Boston/Near Boston Restaurants: HELP!

[3113]

Folk living in or around the Boston area, I need your help! Next month hubbie and I will be flying out there. We'll be hanging out for a couple of days in an area about 20 minutes from Boston. It will be our anniversary, and I'm looking for a good *quiet* restaurant where we can celebrate.

What's important to us is the following:

1) Excellent, New England cuisine. I see no reason to go to a French or Italian restaurant, no matter how good, if I'm going to be in New England. I want to go for the local cuisine at its very best, for the lobster and clam chowder. This isn't to say that the cuisine can't be "nouvelle" New England as compared to classic New England; we love the idea of a chef putting his/her own special twist on such recipes and taking them to new heights. We just want to know that the cuisine makes good use of fresh, local food and East coast traditions.

2) An intimate, warm, friendly ambience. If possible, we'd like to avoid the big, busy, snooty restaurant. We don't mind the place being up-scale and "dress-up," in fact we want someplace special, not just "Joe's Clam Shack"--we can go to Joe's for lunch. So yeah, someplace that takes reservations and is going to cost a little extra. But, hopefully, someplace that also has warmth and charm.

3) No place that's going to require hours of driving on secret back roads. We're strangers in a strange land. We'd rather not get lost and end up knocking on the door of some farmhouse for directions...and finding ourselves in a Stephen King novel

Can anyone offer *ANY* suggestions? Even if you haven't eaten at such a place but only heard of it, that will do. I'm very good at restaurant research, and all I need is a little direction and help from the locals.

With grateful thanks in advance!

 

[SeaCat]

Folk living in or around the Boston area, I need your help! Next month hubbie and I will be flying out there. We'll be hanging out for a couple of days in an area about 20 minutes from Boston. It will be our anniversary, and I'm looking for a good *quiet* restaurant where we can celebrate.

What's important to us is the following:

1) Excellent, New England cuisine. I see no reason to go to a French or Italian restaurant, no matter how good, if I'm going to be in New England. I want to go for the local cuisine at its very best, for the lobster and clam chowder. This isn't to say that the cuisine can't be "nouvelle" New England as compared to classic New England; we love the idea of a chef putting his/her own special twist on such recipes and taking them to new heights. We just want to know that the cuisine makes good use of fresh, local food and East coast traditions.

2) An intimate, warm, friendly ambience. If possible, we'd like to avoid the big, busy, snooty restaurant. We don't mind the place being up-scale and "dress-up," in fact we want someplace special, not just "Joe's Clam Shack"--we can go to Joe's for lunch. So yeah, someplace that takes reservations and is going to cost a little extra. But, hopefully, someplace that also has warmth and charm.

3) No place that's going to require hours of driving on secret back roads. We're strangers in a strange land. We'd rather not get lost and end up knocking on the door of some farmhouse for directions...and finding ourselves in a Stephen King novel

Can anyone offer *ANY* suggestions? Even if you haven't eaten at such a place but only heard of it, that will do. I'm very good at restaurant research, and all I need is a little direction and help from the locals.

With grateful thanks in advance!

Where near Boston?

If it's down near the Cape I might be able to help.

Cat

 

[reignophelia]

I'll be happy to help if you're going to be 20 min. Northeast or Northwest of Boston as well. I can think of a few places near Fanneuil Hall. Do you want to go into the city, or stay in the burbs?
http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
I know you said you weren't really looking for Italian either, but The North End has some excellent, excellent dining options. I also know where to get the best cannolis around - definitely worth going to lunch there.

Oh historic Concord as well:
http://www.concordscolonialinn.com/concord-ma-fine-dining-restaurants.asp

 

[3113]

Where near Boston?

If it's down near the Cape I might be able to help.

Near Marblehead. Don't know if that's near the Cape. You're talking to someone who knows diddily squat about New England.

 

[reignophelia]

Near Marblehead. Don't know if that's near the Cape. You're talking to someone who knows diddily squat about New England.

So you could even jaunt up to Gloucester then? I think you'd be happier going to Fanneuil Hall - the Cape (while being one of my favorite places to go) is kind of a drive from Marblehead. I left a link on my last post. Good luck.

 

[SeaCat]

I'll be happy to help if you're going to be 20 min. Northeast or Northwest of Boston as well. I can think of a few places near Fanneuil Hall. Do you want to go into the city, or stay in the burbs?
http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
I know you said you weren't really looking for Italian either, but The North End has some excellent, excellent dining options. I also know where to get the best cannolis around - definitely worth going to lunch there.

Grey Goose in the Hall.

China Town has some good places as well. (I remember one place, a hole in the wall that mad some fo the best Dim Sum.)

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Near Marblehead. Don't know if that's near the Cape. You're talking to someone who knows diddily squat about New England.

Let me E-Mail some of my family up there. They might be able to give me some places. (They're all on the Cape but,,,,,,,,)

Cat

 

[3113]

Thank you both! While Dim Sum sounds delicious, we can eat that in our own part of town (or when we go to visit San Francisco). I'd like to stick to restaurants with cuisines not easily found (or just not as good) on the West Coast. So think crab cakes, maple syrup, all that east coast stuff. In regards to this particular evening/event, we're looking for an upscale restaurant.

Of course, we'll take advice on other places for breakfast/lunch