I will be flying into the states (IAD) on July 20 and flying to BOS on 29 July...Im playing on having a few OLD friends I havent seen in about 5 years to join me for dinner...What would you consider a GOOD resturant? I remember a resturant called The Haverst in Cambridge...Any suggesions ? The party should be around 16...
Lots of great restaurants in Boston. A problem you'll find is getting one that will accommodate a group of 16. Some of my favorites are just holes-in-the-wall (King Fung) or neighborhood bar & grills (Franklin Cafe). B&G or Neptune Oyster are great, but not for groups.
Clio is a great choice, inventive food.
L'Espalier is very upscale, reliable food, elegant.
No. 9 Park is very nice.
O Ya has excellent food.
Mistral, Oleana, and Icarus are also worthy of consideration.
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Great list from deubster.
Prezza (on Fleet) has always been a great "Italian Steakhouse", with a Calabrese flair.
Maruzio's (on Hanover) is a great Sardengian place -- 16 would require advance planning with them, but the food is quite excellent.
I haven't been to Excelsior in years, but they had a killer winelist when I last went.
Oak Room is a Boston "high Steak" standard; as is Grill 23
Don't fall for Smith and Wollensky's, which is in arguably the most beautiful building in the city, but the food is just B-A-D
Boston has a number of exceptional restaurants. Enjoy your stay.
For the OP's special needs, a private dining room of which there are many in Boston, might be appropriate.
Grille 23 was very good-- essentially a steakhouse but not clubby like a lot of those in New York, and it has become a place locals sometimes go for special occasions and visitors like to check out. They have two or three private rooms upstairs that would be a nice setting for a gathering along the lines of what the OP is considering. I went to a special-occasion dinner in the Wine Room and it was great-- fantastic service with the feel of being in a hot restaurant but also privacy so the attendees could spent quality time together over the meal. I think we were about 12 or 14 total guests. Not sure what the max capacity of the Wine Room is, but they have other rooms. All can be viewed on their website.
I think Davios is a perennially hot place. Aujord'hui at the FS has long been a place for special occasions. Mistral and L'Espalier are always on the lists of "bests."
Legal Seafoods is quality New England seafood in a non-fancy setting. It tends to have a lot of tourists, though.
Legal's, Smith and Wollensky and McCormick and Schick's are all national chains -- nothing essentially Boston-ish about them. I regard them as sort of expensive, well-appointed Red Lobster dining concepts.
We used to go the The Harvest on Brattle, near Harvard, when I was a young man (e.g. 1970s) and I'm taking my family back there when we're in Boston next month for a Red Sox weekend... very good choice, and according to the website they do private dining, which might be just the ticket for a group of 16:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MegatopLover
For the OP's special needs, a private dining room of which there are many in Boston, might be appropriate.
Grille 23 was very good-- essentially a steakhouse but not clubby like a lot of those in New York, and it has become a place locals sometimes go for special occasions and visitors like to check out. They have two or three private rooms upstairs that would be a nice setting for a gathering along the lines of what the OP is considering. I went to a special-occasion dinner in the Wine Room and it was great-- fantastic service with the feel of being in a hot restaurant but also privacy so the attendees could spent quality time together over the meal. I think we were about 12 or 14 total guests. Not sure what the max capacity of the Wine Room is, but they have other rooms. All can be viewed on their website.
I think Davios is a perennially hot place. Aujord'hui at the FS has long been a place for special occasions. Mistral and L'Espalier are always on the lists of "bests."
Legal Seafoods is quality New England seafood in a non-fancy setting. It tends to have a lot of tourists, though.
Aujord, IMO, is a wonderful place but given L'Espalier or Aujord (same $$$ ballpark), I'd pick L'Espalier every time. Aujord probably could hand a 16-top party better, though.
I don't get the buzz around Davios. I've been 6 or so times, almost always on business junkets, and I'm consistently underwhelmed.
Legal's, Smith and Wollensky and McCormick and Schick's are all national chains -- nothing essentially Boston-ish about them.
Legal Seafood is a Boston Institution and yes it is a chain now but good quality seafood. Same for McCormick and Schmick's. They are from Portland Oregon but I count them to one of the best Seafood places in Boston. Both places have an impressive fresh daily catch on their menu every day.
L'Espalier -- Moving in the Fall to bigger digs, at which point likely will be able to handle a group. They might be able to handle a group now by giving you one of their dining rooms (the restaurant is comprised of several small rooms).
Aujord 'Hui -- Probably could handle a larger group.
Mistral -- They might be able to handle your group. They also have a beautiful private room that might work great.
Sorellina -- A sister restaurant to Mistral. Large enough that they might be able to handle a group.
Clio -- Again, large enough that they might be able to handle a group.
No. 9 Park -- Wonderful, but no idea where they'd put a large group.
Mamma Maria -- Not a "best of Boston" contender, but very good nonetheless and well equiped to handle large groups.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumie
Any place that charges $29 for a lobster roll, as B&G does, has to be considered expensive. But it's not L'Espalier expensive.
Yikes, is that what it is these days?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumie
As to groups, I was assuming B&G would not give away the whole patio, but I agree that it would be perfect if they would.
Some other less expensive options with decent food that might be group friendly: Union for quasi-French-bistro/Gastro-pub stuff and Masa for Southwestern American fare. I've had a number of good meals at Masa.
