Bar Volpe, Geppetto, and More: Boston Dining’s Best in 2021

With the opening of her second restaurant, Karen Akunowicz expanded on the promise of Fox & The Knife — freshly made pasta and an authentic look at regional Italian flavors — but changes the focus from Modena to down south. She also incorporated her brilliant pandemic pivot, Fox Pasta, into the space by creating a in-restaurant market where diners can pick up fresh pastas and sauces to-go.

In sum, it’s another reminder of how lucky Boston is to have retained the talents of Akunowicz, who spent seven years as the executive chef of Myers + Chang before striking out on her own.

We’ll forgive the Major Food Group for being out-of-towners, because the arrival of Contessa gave Boston something it hadn’t experienced since before the pandemic: a glitzy, over-the-top opening in a stunning location. Perched above the also-new Newbury Hotel, Contessa pairs panoramic views with Flintstone-sized veal Parmesan in a dining atmosphere that’d make Frank Sinatra blush. As it turns out, we needed that.

The French-and-Vietnamese mash-up seemed to hit its stride in 2021, turning itself into the patio-based “Nightshade Clam Shack” through early summer with fried seafood boxes and lemongrass butter lobster rolls before returning to indoor dining in mid-July. As fun as the pop-up proved, we were happy to be reunited inside with lacquered foie gras on grilled coconut rice and homemade egg noodles with shredded beef.

After re-opening from a winter hibernation, Gray’s Hall saw itself transcend the “natural wine bar” label and become something rarer — the neighborhood natural wine bar. We think some of that success has to do with balancing out its small plate menu with a good ol’ fashioned smash-patty cheeseburger on a potato bun, and the pull of its fried chicken sandwich Sundays.

Considering that many of us didn’t take the Nantucket vacation we wanted this year (or the year before), one of its culinary gems making Boston landfall was welcome news. While its expansive, mural-filled space is much more Seaport than Grey Lady, it plays all the Nautilus hits — and then some. As always, plan ahead to experience the Peking duck.

While the pandemic treated no restaurant kindly, Barra had it particularly bad as the Mexico City-inspired bar opened in the last days of January 2020. Naturally, we were rooting for them when they re-opened in the spring of 2021. We were vindicated by a cocktail list focused on mezcal and less-seen Mexican spirits like sotol, in addition to authentic bar snacks (yes, there are crickets).

With the arrival of Geppetto, chef Will Gilson concluded his pandemic-delayed trio of projects at Cambridge Crossing, which also included The Lexington and Café Beatrice. With soft pinks and blues and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the Cambridge Crossing green, Geppetto’s space proved every bit as comforting as its crispy pork meatballs in tomato-brown butter sauce.

While Castle Island putting down roots at the place of its namesake was news enough, what really brought us in was the South Shore-style bar pizza provided by Bardo’s. With the once-obscure regional pizza style taking off in Camberville over the last couple of years, it was heartening to see a new example closer to its place of origin — particularly when it could be paired with a double IPA.

17 months — that’s how long the 25-year-old South End landmark stood idle before roaring back to form in the fall of 2021. During that period, they took a little time to spruce up the interior (and add their first-ever patio). We were relieved that they didn’t make it too nice, and that the steak frites were right where we last ordered them.

Considering the town’s (somewhat undeserved) reputation as a sleepy suburb, Punch Bowl proved a tonic to cocktail-loving Brooklineites, who could drop by at any time for a glass of Rainbow Planter’s Punch or a well-made Vesper. That its food menu encompassed swordfish Reubens with kimchi mayo was a considerable bonus.