Best of Boston

2013 Best New Restaurant

Asta

It takes guts to open a restaurant offering only three prix-fixe menus to diners—in a space with stenciled glitter bunnies on the bathroom doors, no less. But in the nine months since opening Asta’s doors, owners Alex Crabb (who mans the open kitchen) and his effusive girlfriend, Shish Parsigian, who runs the dining room, have made this quirky Back Bay spot into a destination for those seeking avant-garde, inventive cuisine—seaweed pasta topped with a mussel foam, for instance—and an expertly curated wine list.

47 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-585-9575, astaboston.com