You might come for the food, but stay a while for the cocktails. We went to Rail Stop for an event and I grabbed a few things from the menu to take home because everything sounded delicious.

The cocktails are their “reinterpretation” of Golden Age cocktails. They have house made bitters, cordials and syrups. How amazing does their bar look? Make sure to say hello to Eli, the beverage director, he’s pretty darn talented.

The white clam bucatini was served with littleneck clams, leaf spinach, red pepper, white wine and two pieces of grilled crostini ($24). Even as take out, this traveled well and still tasted delicious.

The crispy wings ($13) are on the bar menu, served with sweet chili and soy. I think my husband wishes I had brought home two orders!

This place is great when the weather is nice, you can eat outside or go for a stroll afterwards. It’s located right in Boston Landing, next to the Warrior Ice Arena.

Rail Stop Restaurant and Bar

96 Guest Street, Brighton, MA

www.railstopboston.com

Parking is available on street at meters or in the Warrior Ice Arena garage (make sure to get validated).

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We decided to do a lot of appetizers so we could try out a few different things. The crab dip was delicious (yay for Old Bay!), I even had to order extra tortilla chips to get every last bit up. The honey cider Brussels sprouts were crispy and flavorful – served with Sriracha aioli and smoked bacon (you can order a half portion). The chowder was perfect on a chilly day and who could say no to the cast iron skillet baked cornbread that is served with housemade maple butter? I still love honey butter best, but maple butter is close second.

They have a nice menu with something for everyone. Burgers, salads, flatbreads and seafood. Family friendly with plenty of seating (indoor and out) and parking in an attached lot. Shopping and entertainment are close by to easily make a day/night out of it!

Redstone American Grill

20 Third Avenue, Burlington, MA

www.redstonegrill.com

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Every time I am down in Falmouth, I like to try to get to Bear in Boots right on Main Street. They have a scratch kitchen and everything they put out is consistently delicious. We started with the fried cheese (pictured top left): Beer battered Vermont cheddar cheese curds with  dill seed crema. My daughter loves cheeseburgers, so we ordered her one – loved that they offered it with sides of asparagus and green apple. She proceeded to inhale it as soon as it reached the table.  The gnocchi did not disappoint, with delicious flavor and the perfect consistency. And how do you come here and NOT get the table pretzel? The salty goodness comes with a side of stone ground mustard and a cheddar jalapeño sauce.

Other things to look out for on the menu: the ramen, the bolognese and the stout marinated steak tips.

Bear in Boots

285 Main Street, Falmouth, MA

www.bearinboots.com

Hours of operation:

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:- CLOSED

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 5:00 pm-9:00 pm (Kitchen Hours) Bar Open Until 12:00 am

Parking is available on street.

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Don’t be fooled by the outside of Red Heat Tavern. Driving by you might think it’s just another chain restaurant, when in fact, it is anything but. They have two locations, one in Wilmington and one in Bedford, and they are almost a complete scratch kitchen.

Jumbo tater tots? Sign me up! Hand-made, jumbo tater tots stuffed w/ applewood-smoked bacon, smoked Gouda, Provolone & American Grana cheeses, served with smoked tomato ketchup and beer cheese. Just died. ($10.95)

Is your mouth watering yet? If it hasn’t, it will now: Porky Fries One pound of French Fries, house smoked pulled pork, Cheddar Jack cheese, chipotle bbq, applewood-smoked bacon, scallion and smothered with beer cheese ($13.95).

People I know RAVE about their wings. Mesquite Smoked Wings Boneless or Bone-in, mesquite-marinated chicken wings two ways: Buffalo-style w/ smoked blue cheese dressing Sweet Thai-style w/ sriracha aioli ($12.95) ($19.95 double order). Delicious. Worth the drive!

I had the Josper Steak Tips* 3/4 pound of coal-fired tips of beef cut & marinated in-house, garlic & herb Parmesan fries, house made steak sauce ($20.95) (add RHT mushrooms, onions & peppers $1.95). Cooked perfectly, with a great crust on the outside. The fries were thin and had a good crisp, with just the perfect amount of salt.

Read Heat Tavern

300 Lowell Street, Wilmington, MA

http://redheattavern.com

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I had been eagerly awaiting the opening of Bear in Boots Gastropub on Main Street in Falmouth last year. In the summer it was insanely crowded – now that it is off season, we headed down to have dinner. Even though it was cold and rainy, the place was packed tonight!

The restaurant is owned by Kate and Gates Rickard and the food is inspired by their travels abroad. The name Bear in Boots comes from the nicknames of their sons, and anywhere you see a squirrel in the restaurant, that is for their youngest daughter.

The restaurant is charming. The piano above is used on the weekends when there is live music. The tables are made from sinker oak that was previously submerged – if you look closely you can see some faint blue streaks.

The restaurant is family friendly, while also being a great place to grab a drink with friends. They are a 97% scratch kitchen, from their bread to their ice cream to their mustard and condiments. They age all of their meat on site and even their syrups at the bar are house made.

We sat at a high top table right next to the open kitchen. We were able to talk to Chef Joe Ellia throughout the meal and see the team preparing our food. We sampled a little bit of everything, some of the plates were our choices and some were the chef’s. We started with the Autumn salad ($9) was seasonal baby spinach topped with roasted pumpkin, figs, toasted almonds and goat cheese topped with a light bacon infused oil.

The gnocchi ($9) were pillow like potato dumplings toasted with pistachios in a brown butter sauce with roasted squash. I loved this dish, such a comfort food of mine. It just felt like fall on a plate.

The table pretzel ($7) is a plate sized knotted pretzel to share with stone ground mustard. All their bread is made in house and the pretzel was so light and delicious.

The Log Island meatballs ($8) are two meatballs made with house ground beef, pork, veal, Pecorino Roman cheese and garden fresh herbs in a marinara sauce and served with a garlic knot.

The grilled Caesar salad ($8) was a grilled 1/2 heart of Romaine with Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese and croutons. I love this new take on a Caesar! The smoke from the grill added on another nice layer of flavor.

The pierogies were a special for the evening.  I love carbs on carbs and these did not disappoint – the house made dumplings were filled with potatoes.

The poutine ($12) was house cut fries smothered with duck confit, cheddar cheese curds, chicken gravy finished with melted cheddar cheese. The magic words, the chef had me with duck confit and cheese curds. Before, it was hard to find poutine anywhere, glad to see that it is becoming more popular.

The chef’s special for dinner was a brisket sandwich on top of a jalapeno cheddar biscuit and topped with house made pickles. Let me tell you that the biscuit was AMAZING. I’m still dreaming about it! The brisket had a nice smokey flavor to it and was so tender.

The cassoulet ($21) is a classic French stew made with lamb, duck confit, house cured bacon and white beans braised in housemade vegetable stock, topped with a grilled housemade pork sausage, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

The ricotta cheese ravioli ($25) was paired with duck confit and wild mushrooms in a toasted pine nut and brown butter sauce and topped with a 90 minute egg. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about berries with this savory dish, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they complimented the dish.

Dessert was a delicious trio of cranberry donuts with a blood orange sauce and candied orange peel, a pumpkin cheesecake with a nutty crust and a traditional creme brûlée. All in all, an amazing meal. I look forward to heading there again soon and trying out the other dishes on the menu – the fried chicken and the sunny side burger are calling my name!

Disclaimer: I was invited to be a guest at Bear in Boots Gastropub. My meal was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Bear in Boots

285 Main Street, Falmouth, MA

http://www.bearinboots.com

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