Best restaurant service

Since poor service quickly sours even the sweetest culinary experience, a seasoned waitstaff is essential for any restaurant aspiring to greatness -- as the Best New Restaurant award garnered by Great Bay this year just goes to show. From the bar it's almost mesmerizing to watch the jacketed waiters and tunic-clad waitresses serenely circling the room; the team assembled here knows clearly what it's doing and, more important, why. That Michael Schlow and Christopher Myers often make their presence felt further reminds diners that the best restaurateurs still opt for hospitality over haughty celebrity.

At an ever-hopping spot like the East Coast Grill & Raw Bar, meanwhile, the staff has got to be on its toes. That's more than a matter of watchfulness; it implies energy, efficiency, and brisk good cheer. After all, there's Hell Night to consider, the hot-sauce eating competition that attracts folks even chef-owner Chris Schlesinger calls "super freaks." Then there's the recent re-opening of the Lava Lounge, the restaurant's retro tiki-party facility -- not a room for the weak-of-resolve to be working. In short, every memory you have of wild times over at the Grill is matched in the mind of your server by the memory of a job well done. That in itself is worth remembering.

Great Bay, 500 Comm Ave, Boston, (617) 532-5300. East Coast Grill & Raw Bar, 1271 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, (617) 491-6568.