In the wake of the revered pop-up Whisk, this eccentric, imaginative eatery in Jamaica Plain is the perceptive and sometimes skewed vision of chef Jeremy Kean, whose food at night takes over inventively from a lively cafe atmosphere during the day.

Website: brassicakitchen.com

Address: 3710 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Phone number: 617-477-4519

Number of seats: 43

Entrée price range: $13-$26

Popular dishes: Brussels sprouts with maple, lemon and miso; Bolognese with apple, pork sung (finely shredded meat) and fresh rigatoni; fried chicken with herb slaw, maple umeboshi and lime.

What others say: “At Brassica Kitchen + Cafe, let the wild rumpus continue.” — Ted Weesner, Boston Globe

Tables in the dining area

Bolognese

In Cambridge, chef Dan Bazzinotti, who cut his proverbial teeth at the vaunted Boston restaurant Bergamot, cooks up creative dishes with a Peruvian spin.

Website: bisqcambridge.com

Address: 1071 Cambridge St. Cambridge, Mass.

Phone number: 617-714-3693

Number of seats: 49

Entrée price range: $9-$19

Popular dishes: Spanish octopus with chickpea pancake, radish and citrus; fried chicken with buttermilk ranch and Thai bird chile salt; bone marrow risotto with gremolata and Parmesan.

What others say: “You need to have the ceviche and the fried chicken. If you sit by the kitchen you get to see the chefs at work and it's a very cool vibe.” — comment on Yelp

Octopus

Fried chicken

In the South End, this inviting destination serves as a wine bar (a neon sign inside proclaims “In Vino Veritas”) with small plates to match with flavors from around the world.

Website: frenchieboston.com

Address: 560 Tremont St.

Phone number: 857-233-5941

Number of seats: 48

Entrée price range: $18-$43

Popular dishes: Escargot toast with herbed garlic butter over country bread; steak frites with sirloin steak, house fries and shallot confit; salt encrusted branzino with sauce vert, plancha lemon, potatoes and green beans.

What others say: “With dishes like steamed mussels with chorizo, roasted carrots with the Egyptian spice blend dhukka, and salt-crusted branzino for two, the menu shows a modern range of influences on French cuisine with Italian, Spanish, North African, and Asian flavors. The menu format — small plates, raw bar selections, daily charcuterie and cheeses, and a few shareable entrees — is designed to encourage sticking around for a few glasses of wine.” — Jacqueline Cain, Boston magazine

The interior

A tabletop featuring a whole fish

Quick and hearty bowls of Mediterranean flavors abound at this worldly home for food envisioned by Nina Festekjian, a restaurateur with Armenian and Lebanese heritage (the restaurant’s name translates as “let it be sweet”).

Website: anoushella.com

Address: 35 West Newton St.

Phone number: 857-265-3195

Number of seats: 62

Entrée price range: $5.45-$9.75

Popular dishes: Za’atar mixed in olive oil with tomatoes, cucumber, mint, olives and pomegranate; lentil rice with Armenian salad, labneh and walnut harissa; anoush'ella kofta with sumac onion and tahini.

What others say: “It’s like Sofra and Sweetgreen had a baby.” — Devra First, Boston Globe

The front room

A tabletop view of the food available at Anoush'ella

This homey spot in Cambridge’s Inman Square is devoted to a noble list of culinary causes: fried chicken, biscuits, barbecue, and tiki drinks.

Website: highlandfried.com

Address: 1271 Cambridge St.

Phone number: 617-714-4662

Number of seats: 80 in the dining room, and 24 at the bar

Entrée price range: $10-$21

Popular dishes: Three piece fried chicken dinner with one side and a buttermilk biscuit; griddled cheeseburger with two four-ounce patties, American cheese, lettuce, caramelized onions and secret sauce; three meats BBQ plate with two sides and cornbread; corn and zucchini arepas with black beans, guacamole and queso fresco.

What others say: “At Highland Fried, patrons can pick and choose which parts of the bird they’d like to eat — the menu offers individual wings, drumsticks, thighs, and breasts — or they can just opt to eat a whole bird. On the barbecue end, Highland Fried is offering classics such as pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, smoked chicken, ribs, and sausage.” — Terrence B. Doyle, Eater Boston

Guests dining inside Highland Fried

Fried whole chicken