My favorite Boston restaurant from the weekend was Scampo, hands down. Scampo is located in the Liberty Hotel, a fairly new Boston hot spot – an old jail that was converted to a luxury hotel. The hotel is modern with both touches of elegance and a jail-themed flair. The restaurant itself is beautiful inside, modern chic Italian. The waiters and patrons matched the atmosphere; Scampo is definitely a place for Boston’s young and beautiful.
Change of Plans: Scampo's Menu
April and I arrived late, around 10:30 PM, with the intention of splitting an appetizer and getting a drink. One look at the menu, and that all changed. There was no wait; we were whisked to the mozzarella bar where our server promptly greeted us. The bar was a great seat for a party of two; we got to watch the chefs prepare pizza and dessert while we dined. We were served crispy breadsticks with a pesto-esque dip with pine nuts, which was creatively plated. I love anything with basil, and this was no exception.
The fact that this Boston restaurant has a mozzarella bar is a dream come true for me. Although I usually avoid cheese, I couldn't resist, mozzarella is my very favorite. We ordered the standard caprese, which was justly named “with vine-ripe heirloom tomatoes and basil.” The tomatoes were nothing special, but the mozzarella was excellent – just soft enough, and never dry. To be honest, I could have stuck with the breadstick/basil combination, and skipped this course.
The dinner menu is imaginative, but not intimidating. Chef Lydia Shire is well decorated with culinary prizes, but this restaurant isn’t pretentious. Pizzas are served with creative ingredients like "dandelion with crumbled hot sausage and fennel pollen", and diners can choose from a large selection of spaghetti varieties, handmade pasta and risotto and steak.
There weren’t many vegetarian options, but I decided to go with beet ravioli. It was delicious. I’m not a huge fan of beets, but this was truly amazing. The ravioli was topped with the smoothest robiola and a bit of orange zest. I ate about half the plate, and I would order it again in a second, but the $25 price seemed a bit much for ravioli with no meat. I also had a chance to try the spinach gnocchi, which was also very good and not too heavy with potatoes. The gnocchi dish came with calamari, and one giant pasta shell in the middle was filled with the odd-looking creatures -- something we found to be pretty humorous.
The restaurant has an extensive wine list and a fun cocktail list for the more adventurous. In lieu of ordering dessert, we decided to head upstairs to one of the hotel bars, Clink, but the desserts we saw being prepared looked very tempting. Overall, this restaurant is a must for Boston dining, and in my short experience, the best restaurant in Boston.
