Towne Stove & Spirits has a fresh face to flaunt. The Boylston Street eatery, named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in 2011, has a brand-new chef and menu.

Mark Allen, former chef/owner of Le Soir Bistro in Newton Highlands, has taken the helm and reworked the menu to include seasonally inspired homestyle gastro-pub fare for lunch, dinner, late night and weekend brunch.

We recently stopped in for dinner and sampled a selection of dishes. The lobster pizza with black truffle mascarpone, shitake mushrooms and leeks ($27) was a standout as was our entrée, a whole roasted baby monkfish (“a poor man’s lobster,” our server called it) with bacon, carrots, fingerling potatoes and lemon sauce ($29). Chef also highly recommended the daily special, a decadent veal and foie gras meatloaf ($27). The sides provide a nice seasonal flavor, with options like apple-butternut squash puree and crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon ($8 each). As for dessert, the pastry chefs flexed their culinary muscles with dishes like maple cotton candy, pumpkin profiteroles and mini cinnamon doughnuts served with hot apple cider in a martini glass ($6-$9).

The space itself hasn’t changed; you’ll still find a lively bar facing the street, a cozy main dining room with an open kitchen and massive chandeliers, and a slightly more formal upstairs dining room. This fall, Towne plans to host a Party on the Plaza Series outside with activities and seasonal food and drinks — think build-your-own caramel apple stations.

Stop by 900 Boylston Street to get a taste of Towne yourself, and check out their website at towneboston.com.