Giacomo's
North End food and charm at its best!
- Scott (scott@artbarboston.com)

Sometimes I forget how delicious real Italian food can be.

I’m no stranger to a spicy meatball or a bountiful antipasto; don’t let the last name fool you, there’s more Italian than Irish blood main-coursing through these veins. Still, because Italian food is so easily replicated at home (who doesn’t have about ten boxes of Prince spaghetti in their pantry, and a jar of Prego sauce crusting up the fridge?) it’s rarely the cuisine we run to mangia when we’re out on the town. To the untrained palate, a good cut of steak - crusted with pepper, drizzled with gorgonzola and cooked to perfection - seems like a rare, exciting treat we would never be able to prepare for ourselves… while a ravioli by any other name still just seems like a ravioli.

For those who underestimate the power of real Italian cooking, Art Bar highly suggests a trip to Giacomo’s in – where else? – the North End. The ingredients are fresh as can be, the portions hearty, the atmosphere casual, and the price point entirely reasonable. But it’s the quality of the food that really surprised my clan on a Saturday night dinner… we couldn’t help but compare the food to any number of far more expensive downtown digs. My mushroom ravioli, a tasty, garlicky dish laden with pesto basil and sundried tomatoes, would have cost twice as much (for half the size, natch) nearly anywhere else in the city. Lobster ravioli that doesn’t break $20? Fried mozzarella that reminds you there is life for this appetizer beyond the “Applebees” menu? Garlic bread with (gasp) real garlic? Thank you, Giacomo’s, for all of the above.

Now, if convenience and a quick bite are your dealmakers when choosing a restaurant, there is at least one downside to this place: Reservations are graciously not accepted. Instead, it’s up to you to queue up with the other hungry diners outside its Hanover street location. The door swings open (and the smell wafts out) at 5pm, but the line is well formed by 4:30. First come, first served, first to leave with a full belly and a happy wallet. Truthfully, it’s probably wise to allot an hour or so for wait time. But it’s worth it, believe it or not. We’ve all waited at least that long for The Cheesecake Factory at some point in our urbanite lives… what excuse do we have for shirking a place like this??

Besides, it’s all part of the atmosphere. My pals and I had a blast having a few drinks as we moseyed down the sidewalk (don’t forget to cover it up with a paper bag!), chatting with our line-buddies and making like real North Enders. Most of us are probably guilty of the famous Boston Reserve: We have nothing to do, very, very fast, we count our carbs, and we only talk to three people at the bar that we already know. Why not slow down, take it easy, and spread some conversation that’s as warm as that marinara?

And, you know, mangia mangia. Cause as my grandmother would say:

“Yah too skinny!”