| Bay Village may be Boston's smallest neighborhood | | | | artichokes and jasmine rice. You can also get a riff on |
| but its location next to the Boston Theatre District | | | | the classic French steak-frites - at Pigalle, it's a juicy |
| means that Bay Village restaurants are top choices | | | | flank steak with peppers, French fries, and creamed |
| for before-show dinners and after-show drinks, as | | | | spinach. |
| well as fine dining on any other occasion. You'll find | | | | Dessert choices at Pigalle also run to the classics - |
| one of the city's best French restaurants, a top | | | | creme brulee, a pineapple tart with mascarpone |
| steakhouse located in a castle, a couple of highly | | | | pastry cream and chocolate sorbet, a cheese platter, |
| regarded Italian restaurants, and a couple of more | | | | and other tempting daily specials. |
| casual choices tucked away in this | | | | Erbaluce (69 Church Street) is the newest of the Bay |
| conveniently-located neighborhood. Here are two | | | | Village restaurants, and Boston diners are quickly |
| mouth-watering options to consider. | | | | becoming addicted to Chef Charles Draghi's |
| Pigalle (75 Charles Street South, next to Radisson | | | | Piedmontese Italian cuisine. Named for an Italian |
| Hotel) is a long-time favorite with theater-goers. This | | | | grape, the restaurant features dishes that are |
| award-winning French restaurant specializes in using | | | | flavored with herbs, fruit and vegetable essences, |
| the freshest local ingredients to prepare classic | | | | and cooking techniques such as roasting that bring |
| French cuisine. Chef Marc Orfaly offers an a la carte | | | | out the flavor of each dish - no heavy creams or |
| menu with daily specials, as well as several other | | | | sauces here! |
| options: a 3-course prix-fixe menu, a casual bar and | | | | The menu changes a few times each week, |
| patio menu featuring $1 oysters on the half shell plus | | | | depending on what's in season and freshest in the |
| many other yummy items, and special chef's tasting | | | | markets. You'll find organic meats and produce, plus |
| menus, with and without wine pairings. On | | | | dishes based on game such as wild boar that you |
| Wednesdays, there's even a "kitchen vs. bar battle" | | | | don't usually find in restaurants. One of my favorites |
| that pits 3 tastes from the kitchen against 3 drinks | | | | is the spaghetti with clams in fennel-tomato broth |
| from the bar - this may be a battle, but it's also a | | | | with bottarga, a pressed block of cure tuna or mullet |
| win-win! | | | | roe that's shaved on top of the pasta, giving it an |
| What should you try here? For starters, think about | | | | incredibly buttery, sort of caviar-like flavor - try this |
| the spiced carrot soup with calamari and a touch of | | | | and you'll immediately start planning your next visit to |
| chorizo, or the arugula salad with fried goat cheese | | | | Erbaluce. |
| fritters. The crabcakes, and the charcuterie platters | | | | With even more Bay Village restaurants to try in |
| are also wonderful. Plus Pigalle makes some of | | | | nearby streets, you may decide to skip the theater |
| Boston's best French onion soup with fabulous | | | | and just concentrate on eating. Be sure to walk |
| 4-cheese croutons. | | | | around Bay Village afterwards to admire the early |
| For main courses, consider the crispy comfit duck | | | | 19th century Federal architecture and work off all |
| with herb spatzle and creamed Brussels sprouts, or | | | | those calories! |
| the halibut baked in a flaky crust with creamed | | | | |