Metrowest Boston Dining Guide

Recommended for: Couples, Large Parties, Private Functions, Lakeside Dining, Bar Scene

Food: Excellent

Service: Excellent

Cleanliness: Good

Wine List: Excellent

Beers on Tap: Just OK

Prices: Appetizers $9, Salads $5 - $7, Entrees $15 - $24

Awards: 2007 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Alicante is a Lakeside, upscale casual restaurant that serves contemporary Spanish, Mediterranean/Iberian cuisine.

The first thing you notice when driving to the restaurant are the cars lined up and down the street, then it’s the full lot. Luckily, there’s complimentary valet parking available. Upon entering the restaurant, the smells of garlic, lemon and fresh rosemary wash over you as if to let you know you’re in for something special. The atmosphere is inviting with vaulted ceilings in the dining room containing properly spaced tables with white cloths and brilliant blue glassware.

The menu consists of a wide range of Mediterranean and Spanish items that one might describe as “comfort food”. Stuffed artichokes, bacon wrapped scallops, mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat and the calamari are all worth a try for appetizers. At my last visit, a special consisting of a veal chop stuffed with Maine lobster made my night. Portions are usually large enough to take a second day’s meal home with you.

The servers in the dining room are what you would expect at a fine dining establishment, very professional and informed.

Alicante also has a bar scene, although it is a different experience than in the dining room. There is a small area of cocktail tables and a horseshoe bar. Trying to find a seat at the bar is as hard as parking legally in Boston but eventually someone pays their bill while a small crowd builds up behind them jumping at their stools like an adult game of musical chairs. They pump music into the area at a level that makes it hard to talk but most people don’t seem to mind, not even the healthy percentage of pre and post retirees that claim one end of the bar.

Although Alicante is a bit of a drive from any major highway, if you’re in the mood for a satisfying meal with an ethnic flair, this restaurant is worth a try. Dining al fresco by the lake will be available this summer.