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In a city synonymous with tradition, Boston chefs have spent recent years rewriting culinary history. The stuffy, wood-paneled formality is gone; the endless renditions of chowdah, lobster, and cod have retired; and the assumption that true foodies better hop the next Amtrak to New York is also—thankfully—a thing of the past.In
In a city synonymous with tradition, Boston chefs have spent recent years rewriting culinary history. The stuffy, wood-paneled formality is gone; the endless renditions of chowdah, lobster, and cod have retired; and the assumption that true foodies better hop the next A
In a city synonymous with tradition, Boston chefs have spent recent years rewriting culinary history. The stuffy, wood-p
In a city synonymous with tradition, Boston chefs have spent recent years rewriting culinary history. The stuffy, wood-paneled formality is gone; the endless renditions of chowdah, lobster, and cod have retired; and the assumption that true foodies better hop the next Amtrak to New York is also—thankfully—a thing of the past.
In their place, a crop of young chefs has ascended, opening small, upscale neighborhood spots that use local New England ingredients to delicious effect. Traditional eats can still be found (Durgin-Park remains the best place to get baked beans), but many diners now gravitate toward innovative food in understated environs. Whether you're looking for casual French, down-home Southern cooking, some of the best sushi in the country, or Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, Boston restaurants are ready to deliver. Eclectic Japanese spot o ya and iconic French restaurant L'Espalier have garnered widespread attention, while a coterie of star chefs like Barbara Lynch, Lydia Shire, and Ken Oringer have built mini-empires and thrust the city to the forefront of the national dining scene.
The fish and shellfish brought in from nearby shores continue to inform the regional cuisine, along with locally grown fruits and vegetables, handmade cheeses, and humanely raised heritage game and meats. But don't expect boiled lobsters and baked apple pie. Today’s chefs, while showcasing New England’s bounty, might offer you lobster cassoulet with black truffles, bacon-clam pizza from a wood-burning oven, and a tomato herb salad harvested from the restaurant’s rooftop garden. In many ways, though, Boston remains solidly skeptical of trends. To wit: the cupcake craze and food truck trend hit here later than other cities; the Hawaii-inspired poke movement has only recently arrived. And over in the university culture of Cambridge, places like the Harvest and Oleana espoused the locavore and slow-food movements before they became buzzwords.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s newest venture within the Mandarin Oriental hotel offers a taste of his most well-known dishes along with a few local twists. While his famous beef Wellington sits front-and-center as a no-brainer choice entrée, he also gives a properly placed nod to local seafood with jumbo lump crab cakes and lobster, as well as clam bouillabaisse, Boston lager-steamed mussels, crispy skin salmon, and fish and chips. Should a lobster roll be served cold or warm? He appeases all by offering both versions.
774 Boylston St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02199, USA
Diving head first into dishes like cuttlefish ink spaghetti, rare tuna steak with roasted eggplant, and salmon with pork belly and spring peas, chef Robert Sisca pays homage to New England’s long-standing fishing tradition. While the ocean's bounty is its main theme, he doesn't leave landlubbers stranded; there are a few chicken and turf dishes as well. A first-floor raw bar offers stellar crudo, oyster, and caviar selections. The Banks Lobster Bake is a pricey feast worth every penny, and the Fisherman's Feast is a heaping plate of fried cod, shrimp and clams.
A carnivore's utopia awaits within the clubby, dark-wood walls of this beloved steak house favored by those on expense accounts. Adjust your starched napkin and tuck into such staples as lobster and crab cakes, a massive shellfish platter, and succulent meats such as the 24-ounce dry-aged porterhouse. The crowd-watching is as tasty as the food: VIPs in striped suits make deals over dessert, and women in Manolo Blahnik heels sip martinis.
900 Boylston St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA
Inside the tasteful boutique Eliot Hotel lies an innovative izakaya (informal Japanese gastropub), owned by Boston star chefs-partners Ken Oringer and Tony Messina, who offer boldly flavored renditions of Asian street food—Sai Oua lettuce wraps; Mai duck carnitas; Wagyu beef dumplings; shrimp teriyaki fried rice; and dozens of tempting sashimi and nigiri choices. Although the bites can add up price-wise, the menu has a sprinkling of inexpensive dishes, like fried chicken bao bun and blistered shishito peppers. Cocktail aficionados will appreciate the creative and sophisticated offerings, and it's worth checking out the extensive reserve sake menu.
370 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA
Chef-owner Michael Scelfo looked seaward to inform the menu of his second venture after Alden & Harlow. Named aptly for a plot on a map, Waypoint is his step forward on the path to coastal-inspired fare that includes an excellent raw bar with crudos, bivalves, and the celebrated caviar served with doughnut holes, along with whole-fish roasts, slow-roasted meats, indulgent seafood pasta dishes, and inventive pizzas. There's a creative cocktail program that's highlighted by several varieties of absinthe served from copper, twist-top faucets.
1030 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA
For a big, brassy, bountiful night out in an iconic Boston building, head to this reimagined supper club inside the ornate former 1862 Locke-Ober restaurant. The buffed and beautiful sink into plush chairs in the book-packed library or at the original mahogany mirrored bar to swill down ice-cold martinis and large format drinks. Should cocktails morph into dinner, white-clothed tables glowing with votives provide a cushy place to share plates of globally inspired comfort food or dig into a few "feasts."
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