Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VERY EXPENSIVE
Troquet
NEW AMERICAN/WINE BAR Troquet is French slang for “small
wine cafe,” and it's a good name for this sophisticated two-level restaurant. The sec-
ond-floor dining room overlooks Boston Common, and the ground floor is a lounge
that serves “creative cocktails” and small plates to a chic after-work and pre- and post-
theater crowd. Troquet offers 40-plus wines by the 2- or 4-ounce glass and hundreds
more by the bottle. Because the markup is lower than usual, sampling several selec-
tions is surprisingly affordable. The menu recommends pairings, and you'll want just
the right thing to complement the exceptional cuisine, which emphasizes seasonal
ingredients and never overwhelms the wine. The word that keeps coming back to me
is
subtle
—a salad of marinated beets over baby greens was flavorful but not overpow-
ering; pan-roasted rib steak with root vegetables and potato purée was rich and earthy;
panko-crusted cod seemed perfumed rather than punched up with red curry and kaf-
fir lime. Best of all, whether you're a novice or a pro, the staff offers as much wine
advice as you need. I'll offer some dessert advice: sticky toffee pudding.
140 Boylston St.
&
617/695-9463.
www.troquetboston.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $26-$38;
lounge menu $9-$22. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Dining room Tues-Sat 5-10:30pm; lounge daily 5pm-1am (food served
until midnight). T: Green Line to Boylston.
EXPENSIVE
There's a branch of
Legal Sea Foods
(p. 106) at 26 Park Sq., between Columbus
Avenue and Stuart Street (
&
617/426-4444;
www.legalseafoods.com).
Ginza Japanese Restaurant
JAPANESE/SUSHI On a side street in China-
town, you'll find one of the city's best Japanese restaurants. Track down the nonde-
script entrance up the street from the Chinatown arch, settle into one of the two
rooms (in a booth, if you're lucky), and watch as kimono-clad waitresses glide past,
bearing sushi boats the size of small children. Ginza is a magnet for Japanese expatri-
ates, sushi-lovers, and, in the wee hours, club-hoppers. It's not the only place in town
where expert chefs work wonders with ocean-fresh ingredients, but it serves some of
the most creative creations (including “spider maki
,
” a soft-shelled crab fried and
tucked into a seaweed wrapper with avocado, cucumber, and flying-fish roe). An
excellent starter is edamame—addictive boiled and salted soybeans served in the pod
(you pull the beans out with your teeth). Then let your imagination run wild, or trust
the chefs to assemble something dazzling. Green-tea ice cream makes an unusually sat-
isfying dessert, but nobody will blame you for finishing with another round of Cali-
fornia maki
.
Ginza has a branch just over the
Brookline
border at 1002 Beacon St. (
&
617/
566-9688
) that's open until 1:30am on Friday and Saturday nights, 10pm the rest of
the week.
14 Hudson St.
&
617/338-2261.
www.ginzaboston.com. Reservations accepted only for parties of 6 or more. Sushi
from $3.50; lunch specials $10-$17; main courses $14-$23. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm; Mon-Thurs
5-11pm; Fri 5pm-3:30am; Sat 11:30am-3:30am; Sun 11:30am-11pm. T: Orange Line to New England Medical Center.
MODERATE
Grand Chau Chow
CANTONESE/CHINESE This is one of the best and
busiest restaurants in Chinatown. It offers niceties that the smaller restaurants don't,
such as tablecloths and tuxedoed waiters, as well as a nearly encyclopedic menu. Clams
with black-bean sauce is a signature dish, as is gray sole with fried fins and bones. If
you have the heart, you can watch your dinner swimming around in the large fish
