Neptune's Oyster Bar, Sportello & Motorino

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I just came back from my trip to Boston (if you can consider Thursday "just"), and of course I visited some pretty good restaurants. One was located in the Little Italy of Boston, but wasn't so Italian. The other was a legit Italian restaurant with a trendy and modern feel. I'll start with Neptune's Oyster Bar. Neptune's is a tiny restaurant where after 7:00 PM you feel like you're in a sardine can (fishy scent included). The decor is really nothing spectacular. It consists of dark wood walls, a raw bar, a real bar and, about 4 or 5 tables for dining. The food, is also nothing spectacular. You know the food isn't anything great when you have to check their online menu to remember what you ate. I had the fried clams, which in a New England state is almost impossible to mess up, the Hamachi Tartare and, the Lobster Spaghetti. The spaghetti sauce wasn't heavy which was the opposite of what I expected and there was a good amount of lobster in the spaghetti. The Yellowtail was good as well, the fish was quite fresh and it tasted good. My main problem is nothing on the menu jumps out at you. The dished they prepare are quite simple and would be a major issue if they didn't taste good due to the simplicity of the dishes. Neptune's Oyster Bar is a good choice for a restaurant in Boston's Little Italy, mainly because its surrounded by sleazy fake Italian restaurants.
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Sportello on the other hand is an authentic Italian restaurant in Boston as well. The downstairs is mainly for drinks and has a bar menu which consists of small dishes and finger foods. Upstairs is where the majority of the cooking gets done. The upstairs is set up with a few traditional tables, and three rows of bar style seating, all over looking the kitchen area (kind of like you're own little chef's table...that you happen to share with 75% of the restaurant). The decor is quite modern and trendy, despite its cuisine which is more refined. The potato gnocci is great as well as the papardelle. The bolognese sauce (not consisting of the dog) for the papardelle really makes the dish and the gnocci wasn't mushy and chewy (which it can be if its not cooked correctly). The steak was very good as well. It was seasoned well and was quite tender. The service was also great and friendly (and our waitress even knew of David Chang's gold mine, Momofuku). Sportello is a great choice and should be visited when in the Boston area. But, New York definitely reigns over Boston in the restaurant industry. With restaurants like Buddakan, Del Posto, Bouley and Pastis, its no wonder people come from all over to sample the best foods NY has to offer!
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Motorino of Williamsburg was named Time Out's winner for Artisan Pizza, but is a loser in my book. Motorino is located in Brooklyn and by the looks of it isn't anything spectacular. But, with all the hype one has to think the food is spectacular. It really isn't. After visiting Company on 24th street in Manhattan, I wasn't impressed. The margherita wasn't anything spectacular and the crust tasted burnt all over. The prosciutto pizza consisted of thick dry slices of prosciutto and mozzarella cheese. And that's all that looked appetizing on the menu! There is nothing really special about this place, go to Company for a good pizza, good decor and good service!
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