The Globe Isn't Bored by BoMa

BoMa, which opened in the South End in October, scores two stars out of a possible four from the Globe's Anne V. Nelson. At first it sounds like Nelson is going to be bored, because she writes "For dessert, why don't I just die of boredom?" Luckily, she survives, and by the end of the article she writes "I couldn't possibly be bored." Phew! But really it was just the restaurant's web content she found boring: "when you sit down and read the actual menu at BoMA, things seem more hopeful." Candied almonds suggest that "the kitchen wants you to notice that someone came into work that morning." But watch out: "It's not all candied almonds at BoMA." Some ravioli is undercooked and a taco lacks heat, lamb in a shepherd's pie is "gristle-studded," but the gnocchi is tender and pickled watermelon rind makes an appreciated cameo in a grilled shrimp small splate.

Fenway's Neighborhoods Coffee & Crepes immediately (but not literally) melts the heart of The Phoenix correspondent Alexandra Cavallo in the latest On The Cheap column: "Walking into the warm, aromatic embrace of the new, gingham-curtained, brightly austere café on Fenway's Restaurant Row on one of the new year's first frosty mornings felt a bit like walking into a hug after getting one's feelings bruised by an unkind word." The Signature crepe ($6.95), "will ever serve as my pizza alternative in the future," says the "crepe-frenzied" Cavallo. [TP]

Here's the lowdown and photos of a few dishes at Cinquencento, which started serving Roman fare in the South End in November, from Boston.com blog Chow Down Beantown. "If the lively Thursday crowd was any indication, the South End is making fast friends with its new neighbor," notes blogger Michelle Zippelli. Chocolate budino is too rich, but "wine options, Parmigiano dessert and the bolognese" stand out. [CDBT]