La Morra

Located right on Route 9 near Brookline Village, this cozy restaurant serves Northern Italian specialties with aplomb. Most tables start with some orders of cicchetti (little plates of pickled vegetables, Tuscan meatballs, and arancini), before moving on to homemade pastas (also available gluten-free and in half portions) and hearty entrees such as wood-grilled Cornish hen under a brick or pan-roasted striped bass. The restaurant’s nightly four-course prezzo fisso menu is one of the best deals in town ($40, plus $20 for wine pairings). Neighborhood residents often stop in for some antipasti and a glass of wine.