My favorite new spot is The Noodle Bar. Formerly Rocco's restaurant, The Noodle Bar is a hip, new, mid-price restaurant located at 5 Charles Street South (in the Transportation Building). Owner Patrick Lamb has moved away from Rocco's rococo design and high-priced Mediterranean fare and has hit on a new format that is more in keeping with late 90's taste, style and pocket books.

The Noodle Bar features a cross-section of international noodles dishes including Thai, Japanese, Italian and some interesting co-minglings. The menu has multiple sections: noodles in broth, noodles with seafood, noodles with poultry, you get the picture. The noodle dishes are just that - noodles - they are not always loaded with other goodies. But once you get over your surprise and settle down to serious chopstick work you'll find the flavors are substantial and delicious. My Thai-addicted husband orders the garlicky Pad Thai every time and keeps raving "its better than Jai's." My favorite, "Shrimp in a Mist" is a delicious spicy dish of flat noodles topped with jumbo shrimps covered in a nifty noodle batter. Its hard to describe, but well worth a try.

For those of you familar with Rocco's, rest assured that Lamb did not tinker with some of Rocco's best features. The beautifully painted, trompe l'oeil ceilings are intact and the bar is still one of the best stocked in Boston. Ask for the martini menu and sample the half dozen or so house specialties including the sake martini. I dare you.