The January Hit List: Chickadee, Saltie Girl, Nightshade Noodle Bar, and More

The Mediterranean-ish Seaport standby is leaning into warming cuisine for winter with dishes like duck leg tagine with garlicky yogurt, slow-roasted porchetta with fried peanuts, and a red wine mafaldine with short rib and crème fraiche. They’ve even kitted out their whole crispy fried chicken dinner for the season, adding a side of warm farro salad with sweet potatoes, walnut, and feta.

Maybe it’s the wind-chill factor, but the bi-level Italian restaurant’s signature crispy pork meatballs with tomato-brown butter and Parmesan are calling our name. And while we’re at it, we wouldn’t mind indulging in porcini pappardelle or roasted lamb shank with Chianti jus, either.

Grand Tour has managed to thrive on Newbury Street without serving brunch thus far, but Michael Serpa’s French bistro has decided to give the people what they need. Served each Saturday and Sunday, the newly launched brunch menu includes early-afternoon delights like a caviar-topped omelet and a classic croque madame.

Call 857-277-0800 for reservations.

Outdoor dining is still going strong at Tambo 22, as the Peruvian-inspired restaurant has introduced outdoor igloos that provide views of the night sky and a mural painted by local artist Silvia Lopez Chavez. And once you’ve acquired your tickets for said igloo, you’ll be treated to ceviche, Peruvian-style potato stew and Amazonian paiche wrapped in banana leaves.

It’s natural to think of Saltie Girl, with its famed lobster roll and oversized patio, as a summer destination first and foremost. But those that do miss out on winter-appropriate fare including pan-roasted cod with corn and beech mushrooms or a cioppino made with calamari, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and cuttlefish spaghetti.

The borders of Flavortown now abutt the Boston Common, as Guy Fieri’s Boston Kitchen + Bar has settled into the Masonic Lodge on the corner of Boylston and Tremont. We don’t believe that there will be any secret handshakes, but you can expect to encounter Fieri-anointed dishes including jalapeño pig poppers with andouille cream cheese, dill pickle wings, and bacon mac ‘n’ cheese burgers.

Call 617-466-6600 for reservations.

The French-Cambodian restaurant has revived its lunch service, which will be served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. by takeout and delivery only. The offerings include baguette sandwiches like shredded beef banh mi or a jamon-beurre with grilled pickled pepper butter, plus a shredded cabbage salad with ground chicken and nuoc cham. Of course, you can still make a Resy for its evening service to partake in the seven-course blind tasting menu or a bowl of bay scallop noodle soup.

Abby Lane has come and gone, but the same hands responsible for that Theater District standby — in addition to Buttermilk & Bourbon and Citrus & Salt — have transformed into Nash Bar & Stage. As you might have deduced, there’s a Music City theme afoot, complemented by Nashville hot chicken dip, burnt end chili fries, and yes, live music.

After opening in November with a limited menu, the all-day French café and restaurant with a global tilt is firing on all cylinders. That may mean quiche Lorraine with pork belly and Gruyere at breakfast, an injera crepe with ras al hanout and piri piri sauce for lunch, and steak frites with bone marrow sherry butter and brandy onions at dinner.

Call 857-277-0075 for reservations.

To all those who have been sleeping on this Vietnamese coffee bar perched on the edge of Central Square, we say sleep no more. Instead, drop by for a Vietnamese peaberry espresso with sweetened condensed milk, or book a table to guarantee your seat for a bowl of pho noodle salad with smoked salmon or duck broth with bamboo shoots.