesture is rewarding.

• • Recipes Brown sugar pound cake
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  • Marinated flank steak
• • Walnut mandelbrot
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  • Spinach, leek, and mushroom quiche

Culinary trainees cooking
on all burners

The Culinary Arts Training Program has broadened locals' job prospects in today’s competitive market.

Asparagus is worth effort
in garden and in kitchen

To grow asparagus is to make a long-term commitment: to settle down on a piece of land, to dedicate a big chunk of space in the garden, to prepare the bed, and then to wait three years before there is anything to harvest.

• Recipes Asparagus soup with spring onions and bacon
• Stir-fried shrimp and asparagus

Dutch treats, spicy and sweet

Amsterdam’s open-air markets embrace a global array of flavors.

Mike Urban on clam shacks

The Old Saybrook, Conn., resident wrote “Clam Shack: The Ultimate Guide to New England’s Most Fantastic Seafood Eateries.’’ He’s a Chicago transplant who has been in the region for about 20 years, and a self-made expert on fried clams.

• Blog recipe Roasted branzino
• SHORT ORDERS The Edge diner serves up hot dogs, hamburgers, and nostalgia
• SHORT ORDERS Help for cooking en papillote
• SHORT ORDERS A fresh take on granola
• SHORT ORDERS The Edge diner serves up hot dogs, hamburgers, and nostalgia

RECIPES

More in food and dining

• SHORT ORDERS A fresh take on granola
• SHORT ORDERS Help for cooking en papillote
• SHORT ORDERS The Edge diner serves up hot dogs, hamburgers, and nostalgia
• Sunday supper and more Shopping list
• Sunday supper and more Chicken in the pot puts two meals on the table
• These cooks put their own spin on extra helping
• Culinary training program graduates find maturity, responsibility, and jobs
• Asparagus takes dedication in the garden, a light touch in the kitchen
• Amsterdam’s open-air markets offer a global array of flavors
• G Force Mike Urban talks of his love for the clam shack
• The legal of locally-grown food
• THE TIP Aragosta Bar + Bistro is recharging Battery Wharf
• A trifecta of Derby cocktails
• Artichokes take some work, but they are worth the effort
• Little people, big palates