Simply Wonderful: Restaurant dante, Cambridge

If you are looking for flawless Italian food and a winning wine list  along with a stunning Boston city and water  view , head to Restaurant dante located in Cambridge’s Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. Restaurant dante is a stylish modern space overlooking the Charles River. Here, youngish chef/owner Dante DeMagistris truly is a master – turning out interesting seasonal homemade pastas and adventurous entrees.

Italophiles will especially relish having so many pasta choices- the ravioli with robiola cheese ($14/$26) is served with a deep -flavored oxtail ragu . The tagliarini ($12/$21) - a thin spaghetti with crab, sea urchin and cured lemon is both briny and complex. Nuanced entrees include a skewered lamb loin rubbed with a cocoa nibs  on a turnip puree ($28), a divine veal scaloppini with walnut apple butter ($24) and a sea bream ($24) which is given a  bold puttanesca treatment with capers, olives and tomatoes.

The waitstaff is sincere and well-versed with Chef Dante’s menu.  Ask for advice with wine pairings- the wine list features some fabulous choices- picked for taste and not necessarily label. Many are well-priced; in the $10-$15 a glass range. And be sure to save room for dessert.  Ordering panna cotta ($9) in an Italian restaurant is always an excellent choice-  and at Restaurant dante,  the vanilla panna cotta served with wine-soaked pears is a stand-out.

dante, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd.,(inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel) Cambridge, 617-497-4200 (Map)

Image Credit: Dante, used with permission