Carmen   

It's a rarity these days to discover a local restaurant through word of mouth -- a fact that is less indicative of Boston's dining scene than the well-oiled publicity machine that accompanies it. What with the scrum of glossy magazines vying to discover the Next Big Thing, it's hard to fathom how the North End's Carmen has remained a sleeper for so long. Stationed on one of the neighborhood's most Dickensian streets (a javelin toss from Mamma Maria), Carmen is that rarest of creatures: a restaurant with pitch-perfect atmosphere, an attentive staff and excellent Italian cuisine courtesy of Chef Michael Bernardino, a Michigan transplant trained in the rustic Italian tradition. From its pillowed banquettes to its tiny, inviting wine bar, this place manages to crank up the coziness to 11 without lapsing into the cloying kitsch of so many North End trattorias. The food follows suit, infusing standards with elements of surprise (baked penne comes in parchment, and wild striped bass is glazed with fennel and blood orange preserves) without overdoing the ingredients on each plate. Also exemplary here is the service, which -- combined with the personable owners and general air of conviviality -- ensures that you'll leave Carmen singing arias of praise.