Where to Dine - Boston 2009 - page 99

6

Where to Dine

F riends tell me I'm too tough, that a
so-so meal at a particular restaurant
shouldn't automatically exclude it from
this chapter. They want me to give their
favorite neighborhood place another
chance.
I think I'm not tough enough. My
friends and I live here, and we can easily
try that disappointing restaurant again.
You're here for just a few days, and you
probably don't have the time—or inclina-
tion or budget—for many second chances.

That's not to say that every restaurant
in this chapter gets high marks for every
aspect of every meal. If the space isn't the
loveliest, the service isn't the greatest, or
(rarely) the food is less impressive than
some other element of the experience, I'll
point that out.
The guiding thought for this chapter,
without regard to price, was, “If this were
your only meal in Boston, would you be
delighted with it?” At all of the restau-
rants that follow, the answer, for one rea-
son or another, is yes.

1 Best Restaurant Bets

• Best Seafood: Legal Sea Foods, 255 State St. ( & 617/227-3115 ) and other loca-
tions, does one thing and does it exceptionally well. It's a chain for a great reason:
People can't get enough of the freshest seafood around. See p. 106.
• Best Raw Bar: The raw bar at Ye Olde Union Oyster House, 41 Union St.
( & 617/227-2750 ), is a tasty blend of new and old: The shellfish is ultrafresh,
and the restaurant has been a Boston institution for the better part of 2 centuries.
See p. 115.
• Best Place for a Classic Boston Experience: Durgin-Park, 340 Faneuil Hall
Marketplace ( & 617/227-2038 ), has packed 'em in since 1827. From tycoon to
out-of-towner, everyone is happy here except the famously crotchety waitresses.
It's a classic, not a relic. See p. 115.
• Best Place for a Classic Cambridge Experience: The East Coast Grill & Raw
Bar, 1271 Cambridge St., Cambridge ( & 617/491-6568 ), is a colorful blur of a
place that deserves its national acclaim. When New York Times food critic Frank
Bruni wanted “a taste of what servers go through,” he spent a week on the staff
here. See p. 135.
• Best Spot for Romance: Soaring ceilings, colorful decor, and (seasonally) a roaring
fire make the atmosphere in the Monday Club Bar at Upstairs on the Square, 91
Winthrop St., Cambridge ( & 617/864-1933 ), perfect for a rendezvous. See p. 130.
• Best Spot for a Celebration: Cool your heels at the bar at Dalí, 415 Washing-
ton St., Somerville ( & 617/661-3254 ), and toast your good news with sangria
while you wait for a table. The dishes on the tapas menu are perfect for sharing,
and the atmosphere is lively and festive. See p. 134.