Fox and the Knife ‘Celebrates the Special’ in South Boston

Welcome back to Week in Reviews, an occasional round-up of the formal, starred restaurant reviews recently written by Boston’s food critics at publications such as The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine.

Celebrating the Special

Devra First has reviewed South Boston hotspot Fox and the Knife for the Boston Globe. The first restaurant from James Beard award winner Karen Akunowicz “celebrates the special, the small-batch, the simple pleasure and the generous gesture,” First writes, and “if there is one reason to come to Fox and the Knife, it is the house-made pasta,” including but not limited to the “light and lovely” tagliatelle.

First calls attention to the breads as well, including the “simple and subtle” tigelle and the “crusty golden rounds” of focaccia, “pressed with rosemary, rivulets of olive oil traversing their surface.”

In addition to “all of the pasta,” First recommends Fox and the Knife’s house-made ricotta, the fried chickpeas from the snack menu, and the broccoli alla griglia “Caesar,” a specialty Akunowicz prepares with “charred florets and crisp, garlicky croutons.” Though occasionally First finds dishes over-salted, she ultimately writes that the neighborhood “really needed this place,” and “there’s energy in this room, and it is a pleasure to be here.”

It’s not the first positive review for the new Italian restaurant — Boston Magazine also recently reviewed it favorably. Plus, it landed on Eater’s national list of the year’s best new restaurants, the sole representative from Boston.

• Celebrating Simple Pleasures at Karen Akunowicz’s Fox and the Knife [BG]
• Fox and the Knife Coverage on Eater [EBOS]