Eating in Eastie.

The Weekly Dig had a great write up of Eastie restaurants this week:

. . .While dining in out-of-the-way ethnic and old-school restaurants, I routinely run into big-time local chefs, who, I assure you, aren’t just chasing delicious, bargain-priced meals—they’re taking notes.

One rich resource is East Boston, which—as home to continual waves of immigrants—straddles both past and future. While the Irish, French Canadians, and Russian Jews have mostly moved on, a vital Italian-American community remains. Now Southeast Asian enclaves have taken root, as well as a surging Central and South American community that now accounts for a majority of Eastie’s residents. That makes for a proud example of melting-pot America, and a tremendous dining destination.

I’ve barely scratched the surface in Eastie, yet I’ve already encountered everything from shore-town fried seafood and creaky Italian-American to Campanian, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian, Mexican and Vietnamese. Most joints are homely and casual (jeans are the rule), serving meals that are soul-satisfying, gut-busting and cheap. Taken together, they offer both a grounding in some of our oldest local traditions and insight into the Next Big Thing—coming soon to a pricier menu in a tonier venue near you.

I still haven't been to some of places mentioned in the article. There are so many places to eat in East Boston it's hard to get to them all, but it's fun trying.