East Coast Grill

grits good enough for
the best britches among us
(no banana jokes)

KO Catering and Pies

aye, a sunny eye
to wake up the sleepiest
koala i know

The Haven

if only all of
us were privy to a warm
shell of seasoned meat

Where to Eat in 2010: 50 Great Restaurants for 50 Occasions via Boston Magazine

Boston Magazine recently announced its 50 restaurant picks of the year.

A bit of a misnomer: There are 51 restaurants in the list. (Perhaps a bakers' definition?) But I'm not complaining; even limiting my personal favorites of the year to 51 is a challenge.

I've put them in alphabetical order and provided the corresponding links to their respective pages on urbanspoon for your hungry, analytic pleasure. There you can be my friend, upload your snapshots, compile an eating wishlist and generally OD on restaurant wisdom.

What do you think of the list? Anyone missing? Anyone overblown? I noticed one category oddly missing: cafes, bakeries and general chillax-ish restaurants. The list contains inexpensive and casual picks, from sports bars to late-night dives to all-out brunch, so it's not a price thing. The plot (and my latte) thickens.

Asana
The Heights: When the occasion calls for excess

The Beehive
Great for: Girls' night out

Bistro du Midi
Great for: Mom and Dad's Big night out

Clink
Daily Dish: Friday

Clio
Old Faithfuls: The Fine-Dining Fail-Safe

Coda
Great for: A belly-busting bar-gain

Coppa
Great for: Dinner with New York food snobs

Craigie on Main
The Heights: When the occasion calls for excess

East Coast Grill
Old Faithfuls: The Good-Time Go-To

Eastern Standard
Hot Seats

Erbaluce
Great for: A hush-hush birthday

Evoo
Daily Dish: Thursday

Franklin Cafe
Great for: A first date

The Friendly Toast
Great for: Breakfast after a big night

Gargoyles on the Square
Old Faithfuls: The Mixed-Drink Mecca

Grill 23
Hot Seats

Hungry Mother
Great for: A third date

Il Casale
Daily Dish: Saturday

Legal Sea Foods
Great for: Dinner with your celiac sister-in-law

The Lansdowne
Great for: Burgers and beer on game day

L'Espalier
The Heights: When the occasion calls for excess

Market by Jean-Georges
Great for: A blowout birthday

Mistral
Daily Dish: Monday

Mooo
Daily Dish: Monday

Neptune Oyster
Great for: A second date

No. 9 Park
Hot Seats

North 26
Great for: Dinner with tourists

O Ya
The Heights: When the occasion calls for excess

Oleana
Old Faithfuls: The Exotic Oasis

Post 390
Great for: Afterwork drinks that turn into dinner

Publick House
Great for: Boys' night out

Radius
The Heights: When the occasion calls for excess

Redbones
Old Faithfuls: The Family-Dining Fave

Rialto
Hot Seats

Salts
Old Faithfuls: The Cozy Standby

Scampo
Great for: Cheating on your diet

Sel de la Terre
Great for: Snacks after a shopping spree

Sensing
Great for: Maxing out your expense account

Sorellina
Daily Dish: Monday

Sportello
Great for: A solo outing

T. W. Food
Daily Dish: Tuesday

Tavolo
Daily Dish: Wednesday

Temple Bar
Great for: Dinner with your vegetarian cousin

Ten Tables Cambridge
Great for: Popping the question

Teranga
Great for: A secret rendezvous

Toro
Great for: A group outing

Trina's Starlite Lounge
Great for: Drinking and dining

Tupelo
Daily Dish: Sunday

Upstairs on the Square
Hot Seats

Vee Vee
Great for: Sticking to your diet.

Woodward
Great for: A breakup

Bistro 5

ye, ugly ducklings --
take comfort that your flesh is
prized, sliced, juicy, ripe

Boston Globe Dishing Blog

welcome, dear reader;
repasts (slicked with fondness, fat)
mine, to remember.

Great Lost Bear

feeling skeptical
as the northern version of
spicy is, well, not

Local 188

we share many things
(train rides, stained mugs, pickles, dreams)
but brunch is sacred

Bistro du Midi

ribbons of pleasure,
woven through the tiara
of ev'ry princess

Gourmet Dumpling House

cravings are a queer
thing; to think! saucy putrid
tofu floats your boat

Coffee By Design

which trembles louder?
locally roasted beans or
a sleepy-eyed love?

Otto Pizza

oily ambrosia,
a besotted slice for three;
we took the long way

Duck Fat

the things that move us;
holy trinity of spud,
fowl grease and fungus

Novare Res

the universe casts
unanswerable questions
like, "mustaches? here?"

Beals Ice Cream

freshly churned dairy
casting a glow not unlike
stolen barn kisses

The Gallows

i refuse to live
in a world where the answer
to poutine is no

All Star Sandwich Bar

kimchi, immodest,
lavished upon this mouth-beast,
while koreans weep*

Danish Pastry House

fresh off the crumby
blade; sparks of ginger
a stealth stowaway

Bintliff's American Cafe

lust, feasting upon
the morning after; pink flesh
goads, succumbs, endures

Paseo

pork-stained fingertips,
tracing the slathered urban
plight, hot off the press

Cicchetti

wield your modesty
in more than arugula,
than porkfat, than brine

M Bar and Lounge

sleeping tidily
in lacquered berths, char and silk,
what fine orphanage

Kelly's Diner

if only we all
were soaked in cinnamon and
butter and mercy

Jo Jo Taipei

no less a comfort
than a mother putting on
your other mitten

Pastelaria Broadway

nose, jaw, sunk deeply,
losing myself in your fried
wiles, dear coxinha

Frank's Steak House

i am sixty-five;
townies do not give a damn
with each beefy chew

Street Treats

dessert first, she said,
pressing two snickerdoodles
deeper into cream