On our first date, Balao stood me up. I’d made reservations under one of my ever-evolving pseudonyms and arranged to meet friends. But when we walked up to the hostess station at Burwell’s, the downstairs neighbor and gatekeeper of the rooftop location, we were met with a confused...

Tucked behind Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant, Betty’s Eatery is a breakfast and lunch joint, with a promise to “take you back to your grandma’s kitchen.” It does not stink of boiling cabbage and there wasn’t so much as a single TV playing an overly loud game show,...

As you walk into Bistro A Vin ­— the sister establishment and next-door neighbor to pastry-focused Cafe Framboise — the sound of Frank Sinatra fills the air. In accordance, the olive oil shop-turned-wine-bar is elegant, but cozy, with two high-tops, a handful of tables, and a bar with seating...

As an introvert and an aspiring recluse, I first arrived at Uptown Social feeling a little … antisocial. Nonetheless, it was a mood that soon passed. Maybe it was the friendly waiter, with his go-getter hustle? Perhaps it was the late ’70s/early ’80s soundtrack, seemingly...

In a town teaming with establishments serving small, thoughtful, farm-to-table dishes, it’s hard to stand out. Renzo, employing a seeming mantra of originality squared, has found a niche. It’s the bastard child of a well-heeled Spanish/Italian chef and a mad scientist. Not...