Hot! New Restaurants New York may steal the limelight, but Boston’s dining scene is quickly emerging as a hot culinary destination. Phantom tips his purple hat to the 8 hottest new restaurants.

Sibling Rivalry (The Greatest: Dueling Menu)
525 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 338-5338
www.siblingrivalryboston.com

The brothers behind Sibling Rivalry have taken the family feud to a tasty new level. Bob and David Kinkead, both with impressive restaurant resumes, go head-to-head to offer 2 separate menus from the same exhibition kitchen. You can’t help but play favorites as they each take a different spin on the same ingredients. The modern menu twists and turns through dishes like ginger fried squid, port infused duck, and braised beef short ribs. The new Calderwood Theater is just next door, but the dueling duo is enough entertainment on its own.

Picco (The Greatest: Pizza Shoppe)
513 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 927-0066
www.piccorestaurant.com

Innovation on the restaurant scene is invigorating, but Picco (Pizza & Ice Cream COmpany) keeps it real with the two most essential food groups: pizza and ice cream. In true South End style, the perfect pies are finessed with top notch toppings like bacon, onion, sour cream, and gruyere. Salads and sandwiches take similar upscale strides, and cool sundaes sink into classic parfait dishes with extra-tall spoons and just-whipped cream. The retro fantasy décor comes together with cherry colored chairs, an old school soda fountain, and trailing votives.

Middlesex Lounge (The Greatest: Lounge Dining)
315 Mass. Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-MSEX
www.middlesexlounge.com

Middlesex Lounge is a hot little boite of trendy food, urban energy, and an eclectic crowd that changes with the DJ du jour. The sleek, boxy room is neatly bound by wood panels and a wall of frosted windows. Come with all your comrades; they’ll wheel around the sunken tables and slate colored suede seats to accommodate. Pressed sandwiches surface at lunch, and evening nibbles spin into kobe beef burgers and ten tiny tacos. Don’t wait until the line out the door subsides, M’sex Lounge is happening now!

Sorriso (The Greatest: Bar Scene)
107 South St.
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 259-1560
www.sorrisoboston.com

With an effervescent bar scene, Sorriso is an after-work magnet for the Downtown crowd. It rallies a similar energy as its sister French restaurant, Les Zygomates, but this time the theme is distinctly Italian. The killer wine list looks to boutique vineyards from the Boot, and the trattoria tradition includes brick oven pizzas cooked in the dining room. It’s the arresting atmosphere that really reels you in, from the masterpiece murals tattooed on brick walls, to the slate bar and burlap curtains.

Neptune Oyster (The Greatest: Raw Bar)
63 Salem St.
Boston, MA 02113
(617) 742-3474
www.neptuneoyster.com

Shucking it’s way to the top, Neptune Oyster is the freshest raw bar to open up. The darling clam shack sized room has all the luster of a South Pacific pearl. Three dozen seats hug the marble tables and long bar, trimmed in mirrors and a textured tin ceiling. A spread of iced scallops, oysters, and clams awaits the slip of the blade, with plenty of wines to match. Giving a nod to the neighborhood, the kitchen kicks out Italian seafood like mussels fra diavlo and shellfish stew with saffron rice.

Gibbet Hill Grill (The Greatest: Rustic Escape)
61 Lowell Rd.
Groton, MA 01450
(978) 448-2900
www.gibbethillgrill.com

Nestled into a sleepy 300-acre farm, Gibbet Hill Grill is a rustic escape of fine dining where guests can roam the surrounding trails and apple orchard. Two levels of updated tradition fill the red painted barns, with stunning views of the rolling hills. Indoors, a stone fireplace warms the black oak and steel setting. The country backdrop goes hand in hand with New England comfort food like chicken potpie, meatloaf, and black angus steak. For an exclusive experience, there’s private dining in the annexed silo and wedding receptions in the adjacent barn.

China Sky (The Greatest: Fine Chinese)
11 Forest St.
Wellesley, MA 02481
(781) 431-2388
www.chinaskyrestaurant.com

Who said you have to go urban for decent Chinese? China Sky takes exceptional noodles to the edge…the suburbs, that is. Challenging the standards of its cultural counterparts, this upscale outpost is a pricier, more elegant destination place where reservations are the norm. Smoky blue walls are marked in sizzling red, Japanese dishes diversify the menu, and the private tea room is worth an appointment. Phantom’s dinner favorites include steamed pork dumplings and the most plump and crispy General Tso’s chicken.

(The Greatest: Upscale Italian)

Taking its name from the forested heart of Italy, Umbria is a 5-floor building with 3 parts night club stacked on 2 parts restaurant. It’s a Financial District ticket to the rustic pastas and expert butchery that sustain the region’s recipes. Pork dishes are especially esteemed, with the prized Berkshire breed working its well-marbled succulence into red pepper-onion sauces and fatty sausages served with sage gnocchi. The open kitchen is a copper pot theater of spit roasting meats, while exposed brick and wood beams soften the decor.