This informal bistro near the Charlestown Navy Yard is so popular that a line often forms shortly after 5pm -- befriending five strangers and making a reservation won't sound farfetched after a daunting wait for a table. If you don't arrive by 5:45pm, expect the charm-free front-desk staff to banish you for at least 2 hours; camp at the bar, if there's room. Once you're seated in the glass-walled dining room, perhaps on a cushy banquette, you'll find the noise level high (thanks partly to the open kitchen), the service uneven, and the ravenous customers festive.

Happily, the food is worth the ordeal. Celebrity chef Todd English, though not a hands-on owner, is a culinary genius -- as he demonstrates at branches around the country. Classics on the regularly changing menu include the delicious Olives tart (olives, caramelized onions, and anchovies), and juicy spit-roasted chicken flavored with herbs and garlic. The seafood specials are always worth investigating -- perhaps crisp-skin black sea bass with cauliflower purée, rock shrimp, and saffron butter. When you order your entree, the server will ask if you want falling chocolate cake for dessert. Say yes.