Chef Ken Oringer is a bonifide “celebrity chef” and with good reason. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, he has had successful stints at the River Café in New York (one of our Featured Restaurants in that city), worked for the esteemed Jean Georges Vongerichten and won 3 1/2 stars and a 27 Zagat Food Rating at Silks in San Francisco. He opened Clio in 1997 and it was named “Best Newcomer” by Gourmet Magazine and from 1998 to 2000 he was nominated as “Best Chef-Northeast” by the James Beard Foundation before finally winning the award in 2001.

If you are a sushi lover, you may want to start your night at Uni, the lounge area sushi bar for a little snack before dinner. At the very least sit at the sleek bar and try a Saketini; Monokawa Sake, Ketel One Vodka and fresh cucumber slices….absolutely delicious.

The dining room is relatively small and intimate with only about 15 tables and is decorated in shades of cream and beige. Floor lamps sprinkled around the room set a romantic tone and raised panel woodwork creeps halfway up the walls and is topped by soft beige wallpaper. The same woodwork adorns the ceiling creating a wonderful symmetry to the room. Large bouquets of flowers anchor the center of the room and the overall mood is sophisticated and elegant.

What sets this restaurant apart from so many others is Oringer’s innovative cooking. He combines ingredients and textures you haven’t experienced before so that the dining experience is an adventure. Imagine a sweet corn soup with Maine crabmeat and French tarragon or an intensely flavored ragout of foraged mushrooms with fresh chestnuts, buffalo mozzarella and wild herbs — and these are just the appetizers. For entrees we enjoyed a sweet butter basted Maine lobster with chanterelle mushrooms, fava beans and a delicious wine sauce and delicately sautéed diver scallops, just crisp on the outside with black trumpet mushrooms, bacon and lemon verbena.

The desserts looked great, but Oringer is known for his cheese selection and it was excellent. Paired with a glass of port, this was a fitting end to a wonderful meal.

The wine list is distinctive in that the selections are unusual in both their origin and renown. Not a lot of familiar names, but a list that shows a lot of thought and knowledge. Loire and Alsatians dominate the whites and share the list with selections from Provence, California, New Zealand, Burgundy and Austria. The reds favor California, Burgundy and Rhone with choices also from Bordeaux, Provence and Spain. Pricing is a little high with the average bottle in the $50-$65 range.

Dinner for two averages about $185 (Drink, appetizer, entrée, dessert, tax and tip). Dress is upscale casual and all credit cards are accepted.

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: High

WHAT OTHERS SAY…
Within the “gracious confines” of the Back Bay’s Eliot Hotel, this “tranquil enclave” continues to make foodies “swoon” over both the “bold, complex flavors” of chef Ken Oringer’s “exceptional” New French fare (“with touches of molecular gastronomy”) and the “heavy blow dealt to the wallet”; “more casual” yet just as “outrageously expensive”, neighbor Uni does “spectacular” sashimi, and if a few find the staffers throughout to be “snooty”, most cheer them as “professional” escorts to “ethereal” “heights of expectation fulfillment.” ZAGAT 2010



You can make dining reservations by going to our Weekend Planner for contact information. Dining reservations are part of our Trip Planning Services.

Located in a townhouse in Beacon Hill, just across from the Boston Commons, No. 9 Park is on just about everyone’s list of favorites. It is a small (@16 tables) and intimate spot with wonderful food and wine and near perfect service.

The restaurant and Chef/Owner Barbara Lynch have been awarded numerous accolades over the last few years. She was named one of the “10 Best New Chefs in America” by Food and Wine Magazine, The James Beard Foundation named Lynch “Best Chef Northeast” and Boston Magazine touted her as “Best Chef in Boston”. The restaurant was named among the “Top 25 New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appetit and Travel & Leisure named No. 9 one of the “Top 50 Restaurants in America”.

You enter the restaurant into the bar area which has a long bar and tables for cocktails or to enjoy a bar menu. Straight to the back through an arched doorway is the main dining room with about 10 tables. A large mirror flanked by green curtains, lamps and flowers centers the room. There are two tables down the middle and the others in taupe banquettes along the walls. Beaded hanging lights create an intimate feel. Crisp whites, gleaming china and crystal complete a picture of casual elegance. To the right of the entry is another dining room with about six tables and while the Main Room is beautiful, the front tables in the side room are more intimate and offer romantic views of the street and the Commons beyond.

Begin your evening with a cocktail at the bar, because Ms. Lynch has taken as much care in assembling a drink menu as she has for her food. The signature drink, Palmyra, is a delightful concoction of Rain vodka (made in Kentucky from white corn), mint simple syrup and fresh squeezed lime juice. Equally as good is the Pear Martini, using Grey Goose, a pear based cognac and fresh pear. I guarantee you’ll want a second.

Even greater things await you however. My first visit here was for lunch. Chef Lynch is renowned for her pastas, having learned technique directly from women in Italy, so the choice for a first course was easy. A lamb ragu lasagna was so wonderfully rich and flavorful that I regretted instantly splitting it with my guest. As an entrée, I had a perfectly cooked roasted quail that was stuffed with spicy sausage. How they got the sausage in that tiny bird, I don’t know, but it was magnificent. My guest enjoyed seared day boat scallops in a delicate sorrel sauce, the acidity of the sorrel a perfect complement to the scallop. For dessert you won’t want to miss the “medley” of homemade ice cream or the daily trio of sorbets.

This is how Cat Silirie, Wine Director of No. 9 describes her wine list, “Our wine list features wines of France and of Italy and represents only the most interesting American wines from small producers. There is also a small selection dedicated to the wines of Austria and Germany. The process of selecting these wines is very personal, representing not the standard categories, but rather a collection of wines from the direct experience of myself and our staff.” I found the staff to be very knowledgeable (I usually ask for a red or white suggestion under $50), the selections interesting and the pricing very reasonable.

I cannot wait to return for dinner because if lunch was any indication, I’m in for a real treat.

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: Very high, this is a sexy and sophisticated restaurant equally good for a special occasion or just a fun night out.

WHAT OTHERS SAY...
Barbara Lynch still “dazzles” at her “jewel box”–esque Beacon Hill flagship where “movers and shakers” for whom “money is no object” “celebrate in style” with “elegant”, “intriguing” French-Italian creations that “marry unexpected tastes and textures” with “decadent, heavenly” results; if the “smaller-than-small portions” are occasional balloon-bursters, the “savvy”, “polished” “service team” and “superior” bartenders (“mixology is an art here”, as is wine selection) “heighten the experience” – right on up to “cloud 9.” ZAGAT 2010

You can make dining reservations by going to our Weekend Planner for contact information. Dining reservations are part of our Trip Planning Services.

There was a time when hotel dining was a last resort, but that has changed. Today, many hotel restaurants can hold their own against the best in their city. Such is the case of Meritage which can actually stake its claim as one of Boston’s best.

By day, the room seems anything but romantic, but at night it is transformed. Hardwood and tile floors, modern art, eclectic overhead lighting and sleek modern furniture all come together into an intimate and warm delight with huge windows overlooking the sparkling harbor.

Start with a drink at the bar, I suggest a Berritini, vodka infused with blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, shaken and served ice cold straight up.

I love when a chef does something truly innovative and Chef Daniel Bruce has done just that. His entire menu is available in either a small plate ($16) or a large plate ($30) and matched to six primary characteristics of wine. So, there are menu items that work well with Champagne, light whites, full bodied whites, fruity reds, spicy, earthy reds and robust reds.

I opted for the small plates, so I could try more things. I began with a duet of Champagne mignonette laced Duxbury oysters and fried oysters with smoked pepper mayonnaise and paired that with a glass of Nicolas Feuillate, Brut Premier Cru Champagne. A delightful Vernaccia di San Gimignano “Ab Vinea Doni,” perfectly complimented a sweet pea and shallot filled cannelloni with braised rabbit and pea sprouts. I selected a Meritage “Seña,” from Chile to go with a Kobe beef duo of tartar and charred carpaccio and served with a crispy potato cake and sweet garlic aioli. Finally for dessert a chocolate tasting plate of white chocolate chiffon cake with green tea ice cream, milk chocolate ganache tart and dark chocolate Boston éclair paired with a Barbera d’Asti “Panta Rei,”

This was one of the most satisfying and fun meals I have enjoyed. Every course, every wine was an adventure. Add to that the glorious view on a summer Friday evening and an attentive staff and you have one very special night.

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: High. Ask for a table by the window.

WHAT OTHERS SAY...
“Fabulous harbor views” are only part of the package at this “special” Waterfront “wine-lover’s paradise” via chef Daniel Bruce, whose “innovative” New American dishes are available in “small and large” portions (“enabling those with smaller appetites to sample more”) and designed to be paired with a “perfect” selection of “terrific” vini; true, it’s “expensive, but totally worth it” given the “polished service”, “sumptuous surroundings” and overall “exquisite dining experience.” ZAGAT 2009

You can make dining reservations by going to our Weekend Planner for contact information. Dining reservations are part of our Trip Planning Services.

Set in an old row house and tucked into a corner of the North End, Mamma Maria is my favorite Italian in a town of excellent Italian restaurants. I like everything about this place; it’s location on a square, its elegant decor and small, intimate dining rooms, its welcoming spirit and its wonderful food.

I particularly like to sit upstairs at a window table overlooking the square, where you can gaze through iron paned windows over window boxes filled with flowers to the street below and Boston beyond. The Verdi dining room, with its fresh flowers, warm, pastel colors, long draperies, interesting artwork and gleaming crystal and silverware is intimate and romantic. Add smart service and a leisurely dining pace and you have the makings of a wonderful evening.

The food is amazing and atypical of many Italian restaurants. It is more regional in nature, more rustic, more country. Last visit, I started with an appetizer portion of rabbit (my new favorite thing, it tastes like chicken) roasted with pancetta and rosemary and served over hand rolled pappardelle pasta. I followed that with a mouth watering osso buco which I never miss ordering when it is available. It was served with a saffron risotto and was one of the best I have ever had. Jen had the carpaccio which was good, but pretty standard. Her country style roasted chicken with crisp roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables however, was outstanding.

The wine list is relatively small, about 120 wines, but very well developed. It concentrates on Italian (go figure!) and American selections and has some unusual wines. The choices are very good and the pricing is very reasonable. Dinner for two @ $165 (Drink, appetizer, Entrée, dessert, tax and tip. No gouging here.


 
ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: High



WHAT OTHERS SAY….
Ignore the “hokey name”: this North End Northern Italian is one “classy” joint, an “upscale”, “special-occasion” magnet whose “romantic” environs (a series of “small rooms”) are spread throughout a “beautiful old townhouse”; it’s known for “inventive twists” on classic dishes, “lovely service” and “valet parking”, and in spite of some “steep pricing”, it’s consistently “mobbed on weekends” – “reservations are only estimates” here. ZAGAT 2010



You can make dining reservations by going to our Weekend Planner for contact information. Dining reservations are part of our Trip Planning Services.

This is the kind of place we wish we had in our neighborhood at home, a place we would probably gravitate to a couple times a week. The atmosphere is lively, the welcome is genuine and the food is simply, but perfectly prepared. Pale yellow walls, an open kitchen, wood beamed ceilings, fresh flowers, baskets of produce and hanging table lights create a warm country bistro feel and everyone is made to feel like a regular.

The menu is simple, focuses on local ingredients and absolutely delicious. The signature roast chicken with lemon, garlic and parsley is something I could eat every week — crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Add a side of the garlic mashed potato cake and the creamed spinach with white truffle oil and you have just about the perfect meal. I also tried a wonderful pan roasted lobster with leeks, roasted chestnuts and black truffles, an unusual, but very successful and delicious dish.

I passed on the cheese course for once, in favor of warm gingerbread with a pear compote and cranberry sabayon. Wow.

I like this wine list for a number of reasons. It has a decent sampling of wines by the glass, a good number of 1/2 bottles in both whites and reds and the basic list itself is very interesting with selections from the usual mixed with wines from South Africa, New Zealand, Alsace, and Portugal. I also like the number of selections with interesting grape combinations; Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc. The list changes frequently. Pricing is a little high, with not much available under $40.

Dinner for two (Drink, appetizer, entrée, dessert, tax and tip) @$150. Dress is casual. All credit cards accepted. Reservations are suggested, but they can often accommodate walk-ins.

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: Low. Not exactly conducive to intimate conversation, but who cares. This is a fun place.

WHAT OTHERS SAY...
“Maestro” Gordon Hamersley remains “very visible” at this “light, airy” South End “institution”, just as his “not-trendy”, “seasonally changing” country French fare “still lives up to its well-deserved reputation”, particularly the “luscious” “signature roast chicken” (rumored to trigger “out-of-body experiences”); the “top-notch” fare and “superior service” command upper-tier pricing, but the “thoughtful wine list” displays “some good buys.” ZAGAT 2010

You can make dining reservations by going to our Weekend Planner for contact information. Dining reservations are part of our Trip Planning Services.