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Categories: Latin American, Italian [Edit]
Neighborhood: North EndHaymarket (Orange)
Aquarium (Blue)
Government Center (Blue, Green)
"The food here is absolutely succulent and delicious. I went during restaurant week and was able to sample an appetizer, entree, and dessert…" read more »
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This was my second visit to Taranta. Both times I started with the caprese salad and had the mushroom papardelle as my entree. The salad was fresh and delicious. I happily ate up the balsamic/olive oil mixture with the delicious focaccia that was on the table. My husband and our friend ordered the mussels and said the sauce was so delicious, it could have stood on is own as a soup.
The papardelle is fantastic. The pasta is freshly made and the mushrooms are fantastic. They are all sorts of exotic varieties that I cannot identify, but I know are delicious.
The meal is definitely pricey. It's twenty-something dollars an entree and Giaccomo's is half of that for the same quality food. But the ambiance here is better for a romantic night out, or for large groups. Plus, they take reservations on Open Table. No waiting outside on a cold or rainy night. You can't put a price on that.
SKIP AT ALL COSTS!
I lived right next door to this restaurant, and was always excited to try it. Sadly, the experience ranked as my least favorite dining experience ever.
The waiter that had our table was inappropriate with his first comment to our table. The following is a sample of things that he told our group, all of without provocation:
1. Asked my sister if she was familiar with the prophylactic, "dental dams."
2. Asked one member how much his shirt cost him to purchase.
3. Asked one member if he would be going home with her that evening.
4. When trying to upsell a bottle of wine, told one of us that we were making a mistake when we declined to change to the more expensive bottle.
This isn't Dick's Resort, this is a $30 plate restaurant. No class.
Also, our table's order was somehow forgotten in the kitchen and it was approximately an hour and forty-five minutes from the point in which it was ordered until it was delivered to our table. In any restaurant, this is unacceptable.
Up until roughly five minutes before our dinners arrived, not one member of Taranta came to explain why our food had not been served. The server deflected the blame to the kitchen. He did not apologize. We asked the owner/chef what happened, and he too deflected blame. The owner said he was aware of the problem but was personally too busy to do anything about it. The order had been dropped on the floor and instead of telling us, they refired the order, and made us wait around. Ridiculous.
After all of that our server had the audacity to expect a 20% tip from us. I will ALWAYS tip 20%++. Even w/ mediocre service. I waited tables for 10 years. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting away with his behavoir. This was just appalling. From the owner/chef to the staff. With 100+ restaurants in the N.E. you can easily find better food and better service elsewhere.
There are so many wonderful places in the North End, and this place just is not one of them.
We experienced a twenty minute wait for our 9 o'clock reservation for two. A couple who arrived after us, without a reservation, was seated at the same time as we were. No place to wait for our table except the small entry in front of the hostess station, which was very awkward. When were finally seated, we were given a nice table in the window, but our server was very rushed and rude. They have a very limited drink menu. It's mainly consists of wine by the bottle. There are some nondescript table wines by the glass (not good). Since there were only two of us, and we typically have different preferences, we were not about to split a bottle for $50. They couldn't even make a Vodka Martini. They were out of Prosecco splits, and 1) didn't open a bottle (as many establishments will), or 2) apologize for being unable to fulfill either of our drink requests. As soon as our server had informed us that neither drink was available, he abruptly turned around and left us to make a different selection. My fiance got a mediocre Merlot and I an equally mediocre glass of Pinot Grigio. The menu described no dish that I wanted. The server did not lend himself to explain any of the dishes, he was in too much of a rush. We got an appetizer which sounded nice on the menu (Causa de Cangrejo), it was described as having crab, potato, avocado in an aioli sauce. I assumed it would be hot, like a crab cake or something. It was cold, also contained diced hard-boiled eggs and red onion. With the aioli, it tasted a lot like a mix of egg and potato salad with crab meat. Not good. Sizing up the menu at $30 per entree, we made the determination that this place had nothing to offer us, so we politely told the server that we were only going to have wine and the appetizer. We got our bread basket (finally), paid our check and left. Taranta was a $40 mistake. We ended up at Bacco at 10 o'clock and had a marvelous dinner, but that's another Yelp!
We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here... Outstanding! Easily the best food we've had in Boston yet. Try the mussels, trust me, they're incredible. It's a little pricey, but for the quality of the food this place is phenomenal.
On a good night, the waitstaff is attentive and very responsive. I've heard that they can be a tad dismissive, but have yet to experience that (baesd on the two times I've been).
My date chose this place for us and I was rather happy with the inside of this restaurant. Quaint, comfortable and rather romantic. The food was good, not really anything special, but I'll say that it was good. The waiter was very polite and helpful. He explained the specials for the day and suggested wines to go with our meal.
We were seated downstairs, away from everyone, so I liked that it was nice and quiet. Upstairs, however, sounded like a zoo. If you're dressed up like you're on a date, I noticed, you'd be placed in a more "romantic" and quiet area. Which I thought was nice of them.
The waiter wasn't lying when he told us the "Costoleta di maiale con canna di zucchero e rocoto" was the best selling, tastiest dish! I'm not too much of a pork fan, but this was a moist and flavorful piece of meat that was nicely paired wiith mashed yucca, corn and onions. My friend ordered the salmon, which was also moist and flavorful.
The limoncello flute was a refreshing ending! I loved the fusion of Italian and Peruvian cuisine; it's unique and yet so perfect!
This meal was perfect. Absolutely amazing food, one of the best meals i think i've ever had and thankfully it was my Birthday and i was sharing it with the one i love.
We had reservations and the immediately sat us upstairs on the 2nd level, next to a huge table of perhaps 20 college aged people. Slightly loud and annoying at first, but being from NYC i guess we made late reservations because the 2nd level was cleared out by the time we left, which was nice. We had a bottle of prosecco which was excellent, almost as good as the bottle of Sofia we finished in the hotel room before the meal.
The appetizer i ordered was one of the best i've ever had. It was a scallop dish with some kinda of large yellow corn, shallots and panchetta with a drizzle of what i think was balsamic. Just perfection for me. It was very rich and tasty, might have been to much for a full entree, but perfect for an appetizer. Perfectly cooked, just awesome.
For the main course i had Rainbow Trout with large Peruvian beans, potatoes, and kale or another green. Perfectly cooked deboned fish (thu i did have a few bones in on bite), presented very well, perfectly flavored. Huge portion, and again just a perfect dish.
My table also ordered the spinash and gorganzola ravioli with mushrooms and panchetta, another fantastic dish. Slightly under al dente but we dont mind that. Lots of flavor, decent sized portion.
Knowing it was my Bday they gave me a complimentary Gorgonzola cheesecake. Totally different, very good, thu i think i prefer the usual Italian style cheesecake.
Excellent food, service, location, and expensive but fair prices, highly recomended!
The food was great, service decent, and value fair. The pork chop was my favorite, and the pasta was also very good.. I would definitely go back.
Excellent food and suberb service. The"Cancha Crusted Talapia" was one of the best dishes I have tasted. I can still imagine the flavor. I crave more. The "Tumba Chola" was delish! The only drawback to Taranta is the price. For 1 drink and 2 meals (no dessert) with tip was about $80 bucks. Pretty steep. If they drop the prices we will be back without a doubt! The service was above and beyond. The server we had was and is the best waitress we have ever encountered.
To an Italian, "fusion" is nice... for lesser cuisines. When I heard about Peruvian-style Italian restaurant - in the holy ground of the North End, no less - I must say I at first wondered where I'd left my torch and pitchfork.
But as The Great One, Mario Batali, once reflected, "There is no such thing as Italian food." Italy is defined by it's regional cuisine, and the concepts which unite those cuisines - respect for local flavors, artisan specialties, freshness, simplicity, natural presentation, etc. - could be applied to the output of any food loving region.
So what the heck. We trucked in from the suburbs, ready to broaden our minds.
The results were mixed. Rather than a pan-Italian preparation of Peruvian ingredients, Taranta brings Peruvian/Latin flavors into Italian classics. Sometimes this works... as in the case of the mussels other Yelpers have praised, which are rich with pancetta and a highly dunkable broth. Sometimes it's a triumph, the best example in our meal being handmade fusilli prepared with smoky and sweet flavors in a parchment pouch. Delicious, and original.
Other times, as in the Fred Flintstone pork chop with which we closed our meal, the result is less inspiring. Said double-chop was certainly a magnificent piece of meat, carefully prepared, but it left me intrigued more than satisfied.
In the end this is a great restaurant, and certainly worth a try. But your response to it might say more about you than the experiment it represents.
As for this old school deago, next time we're going to Prezza.
I don't know if it was Restaurant Week or if the food is generally this mediocre. I went last year with a few friends, and we were all excited. Fusion Italian - Peruvian. Man, this has got to be some amazing food. Two great cuisines. Unfortunately, it was quite lackluster, and I'm not the only one who thought so.
I ordered the steak, which was just a steak. For a few dollars more, I could have gotten something far superior at a steakhouse nearby. There wasn't any amazing flavor to it. In fact, it was on the bland side. And the steak was just average in general. The salad was just that - a salad. Again, nothing outstanding. And the dessert - well that was kind of good, but again, nothing spectacular.
If t his place were cheaper, I'd probably give it three stars but for what it was, it's no more than a two star place. Value is value. The decor is nice enough, typical North End. It's a cute date place if you care more about atmosphere than quality of food.
Best salmon I've had in years, hands down. The flavors exploded in my mouth, but didn't overpower the perfectly cooked fish. Hard to pull that off, but I have to say, it was phenomenal.
That alone is enough for the 5 stars, but in addition, the atmosphere, the service, and everything the salmon was sitting on top of was all wonderful. One of the most satisfying meals I've had in a long time, and one of my new favorites of the North End. Worth the price for a splurge, and definitely a great spot for a reasonably fancy dinner.
I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and he was definitely pleased with the experience. Upon my suggestion to try one of their famous dishes, he ordered the pork chop. (Thanks Yelpers for the recommendation.) WOWWWWWW! I mean, how often do you order pork chops at a restaurant? Even then, how often is it the main highlight of the meal? During certain points of the meal, the boy was even silent as he devoured the ginormous hunk of meat. I wondered if he even remembered I was still sitting across from him! I think he said it best when he said the dish was like eating "meat candy." Very rarely do I take him up on his offers to try multiple bites of his dishes. But this time, I kept giving him a puppy dog stare hoping he would offer me more of his pork chop. There was certainly enough to go around!
As for my meal, I had the sweet potato ravioli with duck confit, which was one of the daily specials. The ravioli were good, but the sauce was too salty for my taste. I would love to go back and try the mushroom pasta dish that people have been raving about, as well as the mussels.
We had a 6pm reservation on a Friday night and were the only people there for most of the time. Not sure if that impacted our service experience, but our server was really friendly as well as other people we encountered. Everybody smiled and it was great to have so much attention on us. In fact, when I called the restaurant to tell them we were running late, we were told not to worry and just get there when we could. In addition, I had requested seats on the second floor by the windows when I made the reservation, (again thanks to Yelpers' experiences), and the restaurant obliged without me even reminding them. The exposed brick and modern lighting fixtures added to the appeal of this place.
We didn't have room for dessert, but the dessert menu looked enticing. Now we have a good reason to go back!
Definitely a great place to take a date. Antipasto plate is delicious. I had gnocchi with lamb, and it was delicious as well. Good, friendly service too."Interesting" is the word for this place, as it easily lives up to the expectations of an Italian restaurant without losing its own unique style.
I feel like I'm missing something here. Maybe going just for RW isn't doing the restaurant justice? I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but not enough to give it more than three stars.
From the RW menu, I got the mussels (amazing broth, with caramelized shallots and thick diced pancetta), the orechiette with broccoli rabe, sausage and grape tomatoes, and tiramisu that was clearly frozen (possibly hours before being delivered to half of our table). I did like the guava cannoli, which my work-BFF was kind enough to share with me.
So.. meh. I can't say anything super-positive about this place, but there has to be something more here based on all the rave reviews previous to me.
As soon as the snow banks are gone, I need to hit the North End. Thanks to yelp, we tried Taranta. The Peruvian/Italian fusion concept hooked me in. I've gotta give it 5 stars - there's not a bad thing to say.
The mussel sauce was good enough to eat solo with a spoon, ditto the lamb ragu gnocci. The salmon was one of the best dishes I've had in a loooong time. It was a huge piece, perfectly cooked to medium with macadamia crust, on a crispy rice cake with an exotic fruit sauce - that I cannot recall as we were just pounding down bottles of some excellent red wine. I digress.... It could have been heavy, but there was a light hand with the butter - I love that. The tuna entree was well liked, as was the chicken. Apple and chocolate desserts were great too.
Also notable, the room and the service. The downside of the N End is that you're so often cramped and on top of other diners. Not so here. I also wanted to steal Maris, our server, really I did. He was incredibly personable and amusing - so knowledgeable about the wine, swearing it was a truth serum. Turns out it WAS. After 1/2 a bottle. Wow.
We closed the place, but were never made to feel rushed out - in fact, the staff changed into street clothing, had friends come in to hang out and sent over Limoncello.
Had a very nice dinner here on a Thursday night - it was bustling, but we, a party of three, didn't have any trouble being seated right away.
The food was delicious and unusual -on the antipasti plate the little red hot bonnet peppers stuff with blue cheese, heated and drizzled with olive oil were amazingly tasty. That whole appetizer was excellent, with a large mound of fresh mozzarella chunks among other tasty treats - but I could have eaten a whole plate of those little blue cheese peppers.
I had the gnocchi di yuca - it was like a big bowl of really good comfort food, with chunks of tender lamb and a gravy-like sauce - it made me very happy. So did large quantities of red wine - their entire wine selection is from Italy and south america - and ALL either organically or biodynamically grown.
We had to ask for a bread basket - the bread was blah, though the olive oil for dipping was fantastic. They forgot my dessert, but I just bummed off my friends and didn't really care. Otherwise, the service was excellent.
I would love to give this 5 stars, and I would be very happy to go back again and give it that chance - lots of great sounding stuff on the menu that I definitely need to try.
This is the second time I have gone to Taranta, both times with relatively large groups. The first time I went, we had 12 people, last night, we had 6.
The service and staff at Taranta were always helpful, attentive and provided a wonderful experience overall. The decor is a little bit funky, without being in your face. It has a romantic, cozy vibe, which makes for a wonderful, intimate dinner with friends.
The first time we ate there, I ordered the chicken. This is something I rarely do at a restaurant, but I'm of the opinion that if they can't do chicken right, something is wrong. My chicken was very good, but it was a bit under seasoned and a tad overcooked. Not enough to complain, just make me wonder. Everyone else had wonderfully tasty dishes and my disappointment put me in the minority. Our appetizers that night were phenomenal.
Last night, I ate the gnocchi. While I believe that my dish was exceptionally flavorful and made me feel like I was eating beef stew, it had a gritty quality to the sauce which I couldn't account for based on the ingredients. Honestly, it felt like my sauce was mixed with some of the silt left over from cleaning mussels. I found it a bit off-putting, despite having an exceptionally flavorful and delicious dish. Again, I was in the minority as far as being disappointed with my meal. Our appetizers were delicious, the shrimp was perfectly cooked and the antipasto was wonderful.
Overall, I recommend Taranta, but neither of them were my favorite meal.
Coool Place! I had an interview with the owner and chef a few nights ago over Lamb Gnocchi and Pan Roasted Mussels
Check out the interview here (too long to post)! http://www.financefood...
Bottom line, great food, cozy ambiance, and awesome staff!
You've done it again, Taranta! Another one knocked out of the park. My friend and I ventured to North End last night so I could introduce him to Taranta and both of us were very impressed.
To start off, we both ordered cocktails (which was a first for me at Taranta). The Cholopolitan (I can't recal exactly what was in it but know it tasted like passion fruit) was outstanding.
We shared the mussels appetizer which was phenominal...Some of the best mussels we've ever had. They were prepared with balsamic soaked onions, wine, garlic and some other bursts of flavor that I couldn't identify. They were cooked perfectly (it is very difficult to get mussels to the exact perfect texture).
As an entree, I got my usual...The gnocchi made with yucca root in a spicy lamb ragu topped with slices of fresh parmesean cheese. The glass of malbec I ordered to accompany it was perfect...It brought out the spice in the food and the food brought out the spice in the wine. Good, no, GREAT stuff.
My friend ordered the pork chop. It was HUGE. Seriously, I didn't even know that pork chops that big existed. It was cooked perfectly (not sure how they do that with such a big piece of meat but it sure takes skills!) and was in this sweet and spicy brown sauce. Accompanying it was large kernal corn, some sort of yucca patty and the tastiest sauteed greens.
For dessert, we went for the warm apple tartlett. I never get dessert here but I sure was glad we did! It came with this cinnamon creme on top and the plate had caramel on it. So delicious! I was kinda bummed I couldn't eat more than one more bite.
The service was great and it wasn't too crowded when we went (although we didn't show up until about 9:15pm and their kitchen closes at 9:45pm). This place is normally crowded and cramped but what restaurant in North End isn't? That's supposed to be part of the charm. I also enjoy the ambiance here quite a bit (upstairs better than downstairs) and really like that there's a neat mix between the Italian and Peruvian flair of the place (music, drinks, staff, etc.).
Taranta is still reigning king (or queen) of North End restaurants for me. Can't wait to go back!
Oh Taranta...I love you. You were my first in the world of North End restaurants years back and… Read more »
We went here for Restaurant Week and got a great sampling of Taranta's fusion of Italian and Peruvian cuisines. We were happily surprised with the quality of culinary combinations we received.
I had the PEI Mussels for an appetizer which were served in an entree-sized portion -- awesome! For secondi I had a great lamb shank that fell right off the bone like it should. The Peruvian twist to this one was an interesting bed of "quinoa risotto" and Peruvian potatoes. While both of my dishes were served in generous portions, my date's appetizer and entree (the Peruvian causa and orecchiette with aji amarillo sausage) were significantly less generous. Desserts were good, but not particularly memorable.
One downside to Taranta was that even though we had a late reservation (9pm on a Sunday), we were the only ones there for the entire second half of our meal. When we left, we saw the restaurant right across the street from Taranta was completely packed.
Taranta gets a few extra bonus points for being a certified green restaurant.
I'm gonna have to jump on the Taranta-for-the-Win bandwagon and give it some praises...
I wore a summer dress and Brendan (my man) was in slacks and a shirt. We already had fancy drinks in fancy martini glasses at a fancy bar across the street at Bricco, so we were giddy. I'm not telling you this because I like to gloat about how good we looked (we looked good). But my point is that this was our fucking night. And when it's our night--you know those nights when it's just about you and what you fucking want and you want it good--we don't like to be disappointed. And Taranta made our night.
Went for Restaurant Week this past Friday and were seated promptly (first floor, next to the stairs). Our waiter was over in a flash giving us water and bread w/ olive oil. He was quick, efficient and not in our faces . He was also delightful (the 5th star is for service). To start things off, we split the egg cocktail. Our waiter was awesome and actually split the drink between two flutes which is just like...extra attention to detail that makes good things great. He also dropped some "poison" on top from an eye dropper, which again, it's the littlest twists that make for awesomeness. I read about egg drinks a while back but was kinda grossed out. Do not be afraid of the egg, friends. The drink was the bomb--creamy, sweet and frothy.
Everyone here has talked about the mussels, so I'll just say they were damn good and I don't even really like mussels. The steak was expertly cooked and seasoned. The fried yucca was a nice departure from typical fries. The macadamia crusted salmon was delicious with the nuts adding texture (it's all about texture, people).
But for the orgasmic finish, the limoncello flute turned me into Meg Ryan for a hot minute. Eyes rolled back and closed, for real, with that first bite. Brendan kicked his hazelnut mousse to the curb like a filthy cheating wench after he tried my limoncello. And, we, my friends will probably go back one day...
Taranta is like a 5 star mother. It put up with seven 22 year olds acting like 5 year olds who are never let outside their play pen as only a mother could. And then this darling Italian mother with a Peruvian touch doled out seven equally yums meals.
I had the crab and lobster ravioli - pasta was perfect, shrimp done well, and sauce not too heavy. Pillaging other plates, I sampled the pappardelle with mushrooms (also delish with tons of truffle oil), salmon (perfectly flaky), and cheese ravioli (creamy, but didnt make you feel preggers after eating).
The ambiance was great - love the exposed brick !
Classy Italian Peruvian restaurant.
I tried the Pan roasted mussels, and they were incredibly good, but I did NOT expect such a large portion. They give you a big bowl enough to feed 4-6 people for an appetizer, and we ordered it with 2.
The spareribs were AMAZING. Fall-off-the-bone, extremely tender meat, flavored to near perfection. Try this dish!
Very quiet, romantic atmosphere with excellent service. Candlelit tables.
What's all the commotion about?
Let's make a checklist:
-Are you a prude?
-Do you have LOTS of money to spend?
-Do you talk obnoxiously loud?
-Is sipping on sauvignon blanc in a dark room with fake candles appeasing to you?
If you've answered YES to all of the above question, CONGRATULATIONS!! You've just found your favorite restaurant.
My date took me to this restaurant early this year and it was nearly abandoned on a Sunday night. The room (yes, seating area is the size of my Kenmore bedroom) was well-lit and quiet with the occasionally clanks of pots and pans colliding, and the server was our chef himself. We ordered two entrees, savored every bite of our meal, and left happily toward Modern Pastry...hand in hand.
But I went last night again with a friend for my birthday dinner, and realized that Friday nights are not nearly as laid-back as Sunday nights. The room was pitch-black, and I could hardly distinguish the table from our hostess. The sourdough bread was hard and cold, as if they had made it days ago, and definitely was not edible even though my stomach was growling at this point.
..It gets better! I ordered a baby spinach salad with guava vinaigrette with gried goat cheese and toaste pecans (it was the special for the night) and my friend ordered the Coccio di pesce e legumi (seafood and chickpeas in thick tomato sauce), and it tasted great. Although my "guava vinaigrette" ended up being just pure butter, I still ate a few bites and pushed my plate away.
Now our entrees... boy oh boy, was I ready! I ordered the Petto di pollo (roasted chicken) and my friend ordered the Ravioli ripieni d'aragosta, and they both proved to be good. His ravioli was a bit tough, but my chicken was as tender as could be.
But as a surprise, my friend asked them to bring out what they called a "cake," which was nothing more that half-a-fist-sized hot brownie (probably bought for $3 at Mike's Pastry), added 2 raspberries to it, and powdered on confectioner's sugar with a candle on top... and charged us for it!! And it wasn't even good!!!!
To make matters worse, they made us pay for the meal before the cake came out, so my friend left a BIG tip (obviously thinking that this cake would be big and free), but later got another bill with the cake's price on it.
Wow. What scumbags.
It was honestly the worst way to spend $110.
DON'T recommend this place on a Friday or Saturday night.
It's not nearly as hyped up to be.
I ate here last night. We had a super early reservation (5:30pm, on purpose) and when we sat down the radio was blasting WFNX, commercials and all. There was no one else in the restaurant, so we figured they blasted this when no customers were around. They did not change the music until another party arrived and sat down.
Bevs: We ordered a bottle of Chilean Cabernet. Very good. Our waitress refilled our glasses before we were even half way down, which was slightly annoying because I wondered if she was trying to get us to finish the bottle so she could grab us another one (bigger bill means bigger tip)
Appetizers: the 3 of us shared a trio of mini calzones and an antipasto platter for one. The calzones were pretty darn cute and perfect for sharing with three. We cut each one into thirds and sampled. One tasted very fishy. I love fish, but this one was too fishy even for me. I loved the idea of the three different styles to share, but they were a bit dry and a bowl of dipping sauce would have been perfect! One had filet mignon in it, and it was delish. The homemade mozzarella in the antipasto was delish, and overall I felt the platter for one was sized to share. Very good, classic antipasto.
Entree: Hmm.. so, my sister and I were fed by an Italian grandmother for our entire childhood, and when we red the desciprtion for Pasta Pomodoro 'just like your Nonna made' we were stoked. The sauce was a huge let down. Too 'herby' and not enough garlic. It was watery on the top layer of pasta, and underneath the first two layers were some chunks of watery (almost burny tasting) tomato loaded with green herbs. WTF? This is NOT a Nonna's sauce.
My mother ordered the stuffed chicken. It was fine. Nothing mind blowing by any means. Overall, I was disappointed. The menu looks great, and despite my bad entree choice, I will come back and try something. I may avoid pasta and stick with a meat or fish dish.
The waitress brought us a complimentary plate of bite-sized almond cookies drizzled with caramel and powdered sugar. I bit it and closed my eyes. It tasted like I had just chewed heaven. Like, heaven crawled into my mouth and I ate some of it. Literally, mouth watering. Far and away one of the most memorable desserts I have ever had.
One dines at Taranta not for the experience of the being practically shoehorned into the cramped seating at the tables but instead for the food, whose flavors are so intensely explosive that you'll want to hide the borderline naughty faces you'll make behind your napkin.
Taranta had been on my list FOREVER, and last friday I finally got to go. I am never really big on dining in the North End (unless of course it is for some Galleria Umberto arancini)....but with all of the hype over this Peruvian/Southern Italian exhibition, I had to get there. There was also the very intriguing fact that they were green certified...in this day and age- it IS a selling point...BUT BACK TO THE FOOD.
We skipped the appetizers (though there were many that looked amazing) and went straight for it. I had the Pappardelle con funghi porcini and my friend had the TO DIE FOR...Filet en costra de Cafe Espresso. I liked my pasta, but really should have gone with one of the main plates. I felt jealous as our neighboring tables' dishes went by.
Our server was very sweet and knew the menu inside and out. The decor and ambience I give a 9. It was a little cramped where we were- but I suppose that is what happens in the North End...but overall- gorgeous and tasteful.
I went here a little while back, and I've been talking about it ever since. We had come here on a night when there was not a table available anywhere, and on a fluke we stopped in and were seated immediately. The food was great from appetizers, to dessert. I can't remember exactly what we got, but I distinctly remember a molten chocolate cake that was out of this world. Service was great, and the atmosphere was intimate and romantic, they even had live music. I had a wonderful experience here, and will be returning very soon!
An amazing date place. My "special visitor" and I went to Taranta on a Saturday evening for a relaxing and delicious dinner. He's Peruvian - and the only slight disappointment is that this place is way more Italian then Peruvian. However, our meals were amazing. The fresh salad was delicious - crisp and light with an amazing dressing. For the entree, I ordered the special - a mushroom/ricotta ravioli with sundried tomoatoes and a white wine reduction sauce. Can you say taste explosion? The mushrooms had the most robust flavor and the ricotta just melted in your mouth - and the white wine flavor really smoothed over the palette. It was a wonderful foodie experience and I highly recommend eating here.
An added bonus is the fact that the chef is visible in the dining area, walking around from table to table and chatting with diners in a casual and yet intimate way. It makes you feel like you're a regular, and knowing who's in the kitchen makes a big difference while dining out.
Taranta is a great, tiny, Italian bistro but the food really puts it over the wonderful edge. A must for the North End.
GET THE PORK CHOP!! I mean it! It melts in your mouth! The food was excellent, the only thing holding me back from giving this place 5 stars was the seating (we were right by the door and practically got knocked over by everyone coming in/out). Their cocktail list is creative, but the lack of full bar was somewhat of a disappointment, although the wine list was fairly decent. The food totally makes up in whatever else this place lacks...definately one of the best restaurants in the North End.
Went here last Friday and was disappointed. For the price they charge you the food is not worth it, the portions aren't large and the flavors are just mediocre. The ambiance is all wrong with the music they place and the tight cramped seating. After eating here I went home sick to my stomach, as did the other people that were in my party. There are much better places you could go to for cheaper in the North End. I will not be returning here
The place was too crowded and the chairs that they picked out for the restaurant were terrible, they killed my back. The appetizers were ok but nothing out of the ordinary. The entrees were too small a portion and not that great. Me and my boyfriend felt sick the rest of the night because if those entrées and we ate completely different things. Also, we saw other plates at our table that weren't fully cooked and the waiter got half our orders wrong even though we repeated ourselves many times about what we wanted and what we didn't want. Besides all this, they should tone it down with the music. Merengue isn't Peruvian or Italian so I see no reason to be switching the music from genre to genre for every song.
Went here for RW and had a great experience! Yelpers have raved about the Pan Roasted Mussels and the Macadamia encrusted salmon so that's what my boyfriend ordered and enjoyed very much. I'm not into shellfish so I can't really give it an unbiased opinion even though I tried it.
As for myself, I went a bit traditional when I got the housemade Mozzarella and Tomato with balsamic vinegar. It was sweet, tasty, and had a nice texture. For the entree I got the skirt steak with chimichurri and yucca. If you haven't had Yucca before, it's a root vegetable kind of like a potato but tastier. So, let's just say I had yucca fries and don't want to go back to its tasteless cousin (potato fries) no matter how you dress it up by calling it pommes frites. The chimichurri was also delicious and wish I had more!
Thankfully we had reservations and got a table upstairs. The downstairs was noisy, dark, and what I consider a bit too close to the kitchen (depending on where they seat you). We had excellent service and even better quality food with good sized portions.
Our meal ended with hazelnut mousse cake and limoncello sorbet in a champagne flute. YUM! I was so full from the rest of the meal that I couldn't finish my dessert!? WHAT?! That's crazy talk, luckily the person I was with scarfed it down heartily and I didn't feel too guilty.
If it wasn't for RW, I wouldn't have tried this place out due to it's priceyness! I looked at the regular menu and the tomato with mozzarella is $10, while the mussels are $14. The Salmon was $27! So good thing we got a RW deal, but for a special occasion I would definitely consider going back to Taranta.
I almost didn't want to write this review because we were there last week for August 2008 Restaurant Week, and I wondered if that adversely affected the quality of the food. It's not that it was bad, it's just that I was expecting more. Although the three stars are definitely earned by the best things we ate at the meal: the mussels appetizer with a broth so delicious that they should bottle and sell it, and the limoncello sorbet and hazelnut mousse desserts. Both extremely outstanding - the sorbet was citrusy and creamy, the hazelnut mouse was light and surprisingly complex, with different layers and textures - some crunchy, some creamy.
The atmosphere and decor in the restaurant were beautiful except for the fact that we were on the second floor and it was freakin' HOT. Not even a hint of a breeze. They really need some ceiling fans up there or SOMEthing. It actually detracted from my enjoyment of the meal and my glass of white wine warmed up way faster than it should have (and I don't let wine just sit in the glass).
My appetizer was octopus and cuttlefish with chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce. I could tell the octopus was cooked well - it was tender and not at all rubbery - but something about the dish just didn't come together very well, and the overall flavor of the sauce just seemed to be too salty. I was disappointed because it sounded delicious. My entree was the macadamia encrusted salmon on a risotto cake - just OK. Again, the salmon was cooked well, but the cake seemed dry and over-baked, and none of the flavors really popped out.
Not terrible but not great - there are too many other restaurants in the North End for me to want to come back to this one again.
I have to say, I think my expectations were too high for this restaurant. I didn't come away with the experience I was hoping for. After all my research of North End restaurants I did and "finally" deciding on this one, I really wanted it to be memorable and the best choice I could have made.
We had reservations at 8 pm & were seated immediately when we arrived. The entire restaurant was full and there were people waiting for seats. We started with the antipasti for two. It wasn't bad, but not what I expected either. The stuffed peppers were hot but we liked them. Our waiter did warn us about them. Our waiter never brought our bread and olive oil til our platter was nearly finished. It would have been nice to get them at the same time in this case with the antipasti. Service would continue like this, forgotten glass of wine delivery, no water refills, but he did apologize nicely each time he forgot something and I could see he was running around like crazy so I didn't hold it against him.
For entrees my son had the lobster/crab ravioli and I had the gnocchi with lamb. I was completely underwhelmed with my entree, it just didn't have any appealing characteristics at all. I just did not like this dish at all. I tried one of my sons ravioli and it was pretty good.
We passed on dessert as we wanted to go to Modern for cannolis. I think the best part of the night was watching all the romantic couples enjoying their time together! I could see a lot of hand holding and intimate conversations going on.
I am getting better at not setting my expectations so high, but I was sure this was going to be one to remember...and it wasn't.
Wonderful service, and a nice atmosphere. The heat is weak though so it can be cold if you sit near the window in the winter, or near the door.
Get the MUSSEL APPETIZER! It's big and the sauce it good enough that you'll want extra bread to soak it up.
Lamb shank and salmon dinner were really good.
And it was the best of the 3 restaurant week restaurants I went to.
That pork is still the tightest thing Gary has ever had.
We were on a North End hiatus, but made our way to Taranta on one of the first nights that felt like… Read more »
I've been to a few Peruvian places and never really loved the cuisine. But somehow when you mix Peruvian with other cuisines, you get deliciousness. Other notable examples: Matsuhisa (Peruvian-Japanese) and Flor de Mayo (Peruvian-Chinese).
BTW the garage they validate at is very close and cheap.
Amazing restaurant! My boyfriend took me to this North End gem for my birthday. The place itself was cozy with a romantic ambiance.
Food: I ordered the handmade pasta with mushrooms, porcini, and white truffle oil. It was fantastic, especially since I'm a big fan of mushrooms. The bf ordered the petto di pollo, a chicken breast stuffed with fontina and spinach. It came with the best crispy polenta I have ever tasted! He really enjoyed his dish as well. We complemented our meals with a white wine from Argentina. It had just the right amount of sweetness and tartness.
Customer Service: Definitely one of the best I have experienced in a while. Upon finding out it's my birthday, the waiter gave us complimentary lemoncello flutes. As we were leaving the restaurant, it started pouring rain. Looking out the window, we didn't see any cabs so we asked the waiter if he could call one to that address. He ended up going out in the rain himself to try to hail us a cab, and after 5 minutes when he still didn't have any luck, another waiter came out to help him. They both were looking up and down the street in the rain looking for a cab. They went above and beyond what we expected! I definitely want to come back here soon, since it's such a fantastic place with delicious food.
Wednesday Night is Spaghetti…
Boston, MA
Introducing
Somerville, MA
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
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