Boston Best Restaurant 2011

BEST BAKERY Sofra, Cambridge It doesn’t sell French breads or chocolate layer cakes, but this Mediterranean-inspired pastry shop from Oleana’s Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick has elevated the Boston sweets scene with orange blossom-scented morning buns and the best falafel wraps in town. 1 Belmont St. 617-661-6131; sofrabakery.com

BEST CHINESE East by Northeast,Cambridge Phillip Tang learned to cook Chinese at his family’s restaurant in Virginia, then tackled French entrees at Lumiere and TW Food. His take on pork-belly buns, shrimp dumplings, and noodles will change the way you think about this ancient cuisine. Entrées: from $9. 1128 Cambridge St. 617-876-0286; exnecambridge.com

BEST RESTAURANT O Ya, Boston “Best meal of my life” is a common refrain uttered by dazzled first-timers. Even if you don’t consider yourself a sushi fiend, let alone an upscale sushi fiend (nigiri prices average in the teens and go as high as $56), a meal at O Ya may well change the way you think about fine dining. Entrées: from $8. 9 East St. 617-654-9900; https://www.loc8nearme.com/massachusetts/boston/o-ya/2375999/

BEST FRENCH ESCAPE Craigie on Main, Cambridge The menu isn’t strictly French–chef/owner Tony Maws is too creative to stick to moules-frites (mussels and french fries) every night–but the food is infused with French flavor, attention to technique, and love of perfect ingredients. Entrées: from $25. 853 Main St. 617-497-5511; craigieonmain.com

BEST ROMANTIC NIGHT OUT Clio, Boston It’s not the cozy elegance of the room, though that doesn’t hurt. It’s the spirit of playful adventure with which Ken Oringer designs his menus, pulling from a palette of sense-stirring ingredients such as opal basil, truffles, and fennel pollen. Entrées: from $34. Eliot Hotel, 370 Commonwealth Ave. 617-536-7200, cliorestaurant.com

BEST VEGETARIAN Ten Tables, Jamaica Plain & Cambridge Don’t be shocked: There’s meat here. Nevertheless, the four-course vegetarian tasting menu is so loaded with farm-fresh produce prepared in the most tantalizing (and satisfying) ways, it’ll have carnivores rethinking their allegiances. Entrées: from $19. 597 Centre St., Jamaica Plain; 617-524-8810. 5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge; 617-576-5444. tentables.net

BEST GROUP DINING Eastern Standard, Boston No one does a better job of managing a large space with a something-for-everyone menu–steak frites to raw bar–while retaining genuine warmth and urban polish. Entrées: from $18. Hotel Commonwealth, 528 Commonwealth Ave. 617-532-9100, easternstandardboston.com

BEST NORTH END RESTAURANT Neptune Oyster, Boston In Boston’s Little Italy, it’s not always easy to find a restaurant with the cooking chops to match its Old World charm. This seafood restaurant aces both prerequisites, luring you in with white-tiled bistro decor, then sealing the deal with an expert cioppino. Entrées: from $24. 63 Salem St. 617-742-3474, nneptuneoyster.com

BEST FOOD SHOPPING Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge Owner Ihsan Gurdal and his family continually travel the world to find the best cheeses, pastas, vinegars, and wines to sell to their picky customers. The original Cambridge venue (there’s also a South End Formaggio in Boston) is one of the few shops in the world with its own cheese cave. 244 Huron Ave. 617-354-4750; formaggiokitchen.com