Restaurant suggestion in Boston
 

Three of us are going to have a night free in Boston after we pack up an exhibit in August. We are looking for an interesting restauarnt--cheap or expensive--with which to reward ourselves. We are adventurous eaters and will try almost anything. Please no chains though.

Redbones in Davis Square, Somerville for ribs and barbecue.
Tapeo on Newbury Street or Dali's in Somerville for Spanish food.
the Blue Ginger in Wellesley for Ming Tsai's east meets west cuisine.
The Elephant Walk in Cambridge or Waltham (its sister restaurant) for French-Cambodian.

Chowhounds would be a great resource for you.

http://www.chowhound.com/

The The Helmand in Cambridge near the Galleria Mall. Afghan food, excellent. I also recommend Red Bones and The Elephant Walk.

I recently ate at Beehive in the South End. I wouldn't describe the menu as requiring an adventuresome spirit (very much "modern American" type fare), but I liked what I had -- pepardelle with wild mushrooms. I found the space interesting and later on the place becomes a jazz club. Downstairs, where the performance stage is, is much more spacious than upstairs.

there are loads of good choices...some idea of what intrigues you would help me pick one or two. Or even location or budget. But let me give you a couple of fairly upscale options:

Oleana in Cambridge...Middle eastern influenced, very well done and interesting. Especially nice because they have outdoor dining.

Excelsior, right on the Common...Lydia Shire's restaurant isn't quite as adventuresome as Biba was (where there was an entire menu section devoted to offal), but still excellent.

Craigie Street Bistro.. in Cambridge. a little harder to get to, but so worth it. One of the best in Boston. But you MUST reserve, they really don't take walkins because its so small.

There are hundreds of good restaurants in Boston. What neighborhood will you be in?

If you like and appreciate (same thing?) French food and food philosophy, you can't get any closer in Boston (the States??) than Craigie St. Bistro, outside of Harvard Square in Cambridge, as mentioned above. Chef Tony Maws trained in France and really internalized the concept of "terroir" - eating the very best of what's good and fresh on any given day. The menu , thus, changes according to what he and his staff find at the early AM markets, plus his chef's instinct and whim. If available, go for the marrow bone side dish - maybe a bit too heavy for a hot night, but so good...If you do go, I agree that a res. is a must. Might be fun to have a drink at Rialto at The Charles Hotel in the heart of Harvard Sq. and then cab it to Craigie St... This place is really about the food - if you want more "scene" and very good food you can try Mistral - really pricey and a bit attitude-y, but lots of buzz. Nearby is Bouchon, also French, a fun bistro on Newbury St., which you may have already discovered if your exhibit was around there...Obviosuly, this post shows where my food-interests lie...there is plenty of other good food in and around Boston...Chinatown is great (Grand Chau Chau), and I agree about Elephant Walk as a fun place...have fun!

Go to the North End and have an Italian dinner followed by a pastry place (Mike's Pastry comes to mind ;)) for espresso or capuccino and pastry. Yummy.

FYI, if you take msm4's suggestion, there is actually a free "restaurant shuttle" that leaves from the Charles hotel parking garage and goes as far as Craigie Street. I've never used it, but I've seen it there.

Try the "East Coast Grill" in Cambridge. Great seafood and real BBQ.

When in August. Boston has a thing in August called Restaurant Week (not really a week, actual dates 8/5-10 and 8/12-17). Many great restaurants offering 3 course lunch and/or dinner at fixed price at about $20/$33 per person - far lower than what meal would normally be at these places.

Website is BostonUSA.com/RestaurantWeek

We thought Legal Seafood was good. Just there on an overnight, so not much time to explore restaurants.

I found a recommendation, for my recent Boston visit, for the North End Grill and was very happy with it. It is a small place, reservations recommended, not that expensive but with great food. My suggestion (here is a longer story of the visit) : http://www.seetheglobe.com/modules/w...=6&lid=476