Wonderfully eclectic Jamaica Plain ''comfy gourmet'' hotspot serves the best burgers and mac and cheese around.

The Scene
A diverse clientele of couples and graduate-students fills the modern-gothic dining room to savor high-end comfort food. With a hipster soundtrack, bucketloads of flickering candles and stylish, tattooed waiters, this may be the coolest restaurant in town. The small bar is great for sampling from the adventurous wine list with an order of potato chips with caramelized onion dip (both homemade, both fabulous).

The Food
This is pure home cooking--if your mother was a world-class chef. Large plates of roasted-chicken pot pie and meatloaf are meals in themselves, while a delectable salad of baby spinach, grilled onions, crispy shallots and goat cheese is perfect for sharing. The burgers are phenomenal, thanks to seasoned, grass-fed beef and oven-roasted heirloom tomatoes. Three-cheese mac and cheese, served in a large crock with or without homemade sausage, will keep you smiling for days. Top desserts include ginger-pear cake and chocolate pumpkin-bread pudding.