Boston Parents Paper Best of the Best 2010
Our Family Favorite Award Winners
Family Dining
Favorite Candy Store
Sugar Heaven
669 Boylston St., Boston
617-266-6464
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Legacy Place, 950 Providence Hwy., Dedham
781-461-5959
www.sugarheaven.us
This store is every kid’s dream come true. And, if you are an adult with a sweet tooth, you’ll be pretty happy here, too. Bins with every candy imaginable line the walls – jelly beans, Swedish fish, root beer barrels, Bit-O-Honey, peanut butter cups and chocolate-covered graham crackers, which kids can then scoop into plastic bags to take home. Customers gravitate to the make-your-own pixie sticks, and parents get nostalgic about the selection of old-fashioned fare like Good & Plenty and Razzles. Sugar Heaven even hosts birthday parties where guests leave with a pound of candy apiece as the goody bag. Editor’s tip: Parents with little ones may want to avoid the adult-themed corner of the store, featuring candy g-strings and the like.
Favorite Ice Cream Shop
It’s not just the ice cream that’s cool at J.P. Licks. The whole place gives off a hip vibe, from the modern art hanging on the wall to the staff in black T-shirts to the creative genius behind such flavors as fresh strawberry rhubarb. A perennial Family Favorite, J.P. Licks recently opened at Legacy Place in Dedham with outdoor tables for enjoying your ice cream cones. Other locations include Harvard Square in Cambridge, Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Davis Square in Somerville, Newbury Street and Mission Hill in Boston, Newton Centre and West Roxbury. The flagship store – at 659 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-566-6676 – is where all the ice cream is made. If you’re thirsty, try the freshly brewed coffee or a raspberry lime-rickey. Tastes like summer with every sip.
Favorite Bakery
Mike’s Pastry
300 Hanover St., Boston
617-742-3050
www.mikespastry.com
A family trip to Boston’s historic North End has to include a stop at Mike’s. Two thousand cannoli leave this bakery in the hands of tourists, North End residents and other customers every day. There’s often a line out the door. Started by an Italian immigrant, Mike’s shelves are packed with cannoli, another cream-filled pastry known as the lobster tail, cookies, cakes and more – all made with fresh ingredients. Mike’s, which also houses a coffee shop, prides itself as the only North End bakery that still makes its own cannoli shells by hand. Past customers include former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. If you can’t get here, order your favorite confection on Mike’s web site and they’ll ship it to you.
“Fresh” is also emphasized at Rosie’s Bakery – a Boston institution for more than 30 years. Baker Judy Rosenberg and her staff create cookies, cakes, pastries, brownies and more, using only fresh ingredients. Rosie’s is a frequent Family Favorite for readers across Eastern Massachusetts who are willing to travel to get to her Boom Booms (chocolate brownies swirled with sweet cream cheese) or her gorgeous selection of mini pastries. She even offers a dessert-of-the-month club, with shipping. Order birthday cakes here at least 48 hours in advance. Rosie’s flagship store is at 243 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-491-9488. Other locations at 1796 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-902-2029; 2 South Station, Boston, 617-439-4684; 9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, 617-277-5629; and 55 Central St., Wellesley.
Favorite Family Restaurant
Local Winner
Full Moon
344 Huron Ave., Cambridge
617-354-6699
www.fullmoon.com
Now celebrating 10 years, this family-friendly yet sophisticated bistro is a regular favorite among our readers. The menu offers delicious grown-up fare – dishes like poached salmon with dill citrus mayo – and child-palate-pleasing offerings such as macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers, served with a side of fruit or carrot sticks instead of the typical fries. There’s a designated play area, complete with a train table, and staff who are nonchalant when a baby inevitably tosses some of his meal on the floor. One mother told us she had finally found a place where she could relax and enjoy a good meal with her children. Spend the extra money you’ve saved by not hiring a babysitter and splurge on dessert.
National Chain Winner
Since opening its first restaurant in Somerville in 1981, Bertucci’s has become a New England (and beyond) staple of family-friendly dining. Modeled after the pizzerias and trattorias of Italy, the restaurant is known for its delicious brick-oven pizzas, freshly baked bread and full Italian menu. The waitstaff is quick to deliver hot rolls to the table, a key to easing the impatience of hungry kids. Parents also appreciate the free balls of pizza dough for the young ones to stretch and mold and generally occupy their time until meals arrive. Even the kids’ menu comes with activities to keep them busy. Ask for one of the high booths so you don’t have to worry about bothering the people around you.
Favorite Romantic Night Out
Aquitaine Bistro
500 Legacy Place, Dedham
781-471-5212
www.aquitainededham.com
What could be as romantic as dinner for two at a bistro in Paris? Dinner for two at a Parisian-inspired bistro right here. This year, readers named Aquitaine Bistro, located in the new Legacy Place upscale shopping plaza in Dedham, as their favorite place for an intimate meal. One of six restaurants owned by the Aquitaine Restaurant Group (sister locations include Aquitaine Bar á Vin Bistro and Metropolis in Boston), the Dedham eatery features the group’s trademark ambience, with a mix of bistro-style tables for two, larger round tables, outdoor dining and a friendly bar. Here, parents looking for a romantic escape can linger over fine French wine and gourmet cuisine, from Escargots de Bourgogne to Duck Confit a L’orange. (Don’t worry, there are American beef standbys here, too). And, as if Aquitaine realizes just how romantic it can be, the restaurant offers a Date Night Dinner & Movie Promotion – a prix-fix menu and movie pass to the nearby Showcase Cinema de Luxe at Legacy Place for $29.95 per person. Ooh la la.
Favorite Take-Out Restaurant
Bill’s Pizzeria
753 Beacon St. (Langley Road), Newton Centre
617-964-1116
www.billspizzeria.com
It’s not just the ice cream that’s cool at J.P. Licks. The whole place gives off a hip vibe, from the modern art hanging on the wall to the staff in black T-shirts to the creative genius behind such flavors as fresh strawberry rhubarb. A perennial Family Favorite, J.P. Licks recently opened at Legacy Place in Dedham with outdoor tables for enjoying your ice cream cones. Other locations include Harvard Square in Cambridge, Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Davis Square in Somerville, Newbury Street and Mission Hill in Boston, Newton Centre and West Roxbury. The flagship store – at 659 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-566-6676 – is where all the ice cream is made. If you’re thirsty, try the freshly brewed coffee or a raspberry lime-rickey. Tastes like summer with every sip.
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