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If you’re walking northeast from the Boston Common along Tremont Street, you’ll probably spot KO Prime by the cow logo protruding from the brick edifice to your right. Linger outside, underneath that trademark cow, for a few minutes, as I did the evening of my visit, and you’ll see residents and tourists alike slowing their pace and peering at the menu posted outside the establishment. “I hear this place is supposed to be really good,” I heard one passerby say to a group. “This place is for high rollers,” laughed another.

As it turns out, both are correct. Attached to the stylish Nine Zero Hotel, KO Prime, opened three years ago by James Beard award-winning chef Ken Oringer and helmed by executive chef Josh Buehler, is a chic, sexy American steakhouse. The restaurant’s fusion of upscale ingredients and bold takes on classic recipes make for revelatory – and, in many cases, expensive—dishes. But don’t assume that the restaurant is out of your reach, as there are regular early-evening discounts on food and drinks in the bar. So come for the after-work nibbles or come for the blowout entrees. Basically, just come – because this is culinary craftsmanship you don’t want to miss.

“The steaks are amazing, but our other entrees are awesome too,” said Mark Spence, the restaurant’s assistant general manager and sometimes-sommelier. “The chicken is big enough to feed an army. The snapper’s a favorite of mine. And people come just for the short rib macaroni and cheese.”

Now that your dining mind is made up, step off the Freedom Trail (the historic Granary Burying Ground is right across the street), pass underneath that cow and ascend the brushed-stainless steel staircase to enter into KO Prime’s sexy, dimly lit den. Overhead apertures, orange and ovular, cast an ethereal glow. On your right is an ultra-modern white bar backed by frosted glass, surrounded by comfy, stuffed chairs that invite lingering and small plate-sharing. In the divided dining room, the walls and furniture are seductive shades of brown and red, and dark-wood tables and padded banquettes are accented by throw pillows, chairs and other décor with leathery textures and cow prints, reminding you that, even in so classy an establishment, one of your first questions to your waiter probably ought to be, “Where’s the beef?”

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I’m not done writing about the Charles River just yet: As a follow-up on my previous Boston Globe West story on runoff into the Charles in Bellingham, Franklin and Milford, my next story dealt with a group of residents in Medway protesting a development proposed near the river. Of course, they’re also concerned about traffic, privacy and safety, but the developer’s representative says they’re following all the rules.

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Delfino Restaurant, nestled in Roslindale Village, features expertly crafted Italian cuisine and is considered by many the culinary crown jewel of the Parkway. Ruben Diaz, the chef in training alongside longtime head chef JoAnne LeBlanc, says diners might shrug when they see Italian staples like chicken parmesan or pasta with red sauce on the menu, but the high-quality food is prepared with a lot of care, and he swears Delfino’s take on these dishes will probably be the best you’ve ever had.

“Even the tomato sauce is meticulously cooked,” Diaz said. “[Owner Stephen Judge’s] philosophy on our food is it’s got to be made with love, and if he doesn’t love it, it doesn’t leave the kitchen.”

The restaurant thrives on word of mouth and its neighborhood reputation. An open kitchen is tucked into the corner, where you can watch the chefs prepare your dishes and see them occasionally lean over the bar to chat with customers, and upbeat jazz music sets a breezy feel. So settle into your seat, study the menu and prepare to dive into a low-key, memorable feast.

Read my full review of Delfino Restaurant in Roslindale, Mass., on TableCritic.com, and find out why I love exploring the restaurants of the Parkway! You can also click on the photos to the left to enlarge them.

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In my first article for Patch West Roxbury, a new online newspaper covering this neighborhood of Boston, I paid a visit to Al Wadi Lebanese Restaurant, which opened in mid-August on the VFW Parkway. Check out those beautifully plated, hot-off-the-grill lamb and chicken kebabs! I also had a great chat with head chef Walid Massad about my hunt for the perfect falafel. Have you tried Al Wadi? If so, what did you think?

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Ready for my two latest pieces in Boston Globe West? In the past week, the Globe published my look at three towns striving to prevent phosphorous runoff into the Charles River (they’re hoping an EPA services grant will help) and my story about a new, temporary animal shelter in Plainville to house cats and kittens (shelter leaders hope a permanent shelter is three to five years down the road). Enjoy!

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Want to experience a side of Boston dining enjoyed by the area’s top athletes, visiting movie stars, Back Bay 9-to-5ers kicking back after a day at the office and anybody with some money to spend who’s looking for a special night out? Then Abe & Louie’s, on Boylston Street in the Back Bay, is well worth the splurge.

The steakhouse is the centerpiece of the Back Bay Restaurant Group, which also features next-door neighbor Atlantic Fish Company, Bouchee, Papa Razzi and more. In other words, this is a group of restaurateurs you can trust to treat your palate right. Its high-end American cuisine—centered on a top-notch wine list, Midwest-raised cattle and New England-sourced seafood—has garnered numerous awards from publications such as Wine Spectator and Boston Magazine.

But don’t let those accolades intimidate you. “What’s nice is, we’re not pretentious,” says manager William Seldon III. “There’s a great vibe here, from business to casual.”

There’s an outdoor patio for people-watching – and, of course, to be seen. Inside, there’s a lustrous, old-timey feel, with lots of dark wood and oversized, Renoir-esque murals that make diners feel as though they’re the guests of a rich art collector. Service is perfectly in line with the atmosphere. Waiters wear suit jackets and some sport bow ties, and food is pushed around on carts (would you call that “Steaks on a Plane”?). You can easily see why Abe & Louie’s has attracted its share of movie stars who pass through Boston, as well as members of the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots. This is a place for the city’s power brokers, but also for Bostonians who appreciate well-executed cuisine and the chance to hobnob in one of the top restaurants this city has to offer.

Read the full Abe & Louie’s review — including my take on its ooey-gooey lobster mac ‘n’ cheese masterpiece — on TableCritic.com. You can also click on any of the photos to the left to enlarge them.

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Writing for Boston Globe West has been keeping me pretty busy this summer — so busy that I haven’t been updating this space with my Globe articles very well! Three recent pieces:

• Administrators in the three towns I began covering earlier this year — Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham — were none too pleased with the King Philip Regional School District budget, saying it leans too heavily on one-time funds and sets the schools up for bigger cuts the following year. 
• I’ve been following school construction projects in Franklin and Medway closely the past few years. As the beginning of the school year approaches both towns are moving closer to hiring architects and beginning schematic design work.
• If you’ve ever played on the athletic fields in Ashland, a recent report — which finds that the fields are overused and worn down — probably won’t surprise you. But what might catch your attention is the $5 million price tag that could accompany the recommended creation of seven to nine new fields.

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dbar, in Dorchester’s Savin Hill neighborhood, is known by many – and deservedly so—for its late-night happenings and weekly theme nights, including Show Tune Tuesdays and iThursdays, when guests fuel their own dance party via iPod playlists.

But those who might know dbar only for its late-night entertainment are missing out, because the full-service restaurant—American cuisine with French, Asian and Italian emphases — has become a standout of the Dorchester dining scene since it opened five years ago.

Credit dbar owner Brian Piccini and 26-year-old executive chef Chris Coombs, who has achieved some measure of celebrity-chef status thanks to successful stints in various area restaurants and an appearance this spring on the Food Network show “Chopped.” (The pair’s new venture, the French restaurant Deuxave, is slated to open in the Back Bay this fall.)

“I’m always really attracted to what I can grow and serve myself,” said Coombs, who backs up this claim with dbar’s rooftop garden, from which he estimates 60 percent of the produce he serves stems. The tranquil garden offers ruffles of mesclun lettuce, verdant arugula, fresh herbs and even vibrant red nasturtium flowers with edible, peppery petals. You can dine just below this rooftop garden, in a cozy outdoor patio accented by lime and noir chairs and aluminum-brushed tables. The restaurant’s 55-seat dining room, bisected by a black leather banquette that separates diners from the bar, is outfitted in dark wood and an exposed brick wall. It has a swanky feel, yet you never doubt Coombs’ claim that guests dressed any way they like – “even in shorts and flip-flops”—are welcome. The result is a mix of people that truly represents the diversity of the neighborhood.

Read my full dbar review — including my take on the huckleberry-rhubarb martini and graham flour-encrusted calamari — at TableCritic.com. You can also click on the photos at the left to enlarge them.

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When you’re getting started as a freelance travel writer, paid opportunities are scarce, and the process of getting articles accepted and published can be intimidating, often requiring the “right” connections and story pitch after story pitch after story pitch….

That’s one of the things I love about Trazzler, an online destination for concise, evocative travel writing and photography. You write a 65- to 120-word piece on a travel topic, upload a photo if you have one and that’s it — if they like the piece, they’ll publish it as a “Trazzler trip.” If they choose not to publish it, it will still live online, and you can direct family, friends and potential editors to your work — here’s my Trazzler portfolio. They’re also really good about promoting their writers’ pieces through Twitter, which I appreciate.

Yes, this requires doing some unpaid writing to start, but Trazzler also runs monthly writing contests, with prizes that include not only on-location travel writing contracts (I was a runner-up in a contest where the grand prize was a trip to Hawaii! So close!) but also free hotel stays and freelance contracts to write about destinations of your choice. I’ve seen contest winners who’ve only published a single trip on Trazzler, so if you’ve got the chops, they’ll take notice.

Now off to contemplate my entries for the On the Road and Smart Travel contests…. Also, I’m a bit behind on updating my Trazzler pieces on this blog, so I’ll be doing that shortly.

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I couldn’t wait to share this: My Boston Globe story on mobile food trucks in the western suburbs. I focused on Burrito Dave’s in Needham (you can see where it grabbed my attention!) and Lincoln Street Coffee, based out of Newton, and also spoke with the head of GayGrace Teas, who previously operated a mobile tearoom.

The Boston area is becoming more and more amenable to these mobile food trucks — there’s even a food truck festival planned for next weekend. I love the creativity that goes into these enterprises, the way some use Twitter to broadcast their whereabouts (this is especially big in L.A.) and, of course, the excellent and increasingly sophisticated food they serve! What’s your favorite mobile food truck? Are there many in your area?