Giacomo's South End
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Overall Rating: The Sickest (92 out of 100)
431 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02116-5958
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Phone: 617-536-5723
In a city where it is sometimes difficult to enjoy great food at reasonable prices, Giacomo's is a sick exception. Great food, great prices... and a welcoming environment where you see familiar faces year after year. Giacomo's is The Sickest. Let's take a look at how Giacomo's stacks up.
Our Giacomo's History
We've been to Giacomo's many times and we've tried almost everything on the menu. This review is based on a recent visit on a Friday at 7:30pm.
Appetizers
Choose from seven appetizers and five salads. On this evening, we shared a large Caesar salad for two, prepared in a traditional style, which is phenomenal. The appetizers include calamari, mussels, and garlic bread, which is highly recommended. Other than the Caesar, you can choose from house, caprese (tomato, mozzarella, basil), baby spinach, and antipasto. The antipasto is nothing special, but you can't go wrong with the other selections. The apps range in price from $3 to $10. The salads range from $3 to $13.
Rating: 9
Main Dishes
You've got house seafood specialties, pastas, and entrees. The seafood specialties come with linguine and your choice of pesto, fra diavolo, red, scampi, or Giacomo's sauce. Giacomo's sauce is a lobster-based red with a touch of bechamel; it is rich, but fantastic. The pastas and entrees are offered with a variety of seafood and meats. We have not met a main dish or sauce that we haven't liked. And the nightly specials always offer a tasty treat.
Tonight, we went with one of the specials - fuscilli with a nice portion of lobster and shrimp, with scampi sauce. We also tried out the veal piccata, served with artichoke hearts and lemon caper. Not surprisingly, we give high marks to both entrees. Giacomo's portions are generous but not overwhelming.
Rating: 9.2
Drinks
Wine snobs beware, but Giacomo's is great if you want a nice unpretentious bottle of wine with dinner. The house white is $14. It's hard to beat that in Boston. There's no hard booze, just wine and beer. But modest, reasonably-priced wine is just right for this bustling haven for classic Italian fare.
Rating: 9
Service
Giacomo's is a neighborhood restaurant where you see the same friendly faces visit after visit. The staff is enthusiastic about the food and making sure that you are well on your way to having a sick evening. We sat immediately upon arriving for our 7:30pm reservation.
Rating: 9.3
Ambiance
It's loud. It's busy. It's crowded. But it's homey. When you dine at Giacomo's, you feel as though you're dining with friends. It's everything you could ask for from a neighborhood Italian restaurant.
Rating: 9.4
Et Cetera
Trivia: There is also a Giacomo's in the North End, famous for its long lines. Giacomo's South End is more spacious than the North End version; there is a small bar area and a semi-private nook for larger parties.
Reservations: Giacomo's does not accept reservations in the North End, but they do accept reservations in the South End. Don't plan to go to Giacomo's in the South End without a reservation.
Cash Only: Don't leave home without some cash or a check book, because credit cards are not accepted. If we had to ding Giacomo's for any matter, it would have to be the cash-only policy... but obviously, business is good enough that they have no reason to pay the juice.
Parking: There is valet parking and street parking. The price for valet is $10. Street parking can be difficult to find.
Dress: You can dress casually at Giacomo's.
Labels: Giacomos, Italian, South-End, The-Sickest
