When it comes to fine dining, it is fairly unlikely that Woburn Center will ever be confused with, say, Tremont Street in the South End of Boston, Hanover Street in the North End, or Moody Street in Waltham. The city of Woburn is, however, a mostly "salt of the Earth" type of place with a few comfortable dining spots that the locals tend to frequent more than visitors to Boston do. And one of the better restaurants in this northern suburb of Beantown is Tre Monte, an Italian restaurant right in the heart of Woburn Center.
Tre Monte is a bit more upscale than many restaurants in Woburn, but it is not a place for the hip or chic; indeed, when we dropped by for dinner on a weekday night awhile ago, we noticed that the long, dark main room was filled with middle aged and older people dressed as casually as we were. Apparently, the main attractions of Tre Monte are the food and the communal feel of the place. A couple of people who may have been the owners went from table to table to talk to the diners, most of whom seemed to know them. But we never felt out of place; the waitstaff was friendly and we soon felt like regulars ourselves.
The menu at Tre Monte has a mix of pasta, meat, and seafood dishes. The penne pasta with tomato, basil, and marscapone cheese sauce is excellent, as is the chicken with prosciutto and cheese in lemon herb sauce. One caveat: Don't order a salad unless you plan to split it or plan to make it your one dinner item. The salads are terrific, but they are HUGE. Expect leftovers if you get a salad for yourself.
The verdict? Tre Monte is arguably the best restaurant in Woburn. But does Tre Monte compete with some of the best Italian restaurants in the Boston area? Well, you'll probably have to figure that out for yourself, as Greater Boston has so many top Italian restaurants that it really is a judgment call. My opinion? While Tre Monte may not be quite in the class of D'Parma in Winthrop or Monica's in the North End, there honestly aren't many places that are. Furthermore, Tre Monte has something that Monica's doesn't have (parking) and something that D'Parma doesn't have (easy access). If you take into consideration the combination of food and convenience, Tre Monte can't be beat.
Copyright © 2004-2009, Boston's Hidden Restaurants (www.hiddenboston.com).
Tweet