A Lydia Shire protege at Burlington's Bancroft

The Bancroft, which is billing itself as an "urban-inspired steakhouse and lounge," has hired a ve-rry promising executive chef: Mario Capone, pictured below. Capone opened Scampo and Towne with Lydia Shire, and he was also Shire's executive chef when she reopened the late, lamented, legendary Locke-Ober in 2006. The Burlington restaurant has a solid pedigree: It's from the Webber Group, the same family of restaurants that run Groton's tasty Gibbet Hill Grill and Harvard's Fruitlands Museum. Also promising: a 32-seat bar with four separate "interactive" bartending stations.

The Bancroft, 15 Third Ave., Burlington