Ward 8

Ward 8 Restaurant Review:

Not too far from TD Garden, on the outskirts of the North End, is this neighborhood restaurant with exposed brick walls, silver seats, wood tables and floor-to-ceiling windows. A sleek marble bar turns out spiced-up cocktails like a Bee Sting made with Milagro, honey, lemon and jalapeños and fruity concoctions such as the Pineapple Express served with a slice of grilled pineapple. The menu gets a little adventurous with starters of fried cheesesteak dumplings paired with a spicy tomato aïoli and beer-steamed PEI mussels made with a coconut curry broth. Main courses include juicy steak frites topped with blue cheese butter and ginger-miso salmon accompanied by organic quinoa pilaf. We can’t get enough of the kitchen’s untraditional take on the common dish of mac ‘n’ cheese, here made with Vermont smoked ham and garlic spinach. There’s a late-night menu available until 1 a.m. touting bacon cashew caramel corn, lettuce cups filled with pork, and maple chili duck wings.