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Boston Globe
12-02-2025
- Lifestyle
- Boston Globe
It's a pickleball world. We just eat in it.
Diners peruse the menu at Bosse Enoteca, as pickleball players compete on courts visible through floor-to-ceiling windows. Erin Clark/Globe Staff There is something weird about eating while watching people play Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up What isn't weird, what makes perfect sense, is this indoor adult playground, come to save the ailing American mall. We can go online and order pickleball paddles, pickleball outfits, diamond-crusted pickleball charm necklaces, and Pickleball Santa ornaments from Neiman Marcus Dot Com, the physical store of which previously occupied the Bosse space. But we cannot order places to gather. On a Friday afternoon in the middle of a snowy New England winter, the The Bosse Burger — served with fries and topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and special sauce on a sesame seed bun — is a sports lounge specialty. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Every hospitality trend report from the last few years says the same thing: When people go out to eat, they aren't just looking for a meal, they're looking for an experience. And half the reason to play sports as an adult is socializing over drinks and snacks afterward. It makes sense to bring food and games together. (Also in the Natick Mall, Dave & Buster's, Level99, and Puttshack do the same.) Advertisement Bosse features four culinary concepts from Chris Coombs, chef of well-known area restaurants including Deuxave and Boston Chops, and cofounder of this complex with entrepreneur DJ Bosse. There's Bosse Enoteca, an Italian restaurant featuring pasta, pizza, and more. Bosse Cafe brings French pastries, coffee, smoothies, and bowls. The sports lounge offers 'Dinks & Dunks' (this terminology for 'bar snacks' makes sense if you play pickleball), burgers, and more. And if you'd like to enjoy avocado toast or sliders without interrupting the game, there's courtside service for that. Players Michael and Sandy Staiti, left, share a toast with Bill and Eileen Balicki between games at the Bosse pickleball complex. The "eatertainment" venue offers courtside dining and drinks alongside its 21 pickleball courts in the former Neiman Marcus space in the Natick Mall. Erin Clark/Globe Staff I show up at the Natick Mall mid-morning to hit up the Bosse Cafe. The pastry case is filled with an impressive selection: sweet and savory croissants, kouign amann and cookies, lemon blueberry muffins and Danish pastries embedded with fruit. I order a Lean Green smoothie with kale, spinach, apple, and banana. I'm going to need some nutrients to get me through a day at the mall. I take a seat at one of the tables, occupied by people meeting for coffee and taking shopping breaks. After my smoothie, I wander through the Bosse complex. I resist napping in one of the cushy red netted chairs beside a wall that defines pickledom: [pik-uhl-duhm], noun. 'Where play comes in all forms, not just in a 44x20ft rectangle with a net,' it reads in part. 'Where paddles are held, fists bump, elbows rub and glasses clink. Where scores are kept but no one ever really loses.' That's the gestalt here. I contemplate buying a $25 day pass, even though I brought no one to play with and also don't know how. I could use the gym, and take advantage of the hammam and cold plunge. This would be an excuse to purchase one of the tres adorable towels Bosse sells, embroidered with 'apres pickleball' in green script. Advertisement Bosse Cafe serves an impressive array of French pastries, including sweet and savory croissants and fruit-topped Danish pastries. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Instead I order lunch and attend a Zoom meeting. Work distracts me from the Dream Meal Prep bowl I've ordered: brown rice with shredded chicken, roasted sweet potato, charred broccoli, and a spicy vinaigrette. A little distraction might not be the worst thing, as this bowl isn't Bosse's best event. Both rice and chicken are mysteriously crunchy, although the heat from the vinaigrette is nice. I covet the chicken salad sandwich someone at a nearby table is eating, until she glares at me. Time for a postprandial mall walk. I'm a mall walker now, I guess. Some 18,679,300 steps later, I am deeply bored of teenage drama and retail therapy. I miss fresh air and sunshine, although I imagine the sun has set by now. It's a good thing my friend has arrived to join me for dinner at Bosse Enoteca, the crown jewel of the dining concepts here. Margherita, pepperoni, and white mushroom pizzas at Bosse Enoteca. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Some of the diners are in workout wear and toting bags of pickleball gear. But most are in their civvies. This is a Bosse restaurant for the rest of us, mallgoers and local residents alike. In the hands of executive chef Alex Lishchynsky and team, the menu could be that of any stylish Italian restaurant, free of pickleball innuendo and filled with ingredients like yuzu, Calabrian chile, and n'duja. 'Nestled inside the vibrant Bosse complex, Bosse Enoteca is a celebration of rustic Italian cuisine reimagined with a modern New England flair,' it reads. Advertisement We start with tuna tartare, in a citrusy pool strewn with precisely cut cucumbers, crowned with herb salad and caper aioli. It's fresh and bright. A burrata salad comes with roasted beets and cress, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, seeds, and spices, the earthiness and crunch offsetting the creamy cheese. Pasta is a specialty here, and we order thick, toothsome strands of pappardelle in wild boar ragu, sprinkled with mint and shaved pecorino. Cod with fettuccine, clams, kale, and leek and spinach soubise at Bosse Enoteca. Erin Clark/Globe Staff It's overkill to order pizza, but pizza we must. It's really good, charred on the bottom and edges, the crust striking a balance between chewy and airy. Ours is topped with pepperoni, drizzled in honey, for that sweet-salty contrast. For dessert, baked Alaska is a solid effort, with amaretto cake wrapped around strawberry, vanilla, and pistachio gelati like a giant dessert sushi roll, its meringue exterior prettily ridged and torched. It's so cold from the icebox, though, we can barely taste the gelato. And The Bosse, a tequila cocktail with pineapple and lime Campari, mostly tastes like slightly bitter juice. Pickle world problems! For a restaurant inside a pickleball complex inside the Natick Mall, Bosse Enoteca hits a dink in the kitchen. That's a pickleball pun. If you know, you know, and I definitely do not know. But I'll still be back to try the squash agnolotti or gnocchi with short rib, maybe the cod with fettuccine vongole or a steak, and most definitely the spicy lobster pizza with vodka sauce. Bosse, Natick Mall, 310 Speen St., Natick, 617-609-1800, . Bosse Cafe: 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily Pastries and breakfast items $3-$13, sandwiches and bowls $11-$15, smoothies $10-$11. Bosse Enoteca: lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, dinner Sun-Thu 4-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 4-11 p.m. Appetizers $14-$23, entrees $22-$69, pizza $19-$39, desserts $15, cocktails $15. Bosse Sports Lounge: Sun-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Appetizers $9-$17, pizza $19-$23, entrees $17-$36, desserts $9-$12. Courtside service: 11 a.m.-midnight daily. Appetizers $9-$17, sandwiches $14-$21, pizza $19-$28. Advertisement Patrons socialize at the bar overlooking pickleball courts at the Bosse Sports Lounge in the Natick Mall. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Devra First can be reached at
Boston Globe
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
National Pizza Day is Sunday. Here's where you should celebrate.
The Avenue This no-frills Somerville haunt serves niche Detroit-style pizza: thick, rectangular, browned at the edges, heavy on the red sauce stripes, with a fatty smear of caramelized cheese. Avenue has simple versions (plain, pepperoni) but also next-level pies with short ribs or grilled chicken and ranch sauce. 158 Boston Ave., Somerville, Get Winter Soup Club [Coming Soon] A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up Bosse Enoteca Exceptional pizza at a shiny new pickleball complex? Scoff if you must, but Chris Coombs is in charge of the food here (Boston Chops, Deuxave), and people are already raving about his craterous, charred Neapolitan pies. The taleggio and honey is said to travel well. 310 Speen St., Natick, Pizza at the new Bosse in Natick. Andrew Ryan/Andy Ryan Photography, Inc. Ciao Pizza & Pasta Wood-fired, char-riven, and known to impress even the most hardened of New Yorkers. The Neapolitan-style pies can be ordered in simple margherita form or laden with carbs, as in the husky potato, egg, and bacon version. 59 Williams St., Chelsea, Denly Gardens Old World Pizza Denly Gardens opened in 1933, and the wood-paneled ambience is purely grandma's rec room. The pizza, however, spans geographies: Greek (feta and black olive); Hawaiian (ham and pineapple); Roman (capicola and cherry peppers). Look for the blue awnings. 25 Lake St., Weymouth, Florina Pizzeria and Panoteca My New Yorker pals swear by this grab-n-go Beacon Hill pizzeria, and so do the judges at the Boston Pizza Festival, where it's won top honors twice. The parking situation is bad, but the paper-thin, oily, crackly pizza is just so good. Fold up that pie like a kite and dig in; let the oil dribble down your chin. A slice of roni ($4.75), with expertly crisped cups that cradle the oil like a baby, will put a pep in your step on even the dreariest February day. 16 Derne St., Boston, Advertisement Jinny's Pizza A newer entry on the pizza scene, but no less worthy: Cofounder Dave Punch is behind lovable Newton spots like Buttonwood, Little Big Diner, and Sycamore, where he worked with Jinny pizza master Lydia Reichert (her grandma is Jinny). Despite 1231 Centre St., Newton, Sausage pizza with broccoli rabe at Jinny's Pizzeria in Newton Centre. Lane Turner/Globe Staff Joe's A New York City export in the heart of Harvard Square? People were both intrigued and aghast when Joe's came to town, but any territorial pride has clearly vanished, 3 Brattle St., Cambridge, Advertisement New York-style slices at Joe's in Harvard Square. Erin Clark Joanie's Hardcore pizza connoisseurs venture to the Drum Hill Rotary in Chelmsford for Joanie's, launched by pedigreed pizza-maker Dan Rodriguez (Clio, Craigie on Main, Harvest, Uni). As for the style? It's tough to define. He calls their pizza 'New York'-style, though he uses the term strategically. 'That's a gateway word, to draw people in,' Rodriguez 83 Parkhurst Road #5, Chelmsford, Pepperoni pizza from Joanie's in Chelmsford. Jennifer Beaumont Wilfrid Kelley Square Pub Some people stop at Santarpio's before taking off from Logan. But others prefer the down-to-earth Kelley Square Pub in Eastie, where fans praise the 'cheese intensity' and judicious application of oil. Fans hail the $20 shrimp scampi pizza and the breadth of non-pie options, from steak tips to stuffed quahogs and, yes, crab rangoon. 84 Bennington St., Boston, Leone's A Somerville classic, right down to the Eisenhower-era signage (fitting since it opened in 1954). They specialize in trays of Sicilian pie, bready and square, with a crisp undercarriage and a generous blanket of cheese. Good for feeding a crowd. 292 Broadway, Somerville, Lynwood Cafe Sometimes, simple works. This is a beloved destination for bar pie: crisp, buttery crust; caramelized sauce and cheddar cheese that stretches to the end of a round pan; burnt at the edges. No surprises, just satisfaction. Get a glimpse at the 320 Center St., Randolph, 781-963-3100 Advertisement Louie's Pizza If you've been around for 72 years, you're doing something right: People call early for Louie's Pizza in Woburn; dough is made fresh daily, and when they're out, they're out. Grab a seat at a red-checkered tablecloth and dig in. No unusual toppings; no extras; no-frills — and that's how their longtime fans like it. 118 Main St., Woburn, Pizza Lisa This New Hampshire pizzeria (in a gas station!) is a wildly popular newcomer, with fans using words like 'obsessed' and 'no joke' to describe their experiences. People praise the nicely crisped pepperoni cups; the assortment of bases (from barbecue sauce to ranch); and the gluten-free crust options. Perhaps not a pie for purists, but definitely a place to fuel up happily in every sense of the word. 32 Indian Rock Road, Windham, N.H., Real Italian Gusto Matteo Ronzio and his wife, Francesca, came to Medford from Italy dreaming of opening a restaurant. They made it a reality with Real Italian Gusto, serving light, greaseless, sparsely topped Neapolitan pies (a dab of mozzarella here; crisp pepperoni saucers there). On Wednesdays, buy one pizza and get another free. Oh, and there's also a full menu of Italian dishes: The fluffy, cloud-like arancini is not to be missed. 24 High St., Medford, Super Dough Chef Ian Maschal worked at Bar Mezzana, Eventide Fenway, Menton, and Sportello before finding peace in the world of pie. He specializes in slowly fermented sourdough pizza with seasonal ingredients, from hatch chilies to fennel pollen to local squash, asparagus, and sunchokes. Order early: He only makes 50 pies per day. 150 Needham St., Newton, Advertisement The Salty Pig Charcuterie. Pizza. Charcuterie on pizza. This South End spot trades in meat: Get your pie topped with pig parts and ladled with mustard cream, and pair it with a make-your-own charcuterie board rife with terrines, pork pates, and marmalades. Come hungry, and possibly on Lipitor. 130 Dartmouth St., Boston, A Salty Pig pizza in Back Bay. Essdras M Suarez Woody's Grill & Tap Restaurants come and restaurants go in the Fenway area, but Woody's offers a sense of consistency and routine (one fan likens it to 'Cheers'): burbly, wood-fired pies; staffers who know the regulars; and a gouda and jerk-chicken pie made with Guinness that's just the antidote to a snowy winter's day. 58 Hemenway St., Boston, Kara Baskin can be reached at
