Towne, Tico Recognized by Esquire Magazine

Esquire magazine recognized three Boston eateries for the annual list of Best New Restaurants of 2011 in its November issue, on newsstands October 18th.

Towne Stove and Spirits, Tico, and Legal Harborside were all honored. This is the second Esquire “Best New Restaurant” award that the Patrick Lyons and Lydia Shire duo of Towne have won in the past three years, (Scampo in Boston was honored in 2008).

Here's what they had to say about each of the restaurants:

Legal Harborside – The rescue of the Boston waterfront from decrepitude now has an anchor: the three-story Legal Harborside at Liberty Wharf.  The first level is simply a swankier version of the other 31 Legal Sea Foods houses – fish and chips, that kind of thing – but the elegant second floor is something way up the food chain.

– In a big room of mismatched tables and a bar stocked with 124 different tequilas, chef Michael Schlow offers plates meant to be shared, which you will have a tough time doing when the sweet corn with bacon, chiles and basil arrives.

– Two of the most important ingredients in any great restaurant are a passion for the project and attention to detail.  Lifelong Bostonian Lydia Shire, chef at Towne, has plenty of both. Here are a few things she loves about her new place: the grand staircase, the bars (all three of them), the plates, and the lobster popover.