Where to Eat in January: Beacon Hill Hotel, Parm, Juliet, and More

The Beacon Hill Hotel used the last couple of unusual years as an opportunity to refresh itself, and the near-total renovation of the 19th century property includes a brand-new restaurant in a newly brightened space. This emphasis on “new” extends to the menu, which is refreshed but still plays in classic comforting flavors, including Rhode Island-style calamari or Chianti-braised short ribs, as well as a pasta selection that includes potato gnocchi with shaved black truffles and spaghettoni with Maine lobster and chile-lime breadcrumbs.

The sibling-of-sorts to Contessa is now accepting reservations, and giving diners the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they can secure a four-top on Friday night for the purpose of enjoying mozzarella sticks, housemade rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce, chicken Parm platters, and other red-sauce delights.

The paint is just about to dry on Will Gilson’s latest restaurant, which will open directly next to Puritan & Company mid-month. This mollusk-centered annex will offer a rotating selection of a half-dozen local oysters, plus raw-bar treats ranging from brown butter scallop crudo with gooseberry and jalapeño to green goddess-dressed lobster tail. Non-raw offerings from the sea include miso butter-slathered uni toast and caviar pies with egg salad and sour cream, and hearty Puritan & Company classics like smoked bluefish melts or hot buttered lobster sandwiches on challah are on call to finish the meal.

 Opens January 15.

Now well-settled into their new location at 263 Washington Street, Juliet has switched from serving themed menus to a more evergreen selection of dishes inspired by French cuisine — or to be more specific, Niçoise cuisine. In more practical terms, that can take the form of a Niçoise omelet stuffed with garlicky tomatoes and tuna conserva to pappardelle puttanesca with anchovies and mussels. And before you ask, there is indeed a Niçoise salad, and this one is dressed with an anchovy-caper vinaigrette.

The holiday season has ended, and what feels like an endless expanse of winter nothingness lies ahead. But the January blues can be assuaged — at least for a few hours — at one of this South End bistro’s red leather booths, with French onion soup and filet au poivre for company.

The mixology-minded brain trust responsible for Baldwin Bar, Blossom Bar, and Ivory Pearl have added a fourth establishment to their family in the form of Birds of Paradise. The freshly opened 45-seater at the Brighton Speedway takes inspiration from the “golden age of travel,” with cocktails named after flight paths like the Rio to Tokyo (cachaca, sherry, miso pineapple, wasabi coconut, and shiso) or the Bangkok to Mumbai (gin, yellow Chartreuse, mango cordial, jackfruit calpico). During their journeys, passengers can be sated by a small menu of “airline snack” sushi hand rolls filled with the likes of Maine uni or fatty tuna.

Call 617-903-4298 for reservations.

The harbor-adjacent restaurant’s farm-to-table ethos makes it worthwhile to check in on seasonal menu changes. In this case, the shift to winter has brought forward grilled pork shoulder with griddled black garlic cornbread, dry-aged duck breast with sweet potato gnocchi, a serves-two butter poached lobster with tomato arancini, and other warming delights.

Never mind that chickens are flightless — Shy Bird has flown the coop and opened a second location, this time in South Boston. The offerings at the restaurant/bar/café are as poultry-centric as ever, manifesting in ranch fried chicken sandwiches, buttermilk-brined “dunks” (read: fancy chicken nuggets), and whole rotisserie-grilled birds served with sauces like pecorino ranch or chipotle barbecue. And yet, it’s not all chicken, all the time, as evidenced by enticing outliers like spicy shrimp skewers with a harissa vinaigrette or flank steak with chimichurri sauce.

Call 617-766-8309 for reservations.

Having been in business for 27 years, Metropolis must be doing something right. Whether it’s the cozy, Parisian bistro-inspired interior, a brunch menu populated by hangover killers like pastrami hash and cheesy grits and eggs, or a justly famous entrée of rigatoni with crumbled sausage and chile flakes, we’re willing to bet that the neighborhood fixture will live to see another 27.

This is not the right time to go to Nantucket. But it is the right time for Nantucket to come to you in the form of Fresh Boston, a Grey Lady import that’s brought its sandwich shop/bar/liquor store concept to Southie. In other words, it’s just the kind of place to drop in for a BLT with Parmesan aioli and your pick from more than 200 wine selections before ultimately deciding you’ll stick around for a quick nitro cold-brew espresso martini at the bar.

Walk-ins only.