Anyone who thinks Boston doesn't have cuisine to match New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, has not met Tony Maws. At his restaurant, Craigie on Main, the chef goes all-out with a menu of bold, fatty, rich, sensuous dishes that are simultaneously elegant and refined (with the exception of his burger, which is a breathtaking tower of juicy beef paired with a mountain of shoestring fries). Last weekend, my friends and I grabbed a table in the bar (cocktails are excellent as well) and settled in for a feast, starting with a plate of Maws's rightly famous charcuterie: rustic terrine, unctuous foie gras, and velvety duck rilletes. Next: pillowy tempura cod cheeks, charred octopus with hearts of palm and lemon, and mussels swimming in a buttery shallot sauce. There was a heartstopping farro risotto topped with a poached egg and surprisingly light blood sausage and of course there was bone marrow - accompanied by nothing more than dainty sprinkling of chives and and toasted brioche. And, just when we thought we were done, we decided a burger was a necessary palate cleanser - our waiter didn't bat an eye when we asked him to hold off on our desserts and to put in a burger order instead. The profoundly beefy patty - a mix of extra fatty meat and beef cheek, among other things - was one of the best I've ever had. We finished things off with much-needed espresso, dense pain perdu, and a deconstructed peanut butter parfait. I'm already planning my next visit - I only with I could make it for this month's sure-to-be-epic Cochon 555, where Maws will take on area chefs to see who is the ultimate pig master.
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