By Maxwell Tucker, Photos by Michael Belsito

May 2004 - Prepare to be shocked. If you're a regular, you've probably already experienced it, but if you haven't yet, prepare for an extreme makeover at that old Worcester favorite, the Boynton.

The revered Highland Street pizza/family restaurant has been completely re-imagined. Gone is the dark, college neighborhood restaurant and bar and in its place is a new hot spot.

The first tip-off that things have changed was the presence of a parking attendant. All right, I thought, what's going on? A parking attendant at the Boynton? Maybe an event? I had heard they had done some work to the Boynton, but I didn't give it a second thought — so what was with the parking help? He directed us to the back of the building which showed the only visual change so far (the street front exterior on passing didn't seem to change) — now there was a glass vestibule entry in the parking lot. Passing through it, we knew we weren't in Kansas any more.

On entering, your first stop is a hostess station giving you a look at what's to come. Wainscoted walls stained in maple are topped with terra cotta color stretching to the front street side. Passing the upstairs quiet dining room you head into the bar where the true impact of the Boynton’s new look hits home.

The centerpiece of this new restaurant is clearly a huge sleek bar area with large windows overlooking the street. As a major beer-on-tap fan, I happily saw the bar encircled with an array of taps and headed to find my draft holy grail — Yes! Magic Hat #9 on tap — life is sweet. Alongside #9 I counted no less than 27 other draft beers on top of a wrap-around bottle cooler beneath. The terra cotta walls continue here and feature large, flat-screen TVs showing every game you could ever want.

On entering we had also passed a large state of the art kitchen but, as we would have a wait, we squirreled our way into a corner of the bar area. This upbeat spot didn't have a seat to spare — and for good reason. The mixed drinks are at least 16 oz and lead up to the Boynton Bucket, a big colorful cocktail concoction — served in a beach pail! Good lookin' crowd, great drinks — the Old Boynton was a new find.

Since our table was ready, it was now time to step away from the bar which, with it's upbeat atmosphere was great a place to party, but a bit loud for dining. Ushered to our oversized booth we took at look at the menu, which seemed similar to before but with a specials page added that seemed a step up in the offerings if not the prices.

And then we got the next shock — the prices — they are so low they seem to be making a statement here, or maybe they are just determined that they will maintain the neighborhood-restaurant menu regardless of the transformation of the surroundings.

For appetizers, we started with the cherry pepper calamari ($5.99), with other offerings ranging from a plate full of nacho skins at $4.99 to steamers at $8.99. The lightly fried calamari had a great sauce.

My guest went for the Key West mixed grill while I went for the build your own pizza (Hawaiian, a personal favorite) with a side Caesar salad. The pizzas start at $3.75 with add-ons for 99 cents from a choice of 24 different add-ons. My pizza arrived atop a pedestal keeping it off the table and easy to manage. The Hawaiian was well put together with a bit of sweetness in the crust. The Caesar salad was a full plate and was right on the mark as well.

My guest's mixed grill was a quartet of swordfish, chicken, prime rib and shrimp on a large decorated dish accompanied by another large side salad, this time the house salad.

The nearby Bean Counter provides the desserts here and once again the selections are tasty. We chose the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and the triple chocolate cake.

All told, we got in and out for under $60, including a couple of drinks. One tip, if you want a quieter experience — wait for a table in the upstairs room. If you want to let loose and be seen, downstairs it is.

A lot of money and effort have clearly gone into the extensive makeover of this old favorite. With a great new interior, great drink selections and excellent value, the Boynton is a newly welcome update to the city's scene.