A fire pole stands in the middle of Il Casale restaurant in the Boston suburb of Belmont, said Devra First in The Boston Globe. That’s because this three-star celebrity magnet is housed in a former firehouse. And if the menu looks as if it had been created by an Italian grandmother, that’s because most dishes “are based on family recipes” of the de Magistris clan, which also operates Dante’s in nearby Cambridge.
The dishes here are exceptional, notably ignudi, or naked pasta. Spinach, ricotta, and Parmesan are formed into rounds, rolled in egg white and flour, boiled, then dipped into tomato sauce to create a dish that’s “barely pasta at all.” Yet Il Casale is “the rare restaurant where the secondi outshine the pasta.” Try the moist, wonderful wood-grilled trout or the “ridiculously good” Wagyu steak from Australia. For dessert, opt for a decadent panna cotta served with strawberries drizzled with balsamic and basil. 50 Leonard St., Belmont, Mass.; (617) 209-4942
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