BostonChefs.com - Boston restaurant guide to the best Boston restaurants
 
Cookbooks by Bosotn Chefs

The Basics: Scampo restaurant information

Scampo

215 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-536-2100

Scampo restaurant information
Share Scampo share on LinkedIn share on Twitter share on Facebook

Scampo, the stunning first floor restaurant in Boston's Liberty Hotel, is a culinary destination created by legendary Boston chef Lydia Shire in collaboration with The Lyons Group. At Scampo, Shire's reputation for defying tradition translates into an Italian-inspired menu that's unrestrained by borders, drawing on flavors from the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Designed in collaboration with renowned designers Rafael Alvarez and Brannen Brock, the restaurant is a reflection of Shire herself: bold, red and full of energy. The contemporary space features shiny copper lamps, a glowing orange bar and stools overlooking a mozzarella bar. The dramatic backdrop sets the stage for house-made breads baked in a tandoori oven, pastas that surpass red sauce norms and entrées that turn simple ingredients into extraordinary experiences.

An approachable wine list complements the food with ready-to-drink varietals from mostly small Italian and American producers. During the warmer months, guests can enjoy their meals on the secluded 60-seat outdoor patio and, for special occasions, the 50-seat private dining room features an exciting view of the open kitchen.

News and Events at Scampo restaurant

Feast Your Eyes - Scampo
Chefs Lydia Shire and Simon Restrepo join forces to put up some fresh new spring dishes for Scampo's BostonChefs ...

Philanthropic and Phan-tastic Phrankfurters
To kick off their 23rd annual Hot Dog Safari, the Lansdowne Street party that raises money for theJoey Fund ...

Wine Madness
March Madness would be so much more fun if there were wine involved. 

Lydia Shire

Chef at Scampo

Chef Lydia Shire at Scampo

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts and raised by artist parents, Chef Lydia Shire's earliest memories of life in the kitchen are of peeling garlic alongside her father at the age of four. Fast forward and Shire was again in the kitchen, now cooking for her husband and three children as a young bride. Then she made her move, first with a position as 'salad girl', slicing paté and opening oysters, at the venerable Maison Robert. Then it was on to London's Cordon Bleu Cooking School, and then back to Maison Robert as a Line Cook. Three and a half years later Shire became Head Chef at this prestigious dining room, and history was in the making.

Shire made her mark in Boston's most respected restaurants: Harvest, Café Plaza at The Copley Plaza Hotel, Parker's at the Parker House Hotel, all the while earning critical praise and coveted Four Star reviews. She opened Seasons at the Bostonian Hotel in 1982, where restaurant and chef were nationally recognized for 'excellence' and 'daring' - two descriptives that embody Shire.

In the fall of 1986, Shire was asked to open the new Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, as the Executive Chef, making her the first female Executive Chef in the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Company to open a luxury property.

The sun and glamour of California could not sway Shire from her ultimate dream of opening her own restaurant in Boston. She realized this dream in 1989 with the opening of BIBA ('Back in Boston Again'). Shire's BIBA was the cutting edge of international cuisine. A chef of vision and talent, Shire presented a bold and daring menu arranged by types of food (fish, offal, meat, starch, legumina and sweets). Boston had never seen the likes of BIBA before.

The critical acclaim poured in, and the James Beard Foundation honored Shire as "America's Best Chef - Northeast "and" Who's Who of Food & Beverage in 1991.  That same year, Food & Wine Magazine reported that Shire was "One of America's Top Ten Chefs." In 1994, Shire earned the prestigious Ivy Award for up and coming trendsetters.  The James Beard Foundation again acknowledged her, this time nominated as "One of America's Top Five Chefs" in 1996.

In 1994, she opened Pignoli to rave reviews, and then in 2001, Shire shocked 'proper Bostonians' as she dared to take over the city's venerable Locke-Ober. Shire restored the restaurant's opulence and grand tradition of fine American and European cuisine. Again she made history as the chef/owner at this institution which had proudly prohibited women from its dining room for ninety seven years.

An avid collector, Shire's zest for life is fueled by her love of travel, and her eye for quality.  She has logged thousands of miles traveling the world, bringing to her home and restaurants additions to her collections of copper, silver, antique children's clothes, and photography.

A never-ending creative force, Shire's passion for excellence and creativity is evident in all that she does, inside and outside the restaurant. A seasoned pro at a young age, Shire's kitchen has proven a fertile training ground for some of the city's finest culinary talent. She continues her commitment to hard work and limitless creativity, expanding to Maine with the opening of Blue Sky at the Atlantic House Hotel on York Beach and, back on the home front, Scampo, located in Boston's Liberty Hotel, a national historic landmark that was once the storied Charles Street Jail.

  • food
  • chef
  • info
 
 
Dictionary
 
Aïoli
1. noun A blend of ail (garlic) and oli (oil) in the parlance of the Provence region of southern France. Around here, we'd call it a garlic mayonnaise.
Brioche
1. noun A soft, yeasty French bread enriched with butter and eggs.
Carpaccio
1. noun Wafer-thin slices of raw beef served cold; named after the Renaissance Venetian painter.
Ceviche
1. noun Raw fish and/or shellfish in a citrus marinade.
Compote
1. noun Slow-cooked fruit in syrup.
Jus
1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
Lemongrass
1. noun A lemon-scented herb used liberally in Thai and Cambodian cooking.
Naan
1. noun Tandoor-baked, unleavened, Indian bread.
Pancetta
1. noun Cured Italian bacon.
Panna cotta
1. noun Egg-less Italian custard.
Pesto
1. noun An Italian sauce traditionally made with basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Romano and Parmesan cheeses.
Polenta
1. noun A slow-cooked cornmeal porridge popular in northern Italy; can be served soupy or firm, sometimes fried.
Quiche
1. noun A savory, open-faced pie made from cheese and eggs.
Risotto
1. noun Italian dish made from rice cooked by intermittently adding small amounts of stock or broth. Other ingredients are added as required.
Rocket
1. noun See "Arugula."
Romesco
1. noun Catalonian sauce of finely ground tomatoes, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, almonds and olive oil.
Roti
1. noun Unleavened, griddle-cooked Indian bread.
Tamarind
1. noun A bittersweet spice made by drying and pressing the pulp from the fruit of the tamarind tree native to Asia and northern Africa.
Tempura
1. noun Batter-dipped, deep-fried fish, poultry or vegetables.
Vitello tonnato
1. noun An Italian classic of cold, thinly sliced, roasted veal (vitello) with a sauce of pureed tuna (tonno), anchovy, capers, lemon and olive oil.