La Summa
30 Fleet Street, Boston, MA 02113
(617) 523-9503
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When people think of dining in the North End of Boston, they typically think of restaurants along Hanover Street and Salem Street, which are the two main commercials streets in the neighborhood. There are a number of good Italian restaurants, however, that are located off the beaten path along some of the narrow side streets of this charming section of Boston. Examples include Pagliuca's on Parmenter Street, Vinoteca di Monica on Richmond Street, and Pizzeria Regina on Thacher Street. And one other particularly good dining spot tucked away in the neighborhood is a homey little place called La Summa, which may be one of the North End's top restaurants to go to for old-fashioned Southern Italian cooking.
La Summa is hidden away on Fleet Street, just south of Hanover Street and a world away from the crowds that are typically found there. The restaurant is small but comfortable, with the tables being just far enough away from each other to allow for quiet conversation. There is no hint of pretension here, as La Summa is simply a place to get a great meal at a reasonable price. And the meals can indeed be outstanding here. Perhaps the pick of the menu is the fantastic Pappardelle E Melanzane, which is a delectable mix of wide homemade noodles with eggplant, basil, and garlic in a zesty red sauce. But there are other terrific items on the menu as well, including the arancini, which are rice balls made with lots of gooey cheese, and the tender veal with prosciutto and mushrooms in a sweet wine sauce.
La Summa is rarely mentioned in discussions of the best Italian restaurants in Boston, but the restaurant does have one of the North End's best specific Southern Italian dishes in the Pappardelle E Melanzane. Any fan of homemade pasta would probably fall in love with this dish, or for that matter, many of the other entrees at this humble little restaurant near North Square. If you are a pasta lover, it would be tough to find a better combination of quality, price, and atmosphere than what you can find at La Summa.
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