Italian Restaurant La Padrona Makes a Jaw-Dropping Debut in Boston | Eater Boston
"Grab a drink at the ground-floor bar, then wind your way up a grand staircase into a glamorous main dining room — a moody, dark-wood affair that unfolds around a sparkling centerpiece bar. Conceived by A Street Hospitality partners Jody Adams, Eric Papachristos, and Jon Mendez inside the luxury Raffles Boston hotel, the restaurant was imagined as a jaw-dropping dining destination and, by the account here, it delivers; as Adams puts it, “Boston doesn’t have a restaurant that looks like this,” and it feels impeccably designed without being stuffy. Culinary director Adams collaborated with executive chef Amarilys Colon on a menu that’s a whirlwind trip around Italy, showcasing regional specialties from Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Tuscany, and more — highlights include a tuna crudo served with thick Greek yogurt seasoned with Meyer lemons, new potatoes, and a chili sauce made with Cruschi peppers from Basilicata, and paccheri and clams featuring Barnstable little gem clams and paccheri made with toasted semolina flour and vegetable ashes as a nod to Puglia’s burnt-grain traditions. Desserts by Kimberly Beatrix range from toasted brioche gelato sandwiches to a rich, creamy chocolate cake on a crunchy almond feuilletine base, and the menu even nods to Boston nostalgia with the famous cheese-and-fennel breadsticks from Adams’ former Rialto, which she calls “the best friggin breadsticks ever.” Born out of a pandemic-era pitch and built with intentionality, La Padrona aims to celebrate the experience of dressing up and dining out; it is located at 38 Trinity Place inside Raffles in Boston’s Back Bay, with the main dining room and downstairs bar operating on specified evening hours and reservations available." - Erika Adams
