Used to be, the organized chaos of a restaurant kitchen was a tucked-away affair, hidden from the view of a paying public who preferred to dine far away from hot burners and splattering grease, thankyouverymuch. If you wanted to see your food being cooked, you’d have to go to a sushi bar or a shrimp-flinging Japanese steakhouse.
These days, many of the city’s top restaurants prepare their food in full view of the folks who’ll be eating it. Chefs and their knife skills practices are on full display at upscale eateries like Craigie on Main, B&G Oysters, Sportello, Scampo, and Ten Tables in JP (which is expanding to include a bar in December). The seats closest to the action are often the most coveted.
Myriad eateries hold court around Coolidge Corner. Thai and sushi joints mix with bagel shops and delis. A shiny new tart yogurt café glistens across from a dingy but popular creperie. But bistro dining has been conspicuously absent from the mix, that is, until this month, when the Regal Beagle moved in and gave neighborhood types a reason to stay
The theater district has a new show in town: 
The best things in life are free—especially when they come with cocktails. Lucky for us, lots of local boites are serving complimentary bar snacks for imbibers to nibble while they drink. Never again will our budget force us to choose between another glass of Pinot and a bite to eat. Here are some of our current—and free!—faves.
Turkey and stuffing is as good as gravy, but what we here at Chowder really look forward to on Thanksgiving is the pie. (Case in point: The November issue’s 
