Maurizio's   

364 Hanover St
Boston, MA 2113
617-367-1123
www.mauriziosboston.com

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

The eclecticism of Maurizio's menu makes perfect sense when you consider the chef's provenance: Maurizio Loddo hails from Sardinia, a Mediterranean island so proximate to France, Africa and Spain that its cuisine serves as a melting pot of ethnic flavors. Though Loddo's emphasis is primarily Italian, the imprint of other cultures can be seen in dishes like rolled stuffed salmon filet (filled with lobster, crab meat and ricotta and topped with a lobster-brandy cream sauce) and grilled marinated sirloin steak (with stuffed cherry peppers, grilled Vidalia onions and homemade fries). In keeping with this ecumenical ethos, the restaurant's decor suffers from its own breed of multiple personality disorder. Those entering at street level might take Maurizio's for a casual modern trattoria, complete with red walls and abstract paintings contributed by local artists. A strikingly different scene awaits at the foot of the spiral stairway, where beamed ceilings, stacked wine bottles and walls of brick, stone and plaster transport diners to a Sardinian grotto of the mind. Though either space is likely to send claustrophobes screaming for the door, some regulars find the close quarters conducive to romance -- with the added benefit of yielding glimpses of specials en route to neighboring tables. -- Julia Clinger