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Harvest
For
40 years, this relaxed restaurant has been a leader in setting the
direction of American cuisine. Chef Mary Dumont reinterprets New England
classics, matching monkfish with artichokes and cockles, or filling
ricotta gnocchi with butternut squash and sautéeing them in pumpkin seed
oil.-
44 Brattle St, Cambridge
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617 868 2255
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Rialto
Chef
Jody Adams takes a luscious and delicately innovative approach to
Mediterranean cuisine, working magic with a simple basil cream soup, or
using grilled tomatoes to give extra depth to her gazpacho. A green
olive and balsamic vinegar sauce perfectly balances the unctuousness of
her signature roasted marinated duck. A perennial favorite with the
restaurant critics and press. The comfortable and soothing dining room
is ideal for special occasions . -
Hamersley’s Bistro
Chef-owner
Gordon Hamersley presides over this defining South End restaurant. The
menu is inspired by French provincial cooking but features the best of
mostly local produce (don’t miss the lemon-infused broiled chicken). The
bar scene is lively, and the outdoor dining tables provide one of the
neighborhood’s prime social settings in summer . -
Clio
One
of the country’s most lauded young chefs, award-winning Ken Oringer is
dedicated to innovation and experimentation. With an ever-changing menu
he always looks for new flavor sensations. For instance, few Boston
chefs would dare to serve bone marrow custard with nougats of wild
mushrooms and black truffles. Reservations are recommended .
Clio
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Locke-Ober
Everything
old is new again since über-chef Lydia Shire took over Boston’s oldest
gourmet restaurant (established c.1875) and breathed new life into the
classic haute cuisinedishes.
Her crisped duck with elderberries and ginger achieves the perfect
crackling over succulent meat. The city’s most established families dine
here. It has a superbly atmospheric authentic 1890s interior . -
Restaurant Dante
The
patio seating at this superbly stylish restaurant offers spectacular
views of the Charles River and the Boston skyline. The warm, relaxed
indoor dining room, located at the Royal Sonesta
hotel serves renowned chef Dante de Magistris’s Italian-accented,
playful food, such as a salad of oysters with tomato-cucumber sorbet. An
excellent, eclectic wine list . -
Rocca
This
impressively dramatic South End room from one of the city’s top
restauranteurs focuses on the seafood- and herb-based cuisine of Italy’s
Ligurian coast, such as poached fresh sardines marinated in lemon and
hot pepper. Their elegant desserts are unmissable. There is also free
parking which completes the package.
Rocca
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Olives
Olives
is home to the city’s most famous chef, Todd English, who piles plates
high with delights such as roasted pork chop on garlic mashed potatoes
topped with a caramelized mushroom sauce. Huge and loud, Olives is a
temple to bravura cookery. Reserve far ahead or arrive early and expect
to wait.-
10 City Sq, Charlestown
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617 242 1999
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Closed lunch & Sun
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Meritage
Chef
Daniel Bruce of the Boston Harbor Hotel pairs his creative small plates
with six different wine styles. Seared yellowfin tuna rolled in black
pepper, for example, fits a spicy red, while roasted grey sole topped
with caviar calls for a refreshing sparkling white wine.-
70 Rowes Wharf
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617 439 3995
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Radius
Chef
Michael Schlow is a stickler for detail and blends multiple flavors for
a single, clear taste fusion in his own version of New American
cuisine. You’d think seared Maine scallops might get lost when combined
with wild mushrooms, potato puree, leeks, and a truffle emulsion, but
the woodsy flavors just enhance the sweet, salty taste of the sea. The
restaurant is regularly mobbed by successful CEOs and their more
glamorous stockholders .