The stereotypical North End restaurant routine has its charms. Once in a while, I don't mind standing in line on the sidewalk, sitting at a cramped table in a kitschily decorated room, ordering up some cheap and plentiful red-sauce Italian-American, and being hustled out the door in under 50 minutes to stand in line again at a nearby bakery for cannoli. It's an indulgent-host thing to do with out-of-town friends, a charming, hokey slice of Boston bologna. Without visitors in tow, though, I tend to seek out more sophisticated dining experiences. The reality is that most of the neighborhood is not geared for customers like me.
Fortunately, Prezza (24 Fleet Street, Boston, 617.227.1577) provides an island of seriousness in the North End's sea of "Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meatball" joints. You won't spot a red-and-white checkered tablecloth or straw-wrapped Chianti bottle in its austerely modern dining room. More important, it has all the proper amenities: reservations, valet parking, well-made cocktails from a full bar, polished service, a serious wine list, dessert, coffee - you know, all the things that real fine-dining restaurants offer. Better yet, I can enjoy authentic Italian cuisine at a leisurely pace from a chef with skills far greater than mine, like chef/owner Anthony Caturano and his talented sous chef, Manuel Colocho.
Caturano's Southern Italian sensibility is revealed in his relatively simple preparations of quality ingredients, like his antipasto of wood-grilled octopus and squid ($15) with white beans and parsley. But he's not shy about showing off his Northern-honed refinement, either, as is evident in his raviolo di uovo ($10): one big, round pasta envelope filled with ricotta and an intact soft-cooked egg yolk. This isn't just a technically impressive stunt, though cutting into the raviolo to uncover that liquid yolk is indeed an "oooh!" moment. With its topping of brown butter, fresh sage, and shaved Parmigiano, the overall effect is ravishingly rich, a primo that imparts big flavors in a few bites. This leaves plenty of room for a hefty secondo like the gorgeous wood-grilled 16-ounce bone-in tenderloin ($46) or the less extravagant but equally swoony platter of meatballs, sausages (of pork, an especially fine, delicate rendition here), and ribs ($25) in a subtle tomato sauce on creamy polenta. You'll want to linger afterward over an Averna - something they'll let you do at Prezza - and quietly relish the moment. Sometimes it feels damned good to dine out in the North End like a grownup, not a tourist.
