The Critics Ate ‘Perfect’ Pizza, ‘Divinely Filling’ Meatballs, and ‘Wonderful’ Veal Piccata This Week

“Happy Energy” and “Perfect” Pizza

For the Boston Globe, Sheryl Julian makes the trip out to Manchester-by-the-Sea to explore Matthew Gaudet’s casual post-West Bridge venture, Superfine, which he owns with Chris Robins (the Aquitaine Group) and Paul Emmett (West Bridge). There, she finds “happy energy and a busy hum,” not to mention a menu packed with “food that makes you want to order one of everything,” including “perfect” pizza “as good as any [she’s] had.” The “juicy, flavorful” burger is also a highlight, along with an “imaginative” grain bowl, a “delicious” beet salad, and a broccoli Reuben that is the “star of the midday menu.”

More Than Chicken

Harvard Magazine’s Nell Porter Brown heads to Watertown to visit Branch Line, which “shares [the] brasserie-style flair” of its big sister, Boston’s Eastern Standard. While the rotisserie chicken gets top billing, there’s plenty more to explore, from the potato gnocchi with beef-cheek ragu (“a rich treat”) to the “crunchy and refreshing” sugar snap pea salad, not to mention the “divinely filling” lamb and pork meatballs. Brown advises skipping the vegetarian smoked eggplant entree, though, writing that it “tasted something like a burnt oven smells.” The restaurant draws “adventurous beer hounds,” “date-nighters,” “post-work relaxers,” and more thanks to its “neighborly vibe.”

Hidden Dining by the Beach

For the Dig, Marc Hurwitz reviews Mezzo Mare, a “borderline upscale spot” in Hull “that features the type of Italian food you might expect to see in the North End.” It moved into a new space a few years back that still has “the romantic feel and old-world charm” of the original location, fortunately minus the “tired and worn” vibe. The “ever-changing” menu “goes well beyond the basic pasta and meatballs and chicken marsala dishes” with options such as a “rich and creamy” gorgonzola ravioli, a “wonderful version” of veal piccata, and a “rich and decadent” German chocolate cake.