Editors’ Choice
Short & Main
Gloucester
Short & Main’s wood-fired oven is such an integral–and expensive—part of the owners’ vision that they used a crowd-funding campaign when they opened to pay for the imported Italian cooker. The owners source as much as they can locally, having cooked in the kitchens of local food godmother Alice Waters before opening up back east. Add a locally sourced salad and a bottle of wine from their unique list, which includes several orange wines, for a complete meal.
36 Main St., Gloucester, 978-281-0044, shortandmain.com
Readers’ Choice
Fresca Pizza and Pasta
Marblehead
Chef Marcos Santana worked in some of the top kitchens on the North Shore, including L’Andana and Strega Prime Italian Steakhouse before opening his wood-fired pizzeria. Enjoy classics and chef inventions like a pie topped with homemade Bolognese sauce, pepperoni, serrano peppers, and mozzarella.
50 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, 781-990-1968, frescapizzaandpasta.com