433 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 266-5088
As we walked down Columbus Avenue, I was sure the place my brother told me he had to take me was Giacomo’s, the venerable seafood restaurant with outposts in Boston’s North and South Ends. As we neared and I reached for the door, he laughed, “Nope, not there. Here.” We were standing in front of what looked like a dive bar, which would normally be totally fine with me, but I’d had a long day and the thought of a big, carbo-loaded meal of seafood fra diavlo at Giacomo’s had my mouth watering.
“Don’t worry,” he said, noting what must have been my dismay. “This is even better.”
With the look and feel of a dark, seedy tavern (local games on TVs perched high in the corners; walls covered with random posters, pictures, and scrawlings; low ceilings and lower lighting), Anchovies serves up homey pastas, tasty pizzas and other Italian-American dishes rather than the standard pub fare (though there are buffalo wings on the menu). They don’t take reservations and it’s a small space with limited seating that can get extremely crowded, so go early or late to get a table, or be prepared to wait. Service has been friendly, if a bit rushed, on my visits but I’m told that it can border on gruff.
Starters like the addictive truffle fries and the fried ravioli, stuffed with jalapeno-spiked ricotta, hit the spot but the must-have appetizer is the Italian Nachos – the kind of dish you see on a menu and slap your forehead, thinking, “why have I not made this myself?” Or, at least that was my reaction. They come out as a mound of corn chips, topped with thick, meaty beef Bolognese sauce, ricotta cheese and tangy cherry peppers. They are delicious and decadent, bordering on shameful, and I crave them regularly since tasting them the first time.
All entrees come with a salad, and if you get one, order yours with the pesto dressing; it’s homemade and lick-your-bowl good. The menu is heavy on Italian-American classics done well – chicken or eggplant parmigiana, linguini with clams or mussels (red or white), gnocchi Bolognese and a daily lasagna special are all reliable choices. A house specialty is another head-slappingly good dish: Baked Cheese Polenta, which comes out piping hot and topped with a heap of peppers, onions, Italian sausage, and meatballs plus melted mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Like its brother in the appetizer section (the nachos) it is almost embarrassing in its decadence but also nearly impossible to put your fork down once you dig in. And the good news is that if you can’t finish the pile at the table it tastes fantastic reheated the next day…or eaten cold, straight from the cardboard take-out carton later that night as you watch 24.
Anchovies does pizza and calzones, too, with a laundry list of toppings ranging from ordinary (pepperoni) to slightly more upscale (chicken sage sausage), along with hot subs and panini – the hot roast beef with caramelized onions, provolone cheese, and spicy horseradish mayonnaise is a winner, and their Cubano is classic and satisfying. Their meatballs are legendary and available as a side dish, so if you opt against that baked polenta, order some up for the table.
Like any good dive bar, the drinks are strong and cheap, and the bartenders are friendly and good to locals. The food is a great value, too as portions are generally very large. It’s the kind of place I could see myself frequenting if I lived in Boston’s South End, becoming a local and shaking my head at the suckers waiting in line for a table at the pricier Giacomo’s as I bellied up to the bar next door and ordered up some of those Italian nachos. Lucky for me, though I live several miles down the Northeast Corridor in Philly, I’ve got a brother who lives a stone’s throw away that lets me sleep on his couch when I’m up in Boston. And ever since I ate that baked polenta, I’ve found myself up there more and more frequently. Only now when he wants to take me out to dinner, I know which door to go into as we walk down Columbus Avenue.
by Tara Pierson Hoey
[Photo: Jesse Haley]
