W C.
Yelp
Belated review for our annual tradition of getting dinner in the North End the Sunday after Thanksgiving before flying home, and Arya quickly climbed the rankings to be the best meal we've had there so far.
It's upstairs, small and intimate, and we got seated by a window overlooking the street. It was admittedly chilly there, but a great spot, and certainly cozy. The staff was very accommodating for our daughter and our server was patient, friendly, and professional. We started with some cocktails, the arugula salad, and their famous meatballs. The salad was bright and fresh, with a perfect hit of acid before we started digging into meat and carbs. No muss, no fuss. The meatballs were also delicious, but we did not have some out-of-body eyes-rolling-into-our-skulls meatball experience?: no, just solid, delicious, homemade meatballs with a simple and wonderful sauce that could be sopped up with the bread that they provide each table.
For mains, the three of us shared the Osso Bucco and Bolognese da Abruzzo. The former dish was wonderful, though--it pains us to admit--not as good as the Osso Bucco at Bricco, which is truly divine. But the meat was tender and the sauce was plate-lickable; the polenta wasn't doing much for the dish and seemed more like an afterthought. The bolognese was hands down the BEST pasta dish we've ever had in the North End, possibly one of the best we've ever had in this country. Your teeth could really sink into the most wonderful al dente pasta and the ragout was out of this world. We were so full but could not stop eating it. SO GOOD.
For dessert, we got the nutella cheesecake, and (not complaining), it was 100% chocolate on top and not nutella. No matter--it was still scrumptious. So, overall, great service, great food, and prices that don't insult you and simply reflect what the cost of an excellent meal should be. We were practically floating out of the restaurant we were so happy. Usually we like to try a new place every year, but who knows, maybe we'll be back again next year. 4.5 stars rounding down.