The November Hit List: Gepetto, Bakey, Contessa, and More

Over the last year, Will Gilson has rolled out a trinity of restaurants in a shared space at Cambridge Crossing. First there was The Lexington, then Café Beatrice, and now Geppetto, which serves homemade pasta and Northern Italian fare in an airy street-level space filled with dark woods and pink leather accents. But more importantly, diners will encounter the likes of beet cavatelli with corned brisket, pumpkin agnolotti with brown butter and wild mushrooms, and a roasted lamb shank covered in Chianti au jus and gremolata.

Danish-Israeli baker Uri Scheft — responsible for Tel Aviv’s Lehamim and New York’s Breads Bakery — has made local landfall with a new concept beside the Boston Common. Bakey’s treats and pastries, from buttery chocolate babka to savory cheese burekas, are baked on-site and begging to be consumed immediately with a chai latte or a piping-hot cortado. Just remember to bring a sliced whole-wheat challah roll or whole grain baguette home for later.

Walk-ins only.

With temperatures dropping — but outdoor dining continuing through March 2022 — Woods Hill Pier 4 has again rolled out its heated, seats-six igloos with views of the Boston Harbor and skyline. Once you secure an igloo of your own for a pre-holidays get together or under-the-stars date night, you’ll be treated to butter-poached lobster with crispy sunchokes, barbecue spaghetti squash with pickled peppers, and pork shoulder sourced from their own farm with foraged mushrooms and a harissa carrot glaze.

Hub Hall has added a big name to its roster with the debut of Momosan, a ramen stall from Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame. In addition to the more than half-dozen ramens on the menu, including the house-favorite spicy tan tan and a gyokotsu made with a seven-hour braised beef rib, Momosan will also provide visitors to the food hall with soft shell crab bao, duck fat French fries, and grilled octopus.

Walk-ins only.

Contessa has extended its bejeweled interpretation of Italian-American dining to the morning and afternoon hours with the start of breakfast and lunch service. The former offers panettone French toast, a carbonara scramble, and a Florentine Benedict with fontina and prosciutto; the latter includes salumi pizza with soppressata and chile oil, spicy lobster capellini, and the house-classic Veal Milanese. And on the off-chance that you successfully cleared your schedule for the rest of the afternoon you might consider indulging in a white peach and elderflower Bellini or a Paradiso Verde made with Tequila, maraschino, Grand Marnier, and lime.

Recently opened French stunner Coquette has also gotten into the lunch game. Within its main dining room, you’ll now find a burger topped by Boursin cheese, fried shallots, spicy caper mustard, and pickles, plus selects from the dinner menu like hake frites and tarte flambee. And just across the hall, sibling establishment Cocorico has opened to serve pastries, boulangerie, and wine throughout the afternoon.

Reservations accepted via email at bonjour@frenchcoquette.com or call 617-419-8140.

In addition to the two new lunches above, an old favorite has finally revived their mid-afternoon service. From Tuesday through Friday each week, you can again take on boar meatballs, swordfish tips, and braised brisket and chorizo burgers at chef Brian Poe’s Cambridge Street gastropub.

Opened by a husband-and-wife pair of French expats, Café Sauvage is a Parisian bistro viewed through a contemporary lens. Yes, its pared-down opening menu includes a croque monsieur and a quiche Lorraine, but also a banh mi with vadouvan Dijonnaise and avocado toast with an Earl Grey tea egg. Guests can stay caffeinated with a Nutella latte, or try bissap, a traditional African juice made with hibiscus, lemon, and mint.

Walk-ins only.

You can add birria tacos to the list of nathàlie’s edible delights, now that the wine bar has designated the third Tuesday of each month a “Taco Party,” showcasing chef Rochelle Kennedy’s tortilla-encased creations. In the meantime, recall that you can always swing by for seared octopus with sunflower romesco and a glass of orange wine.

With New England fall starting in earnest, Bar Mezzana’s traded in its typically lighter fare in favor of heartier, warming pastas like tagliolini Bolognese, sweet potato agnolotti with brown butter and candied hazelnuts, and bucatini amatriciana with black pepper and guanciale. Even the dessert menu has been similarly autumn-ized, with brown butter gelato and an “autumn cream puff” filled with cream cheese, green apple, and peanuts.