Introduction

As the Phantom Gourmet, Boston's most trustworthy restaurant critic, I've guarded my top-secret identity like a sacred family recipe. I always dine in disguise; I have enough aliases to fake out the CIA; and I never leave a crumb of evidence in my path. Because I'm so mysterious, I get no special treatment. The experience I have is the same as you'll have when you dine at the restaurants in this book.

Thanks to my boss, I've been on a belly-busting eating spree for the last decade. I've converted all that caloric energy into writing reviews for The Phantom Gourmet TV show on UPN-38, the CBS-4 News, WBZ News Radio 1030-AM, and the Boston Herald. Millions of people see, hear, and read my reports on the dining scene, then post their comments in the FEEDback Forum on www.PhantomGourmet.com.

The thing I hear more often than the clanging of pots is the pressing need for a restaurant guide "to go." The market is flooded with all-you-can-read buffets on where to eat out, but this book is the ultimate menu of the most "Phan-tastic" restaurants in Boston and beyond. I've compiled a Great Ate list for every major food group (yes, French fries ARE part of the Phantom food pyramid) and neighborhood. Eight of my favorite places are singled out for each delicious category like Fried Clams, Fine Dining, and the Theater District. If you're hungry for a certain something, I'll tell you my eight favorite places to get it. If you're headed to a particular neighborhood, city, or region, I'll point you to the area's eight greatest dining destinations.

Forget aimless searching; this guide gets to the point so you can eat what you want. You can still search the A-to-Z index for your favorite spots and the page on which they're listed.

I spend more time eating out than most people spend even thinking about food during their everyday lives, and I've got the gut to prove it. A big THANKS goes out to all you masters of the kitchen, for keeping me employed. To my "Phans," I give a super-sized salutation. And to anyone who operates a restaurant, treat every customer like a critic . . . because you never know which one could be THE PHANTOM GOURMET. Until I've eaten my way through every restaurant in the land, consider me out to lunch.

—The Phantom Gourmet
Mysterious Restaurant Critic

Copyright © 2006 by Phantom Gourmet, Inc.