TT Leftovers: August Edition

The number of outstanding new restaurants that opened in August is staggering. Perhaps you missed one (or more) of the month's best debuts and other food finds? Fret not: We have your recap covered.

· We anticipated the opening of Commonwealth eagerly. Blissfully, the forward-thinking restaurant from a group of Bar Tartine veterans scored on all counts, with distinctive food, standout wine and a convivial dining environment.

· America the beautiful, indeed. At Citizen's Band, chef Chris Beerman and his team celebrate our country's finest traditional dishes, including an upstanding pot roast, a knockout mac and cheese and some seriously delicious cobbler.

· That funk in the air is almost certainly the Italian mint known as nepitella. The herb is coursing through menus all over town at the moment, and A16's Liza Shaw kindly gave us the recipe for her versatile nepitella-laced condiment, giardiniera.

· The comparatively old deserves as much attention as the new when a restaurant is still as superb as Dennis Leary's Canteen. The man continues to open places at a head-spinning clip. But his original finer diner is still peerless.

· The Southern-fried flavors of Little Skillet are just down the street, but at the new Darwin Café, the skillets are even littler. Chef Vincent Schofield wields his tiny pans in a big way, cooking dishes that are both creative and eminently satisfying.