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Tag: L’Espalier

  • Where to Dine On New Year’s Eve Weekend 2011-2012 in Boston

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    This is an outdated post. Click below for the link to:

    Where to Dine on New Year's Eve 2015 & New Year's Day Brunch 2016

    Time to make your reservations for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day dining in Boston.

    New Year's Eve, this year, is on a Saturday night and the New Year's holiday will officially be celebrated on Monday, so you have a long weekend to dine and enjoy the Boston restaurant scene.

    Tell us what you plan to do and share some of your best New Year's Eve Dining experiences in the comment section. 

    What's your goal in finding a place to dine in Boston on New Year's Eve 2011? Are you looking for a place to ring in 2012 with a happy crowd? Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration?

    We fall into the food-loving quiet celebration group, and we'll tell you about some places where that's possible. Plus, we'll give you links to find the places where you can celebrate in a more organized fashion.

    Everyone can begin at Open Table. They have a list of special New Year's celebrations at area restaurants. Sign-on to the comment feed for this post or follow us on Twitter for updates. 

    But, you can put a time into the reservation box and see what's available. Remember, many places have specific seatings, special prix fixe menus for occasions like this, and some may require a credit card to hold a reservation.

    On the Boston Chefs site, there's a list of member restaurants with details about their menu offerings for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There are plans for some great brunches on the 1st and that can be a wonderful time to gather friends to toast the start of 2012.

    • East Coast Grill is always fun. On New Year's Eve they plan, "a special heaven or hell prix fixe dinner menu." On Sunday they're offering a three course prix fixe brunch.
    • Either Toro or Coppa would also be a wonderul choice to start the new year with great food. Both have special menus for the 31st, and bunch and dinner on the 1st. Both should be lively.
    • The team at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge really knows how to throw a party. Their New Year's Eve Fete will be a four-course holiday menu followed by a New Year's Brunch and dinner the next day.
    • Hamersley's Bistro was the site of one of our most memorable New Year's Eve celebrations. They say, "We are offering a four-course prix fixe menu for $125 per person with a champagne toast included at dessert time. Ring in the New Year at Hamersley's!"
    • La Morra in Brookline– chef Josh Ziskin says, "La Morra will serve an exquisite 4-course traditional Italian meal with options for each course for $85 and a wine pairing for an additional $45 per person."
    • For a more quiet, refined evening, try Clio, Meritage, or L'Espalier.

    Where are you spending the evening? What's your favorite way to celebrate? Come back on January 1st and tell us about your New Year's Eve.

    Make supporting websites you use to gather information, like BostonZest, one of your 2012 resolutions. Some folks blog for fun, while for others it's a way of earning a living. By clicking over to Amazon from here, when you plan to shop, you'll pay us for our work. 

    Details:

    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photo: iStockphoto.com

  • Holiday Pops 2011– Where to Dine and Park!

    Readers and friends who have tickets for one of the Boston Pops Holiday Concerts are already asking, "Where can we dine around  Symphony Hall?" And, once the conversation is open, it's followed by, "Where can we park?"

    Please add your favorite spots for dining and parking around this area in the comments below. And, if you try one of our suggestions, let us know how it worked for you.

    HolidayPops2011-12-02Photo courtesy of Boston Pops (Photo Credit: Stu Rosner

    Here's our primer for a great visit to the BSO or Boston Pops at Symphony Hall.

    We say, make dining and parking a joint decision. Our first suggestion is always to leave the car at home or at a park & ride and take the MBTA to the concert. 

    But, if you must have a car at hand, the Prudential Center is our favorite parking place to recommend in the city. It has its own exit off the Mass Pike. It's connected to mass transit, has taxis available at the doors, and there's a great choice of dining options within the complex. And, best of all, Google estimates that Symphony Hall is a 6-minute walk down Huntington Avenue. (map)

    Prudential Options

    For wonderful food and great service at a reasonable price, we send friends to Sel de la Terre on Boylston Street for pre-concert dining. If you're driving, simply enter any Prudential parking area or use the restaurant's valet parking service. 

    You could even return for dessert and post-concert conversation and then have the valet bring the car around. Please, call the restaurant to confirm the details, especially if you're reading this months from now.

    If a splurge is on the menu, L'Espalier is right next door and shares that valet service. If a mini-splurge is more in line with your budget, reserve a seat in their Salon for a glass of wine and a bite before the concert, or dessert and a cheese course after. Both restaurants are accessible from inside the Prudential Center via the Mandarin Hotel.

     

    Newbury Street

     

    Park at the Pru and dine on Newbury Street. After dinner you can even walk to Symphony by reentering the Prudential Center and making part of your walk to the concert through their climate controlled corridors.

     

    Since we walk all over the city, we would consider a few of the restaurants on Newbury close to symphony. La Voile is a great choice for French Bistro food. 

     

    And, we love to stop into Tapeo for a few tapas at the bar or a table full of choices to share with a group of friends.

    Another Great Choice is Brasserie JO

    We also recommend that concert goers consider a Boston gem that's often overlooked– Brasserie JO at The Colonnade Hotel. This place always comes through with French flair, great service, and a good meal. It's also a short walk on that same map, because it's across from the Prudential Center. 

    Ethnic Options for less formal dining. 
     

    If you want an ethnic meal or a quick bite before the show, we have a few favorites to recommend.

    • Moby Dick – our friend Francine Crawford pointed us to this little gem. It's one of her favorite pre-concert spots.
    • Pho Basil on Massachusetts Avenue does Thai and Vietnamese food and pleases us with both cuisines. Here's a post on some of the dishes we really enjoy at Pho Basil.
    • Lucy Ethiopian Cafe is across the street from Symphony and is fun and delicious. But, give this choice a bit more time. The pace of this cafe's warm hospitality and made-to-order food is a bit slower than many places. They also have wonderful coffee and a selection of desserts for after the show.
    • India Samraat on Massachusetts Avenue between Commonwealth and Marlborough is a bit further away but still within walking distance, especially if you park near Newbury Street. This is a restaurant we enjoy sharing with friends. 
    • Chili Duck, right across Boylston from the Pru, is a hidden gem and another great spot if you're meeting the gang.

    Other resources and opinions:

    "Where to dine for Symphony?" is a question routinely asked of the crew over on Chowhound's Boston board. Here are a couple of recent conversations with some options that we haven't tried yet.

     

    Here are maps to help you find more options.

    Other parking around Symphony Hall


    Other restaurants around Symphony Hall

     

    If this type of information is helpful to you, consider saying thank you by starting your next Amazon shopping trip from here. They have the things you want including Boston Pops music and a full line of MP3 Downloads. 


            

    Details:
    Symphony Hall
    301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4557 (map)
    (617) 266-2378

    www.bso.org‎

    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photo: Courtesy of the Boston Pops (Photo Credit: Stu Rosner)

  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dining in Boston 2011

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    UPDATE: Where to Dine on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2015 in Boston

     

    It's time to make your reservations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, if you're planning to dine at one of Boston's fine restaurants over the holidays.

    If you have inside info on a local restaurant's plans or a favorite Christmas Holiday tradition, add it in the comments below!

    IStock_000002198510XSmallWhat's open on Christmas Eve?

    This year Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday night. A quick check of Open Table for a 9 pm reservation found far more restaurants open than I might have expected. 

    As with any holiday reservation ask what is being offered. Some places will present their normal menu, some will have a restricted prix fixe, and some will add special items inspired by the holiday. And, don't be surprised if a non-refundable deposit and credit card number are required to make a reservation.

    Holiday Traditions

    Our friend, Jackie Blombach and her husband always have Tea at the Taj on Christmas Eve. She calls it, "My Favorite two hours of Christmas!"

    Traditional Feast

    If you hurry and grab one of the spots at the table, you could indulge in the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes at Grotto and sister restaurant Marliave. (Both will also offer a limited menu in addition to the feast.) The Grotto website says:

    "The Feast of Seven Fishes, a traditional meal served on Christmas Eve throughout Italy. The Feast dates back centuries and the common belief is that participating in the Feast will bring good luck and fortune in the year to come. Marliave and Grotto will once again be offering our version of The Feast of Seven Fishes. The Feast is served over three courses and utilizes the great abundance of seafood available to us in Boston… " 

    Need a Holiday Food Break?

    If you need a break from the whole Christmas scene, you could wander through Chinatown and enjoy an alternative to the traditional holiday menus. And, if Chinatown isn't quite the fit for your gang, but you would like to nibble your way through an Asian feast, we suggest Meyers+Chang on Washington Street in the South End. Chef Joanne Chang is planning to add some special treats for that night but assures us we will be able to enjoy an evening of great Asian food.

    What Boston Area Restaurants are Open on Christmas ?

    Hotel restaurants, since they must serve the hotel's guests, are normally open on all holidays. In Boston, hotel restaurants open both the 24th and 25th include some excellent choices:

    More information after these features from AMAZON.

               

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    More information and reservations:

    Here's Open Table's Christmas Day page but remember, you can go to their main Boston page and request a reservation for the 24th, 25th, or 26th and see the full list of options for the time you prefer.

    Boston Chefs has set up recaps for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

    Subscribe to the comment feed of this post or follow us on Twitter, and we'll notify you of updates. So far, the ChowHounds and Trip Advisor crews haven't had much to say on the topic, but we'll post links if a good conversation from one of these forums gets started. 

    Details: 

    Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photo: from iStockphoto.com

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