Best Italian restaurant
If the North End is a hotbed of Italian cooking, why did Phoenix readers fall all over themselves for
two red-sauce joints in other neighborhoods? At Carlo's Cucina Italiana in Allston, the answer is the
food: vibrant Northern Italian fare that gives tomato sauce back its good name, not to mention linguine
con frutti di mare (seafood pasta) to die for. Parking here is nearly as bad as it is in the North End,
and the space feels a little jam-packed, but you don't hear complaints - you hear sighs of delight and,
later, groans of fullness.
Vinny Testa's packs 'em in with portions the size of small cars. It's humanly impossible to eat everything
the waiters bring you - the bruschetta appetizer alone is as big as a child's raft - but that's half the
fun for patrons. Ask for a doggie bag and a meal at Vinny's ends up being two meals at home as well.
Carlo's Cucina Italiana, 131 Brighton Avenue, Allston, (617) 254-9759; Vinny Testa's, various locations.
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