Local Eateries Score High

Two Harvard Square establishments and nine other Cambridge restaurants made Boston Magazine’s first ever list of “The 50 Best Restaurants” in the Boston area last month.

Square fixtures Rialto, which serves Italian food in the Charles Hotel, and UpStairs on the Square, which features American cuisine on Winthrop Street, both made the cut at 21 and 28, respectively.

Three other Cambridge restaurants—Hungry Mother, Oleana, and Craigie on Main—made the magazine’s top 10.

The magazine arrived at its list of 50 by paring down an original crop of 117 area restaurants reviewed in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Boston Phoenix, the Phantom Gourmet, Yelp, Zagat, and online food discussion community Chowhound.

Restaurant owners expressed gratitude for the recognition, but their reports suggested the ranking’s effects on business were uncertain.

UpStairs on the Square, which earned praise both for its dishes and eclectic décor, saw a rise in business since the ratings were published, co-owner Mary-Catherine Deibel said.

“It’s hard to say what an increase in business is attributable to, but we are delighted to say that we have been very busy this January,” said Deibel.

But a few blocks away at Rialto, the month of the article’s release “definitely” did not see a rise in customers, according to Amanda Kozinn, the restaurant’s PR and marketing manager.

“January is a quiet month traditionally, and we’re seeing the same trend as in past Januaries,” she added.

In addition to printing each restaurant’s overall score along with details about cuisine, location, and entrée price, Boston magazine also included a section of tip-offs to star dishes called “Order This.”

At Inman Square establishment Benatti, which the magazine placed at 30, general manager Anna Encarnacao said that there has been an increase in orders for the porcini risotto highlighted by the article, though she said the dish has always been “very special.”

Deibel said that since Boston Magazine recommended the restaurant’s butterscotch pudding in its pages, UpStairs on the Square has seen a rise in demand for the dish, which she described as “a simple, great dessert made of custard and caramelized brown sugar served with a pecan sandwich cookie.”

Even with a spot on the magazine’s top 50, Rialto is making other efforts to bring in customers in the midst of a difficult economic climate. Kozinn said initiatives such as $1 Oyster Mondays and a $40—rather than the traditional $60—prix fixe meal have been well-received.

But if owners and chefs all expressed gratitude for being included on the list, some of their customers had qualms with the rankings.

“Most of our regulars thought that we should have been ranked higher,” laughed Steve Johnson, chef and owner of Mediterranean restaurant Rendezvous, which was ranked at 35. “But we’re just happy to be on the list.”

The other Cambridge restaurants were Salts (12), T.W. Food (32), Dante (39), and East Coast Grill (45).

—Staff writer Liyun Jin can be reached at ljin@fas.harvard.edu.