Why Fox and the Knife is the hot new Place in Boston

Fox and the Knife, located in South Boston, debuted early in February 2019. The whole restaurant is managed by an all-female team led by the chef, Karen Akunowicz. Karen is one of the most highly rated chefs in Boston. On her highlights, you can see that she was the head chef for 7 years at Myers + Chang. Karen was also an alum of Oleana, one of my favorite restaurants in Cambridge. But what makes Fox and the Knife so special?

The menu at Fox and the Knife

One of the key factors on which you can tell how good a restaurant is, is by checking how long their menu is. Correct me if I am wrong but every time I have gone to a restaurant with a ‘book’ as a menu, I have always been disappointed. Fox and the Knife’s menu is just a single page. The menu is divided into 5 courses (Aperitivo, Pane, Antipasti, Primi, Secondi). The desserts change every night so the server will be able to tell you what desserts they have that night.

Limited choices always bring better quality food. Put it this way. Let’s say we have 2 restaurants, A and B. A only has 5 dishes listed on their menu but B has 30. For A it is much easier to maintain good quality food because their ingredients are always moving, and the chefs are cooking pretty much the same thing over and over.

The menu is a little pricey. When I was there, I paid around $100 per person ($200 in total), including all the food below, 2 desserts and 2 glasses of wine. I do think though, that for the quality you get, the menu is perfectly priced. It is very hard to get such great quality food in a South Boston restaurant nowadays. You should at least consider going to this restaurant, once in 2020.

The food

Fox and the Knife is an Italian-inspired restaurant, representing a welcoming pasta aperitivo bar and an incredible selection of wine. When I was there, I ordered (ranked favorite to least favorite):

1. Focaccia
2. Mafaldine ai Funghi
3. Bietola & Burrata
4. Orecchiette Cime di Rape
5. Gnocco Fritto Mortadella
6. Harissa Braised Agnello

The Focaccia is TO DIE FOR. I know that every time I go there, I will have to order it. This opinion might be biased, because I love bread so much. Or you can view it as, I have eaten so much bread in my life that I would be the perfect judge of it. Karen’s focaccia is filled with Taleggio cheese and topped with crushed rosemary.

Mafaldine ai Funghi was also one of my favorite dishes there. I used to be a huge fan of tagliatelle but I think my new favorite pasta is mafaldine. At Fox and the Knife, they have their own mafaldine-making machine. All their pasta is fresh and made on the spot. The wild mushrooms give the pasta an incredible taste and flavor.

Please go and find someone that didn’t like Bietola & Burrata. This dish is soooo refreshing. I loved the crunchy touch that fried scallions gave to the salad.

Desserts

The desserts change every night. During the night we were there, we ordered the chocolate olive oil cake and the passion fruit pannacotta. The chocolate olive oil cake is so light, fluffy and delicious, I was about to order a second one.

The atmosphere

As Karen has said before, Fox and the Knife is not the biggest or fanciest restaurant. They didn’t have a big budget to open, so most of the work was done by her team, which ended up being a labor of love. I think people nowadays do not care how fancy a restaurant is, as long as it makes them feel cozy and welcome. And this is exactly what Fox and the Knife is. It’s one of the restaurants that gave me the warmest welcome. Another thing to mention is that, during those hours I was there, I completely forgot I was in Boston. The vibe of the restaurant is just different from any other place, different in a good way.

The service

I feel so bad that I don’t remember the name of our server. I can only say, it was one of the best services I have received recently. Our server was so well-informed and kind. She was capable of answering all the questions we asked, including her expertise in wine. Since I am so ignorant when it comes to Italian wine, she was able to recommend a glass that is the closest to a Cabernet.

In conclusion

Fox and the Knife should definitely be on your list of the next restaurants to try in Boston. Modern cuisine, delicious food, amazing atmosphere, incredible service, what else do you need? One thing that needs to be mentioned is that, if you are going on a weekend, you must make a reservation. It is very hard to get a table, unless you have a reservation. If you forgot to make a reservation, make sure to call the restaurant and ask to see what the wait is.

Tips

1. Order Focaccia, Mafaldine ai Funghi and Bietola & Burrata.
2. Always make a reservation for the best experience.
3. If you are not familiar with Italian wines, ask the server to recommend something closest to your taste. You can also try the wines before you order them.
4. Stay Foxy

Here is another review of Terra, Boston, and my list of the 10 best restaurants in Boston.