I was fiending for Italian and we hadn’t yet found a good spot in Boston. After reading several reviews, we decided to try Grotto. BEST. DECISION. EVER.

We descended the stairs and walked in, and I was hit by a wall of amazing, delectable scents wafting through the air. If Grotto were in my neighborhood, I would be here each and every night. No, I am not exaggerating. We were seated and opened the menu, and they had Montepulciano by the glass…I was completely smitten. They have an absolutely amazing prix-fixe menu, so we each decided upon our dinners and sat back to enjoy the ambiance.

The Montepulciano was divine and mellow, and went beautifully with the meal. The first course arrived: fontina cheese fondue accompanied by beef tenderloin, aged balsamic, truffle oil, and portobello mushrooms. I dove into absolute cheese bliss and had to convince myself not to lick the fondue bowl at the end.

The second course was chicken parmesan with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and cheese manicotti. It was quite delicious, but not knock-your-socks-off like the fondue. I ended up taking half of it back to our hotel and we enjoyed it for breakfast the next morning.

Dessert was banana bread pudding with caramel ice cream and walnuts. The bread pudding itself was a bit too dense for me (a little reminiscent of a hockey puck, but it had a good flavor) but the caramel ice cream was on par with the fondue….delectable, amazing, and worth savoring. I can’t wait to get back to Boston to return to Grotto!