Sometimes we stay in town on a holiday weekend so that, while everyone else is away, we can walk into Boston's very special restaurants without a reservation and without a wait.
Tonight we strolled through the Fenway Victory Gardens, along Park Drive to Jersey Street and settled in for an early dinner at Trattoria Toscana (or TT as it is affectionately called by some of the folks over at Chowhound.com)
Affection is something that Ed and I both have in abundance for Fenway's tiny slice of Tuscany. The owners and staff make us feel at home, relaxed and well cared for every time we visit. 
The Spring menu has been in place for a few weeks–long enough for me to hear that the Spaghetti al sugo di merluzzo (codfish ragout in white wine and herbs) was available to satisfy my cravings.
While the chef prepared our pastas, we sipped wine (Vernaccia for me and a Chianti for Ed) and savored the "Bruschetteria al pomodoro e basilico" (grilled rustic bread topped with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.)
Ed had Pappardelle al Ragu Toscano (ground beef, pork sausage in a Chianti sauce.)
Tonight that was just enough food. We ended with an espresso, thanked our charming waiter for a lovely evening, surrendered our table and walked home.
Along the way, we chatted with a couple visiting from Atlanta, told them about Toscana and sent them off in the right direction. We hope they enjoyed it.
Trattoria Toscana is a tiny place with a devoted following of food lovers. There are a few things you should know before heading there. They do not take reservations and they don't have a waiting area. That makes this a wonderful time of the year to visit. In the cold or the heat, you could be waiting outside for a time. 
To be fair to everyone with their first-come, first-serve seating; they do not seat parties until everyone has arrived. If you have chronically late dining companions, you might see tables slip away while you wait.
Details:
Trattoria Toscana
130 Jersey Street
(between Park Drive & Queensberry Street)
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 247-9508
MBTA: Kenmore station on the Green Line or the 55 - Jersey & Queensberry bus
Other opinions:
Search of Chowhound Boston Board For Trattoria Toscana
And, we would like to say a public thank you for all the wonderful meals we've enjoyed thanks to the community that is the Boston board at Chowhound.com.
Here's the Yelp on Trattoria Toscana.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/trattoria-toscana-boston
Simple food, well made is not as easy to prepare as you might think. If you would like to learn a bit about what it takes to present simple but perfect Italian dishes I recommend this book.
