Hmmmmm....posted this question earlier today and it disappeared.
I've read lots of restaurant reviews on Chowhound and such but can't find a place which everyone seems to agree upon.

I'm looking for a good restaurant (price not an issue) with great atmosphere, not overly stuffy or sterile, charming and/or inviting, but not fast food casual either.
Good food is the other important aspect. Not limited on cuisine type as we like most any style of well prepared food.

I've been gravitating toward Prezza and Excelsior. Wise or questionable?

Any thoughts or opinions?

Not surprised that everyone at Chowhound doesn't agree on a single restaurant - people are bound to disagree as it often happens here too. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Boston that its hard to go really wrong. And even places that are great one day may be off the next time you visit.

All I can add is that you rarely see Hammersley's given a bad review, friends ate at Dolce Vita last night and thought it was great, I ate at Massimino's last weekend which I usually love and was disappointed. Mama Maria's is also well reviewed as is No 9 Park. Excelsior is relatively new (to me anyway) and so I don't know anyone who's actually gone.

I find that checking out the restaurant's website is a really terrific source of info - usually they'll post the menu and have pictures. Then I'll check out Chowhound to see if the opinions posted match what I see. Another source of info is bostonphoenix.com and boston.com

Use cityscape.com for restaurant listings and they usually have a link to the restaurant's website.

Thanks, bennnie.
I've read lots of good things about No. 9 Park as well. A few 'overrateds' on Hammersley's (but sometimes that's just because a restaurant isn't new and hot, it seems).
Chowhound attracts a very particular crowd. People who know EXACTLY what they want. I had to laugh at one review which was passionately negative. The only actual complaint (when you dug through the rubble) was that this person had arranged to have several friends dine together at the restaurant, had gone so far as to call the chef in advance to offer specific suggestions (pretty bold) and was completely insulted that the chef did not come out personally and greet them and fawn over them as they ate! LOL!

I'll check into Dolce Vita and Massimino's, as well.

I ate at Excelsior recently, and liked it very much. The service was almost too attentive, the kind of place where your water glass is never empty, you don't ever have to touch your wine bottle, and if you eat up all the bread they bring more without asking. The dining room is a little softer than Biba was (it's in the same space) and therefore not quite as loud, although its still a little bit noisy. The food was absolutely excellent.

Radius is still one of the top restaurants in town. And No 9 Park or Hammersleys are good choices as well. Also, a slightly less well known, but very nice place, is Icarus.

There, now you have one more set of opinions which probably don't agree with Chowhound

Lydia Shire has opened Excelsior in the former space occupied by her restaurant Biba. Biba re-opened after being closed for a while for repairs due to a serious kitchen fire. But, the "regulars" never really returned and new folks steered clear because of the reputation for "stiff", "unfriendly", etc. service. I'm guessing they're trying to overcompensate now. My impression of the service was overly attentive as well. But, the food and atmosphere are extraordinary. The variety of offerings is amazing. Some of Lydia's classics along with new "creations". She's a master.

For the lobster experience of a lifetime, go to Jasper White's Summer Shack (there's a brand new outpost near Copley Square). Our favorite is the "pan roasted", but you can't go wrong with any of his lobster preparations.

While the food is excellent at Hamersley's, courses are often rushed and the place gets really, really loud.

We were underwhelmed at No. 9 Park, probably because we were not impressed with the food for the lofty prices. When you pay that much, you expect food to match.

djkbooks - I am surpirsed that you were underimpressed with no.9 Park but you liked Summer Shack. Which for the atmosphere and the food I found to be extremely pricey.

I would second the motion to go to Radius it is ag reat resturaunt with gret food. Another good spot for Boston restaurant reviews is the phantomgourmet.com. I use it a great deal when trying to come up with a place to dine.
Happy Eating!

To kln: Well, another example of the disparity on Chowhound and herein. We thought Radius a dismal and very expensive, not to mention total waste of time, dining experience. For those whopping prices one would expect an extradorinary experience - rather than a nearly empty (and "austere" in the way of ambience) dining room on a Friday night with hardly phenomenal food, along with a guy across the way making one very loud phone call after another to brag about his whereabouts and his "date" (obviously "paid for"). A classier place would have discouraged him from continuing this endeavor.

For the "pan roasted lobster" at the Summer Shack, the price and atmosphere (both of whic are reasonable, for Boston, by the way) are irrelevant.

I'm surprised at your bad experience at Radius. I've been three times, its always been crowded, and the food was outstanding.

I thought the pan roasted lobster at Summer Shack was delicious. But $36 is hardly reasonable for a lobster, even in a nice restaurant in Boston. And for a loud, noisy, crowded restaurant near a t station in Cambridge, that claims to be good for families, and extremely casual, its outrageous. Has the price changed? that was what it cost when we went last year, and I wouldn't do it again.