Cambridge, Massachusetts - Giulia

I've been keeping this a secret for awhile, basically because its impossible to get a reservation, and quite frankly, I get angry when anything (like other people) comes between me and my food! Giulia has now become a "must-dine" every time I go home to Boston. Considering my family lives in the North End, the holy land of Italian restaurants in Boston, it is saying a lot that instead of walking out our back door we get in the car and drive all the way to Cambridge for our pasta fix.

Giulia is named after the historic street in Rome, Via Giulia, and the kitchen is helmed by Michael Pagliarini, who used to be the head chef at Boston's Via Matta.

A special thank you to my former Italian professor at Boston University, Barbara Lloyd, for introducing me to this neighborhood gem.

I order the same thing every time I go: the homemade papardelle pasta with wild boar and trumpet mushrooms ...

... with some Cannonau from Sella & Mosca:

... followed by the pistachio gelato with marinated cherries and pizzelle:

**If you can't manage to get a reservation, you can always skip lunch and head to Giulia right when it opens at 5:30pm as the 15 or so seats at the bar are first come first served. I've also noticed that the turnover time for these seats seems to be around 7pm, so give that a shot.