Traditional fine dining in Boston? (Somerville: appointed, houses, new construction)

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by traveler098

So there aren't many formal places in Boston?

Of course there are. I'd start with this list:

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/resta...nts-in-boston/

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by traveler098

So there aren't many formal places in Boston?

No, not really. Many formal/fine dining restaurants have closed. There is plenty of fantastic high end cuisine, but much of it is in a more casual setting. If you are looking for traditional white table cloth dining the places that may come closest include:

- Sorrelina: italian
- Ostra: seafood
- Mamma Maria: italian (more traditional)
- Harvest
- Menton: This probably comes closest to what you seek, but it is French-ish which you said you don't care for

[BosYuppie]

Also french-y but La Voille on Newbury is great.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by traveler098

So there aren't many formal places in Boston?

Not really. People want to be comfortable when they drop $150+ per person.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by traveler098

So there aren't many formal places in Boston?

Formal as in what? Requiring a coat/tie for the men? No, there aren't many places like that anywhere anymore. Not even New York. There are plenty of places I still wouldn't show up wearing jeans or short sleeves; and there are still plenty of places in Boston that offer formal service. To me, formal services includes perfectly attentive waitstaff, a knowledgeable beverage expert (sommelier or similar), and an acute attention to details both in terms of the food and the experience. If that's what you're looking for, I'd consider places like Sorellina, Ostra, O Ya (highly recommend O Ya), Grill 23 (though I think some of the top tier chains beat it in terms of the steak, Grill 23 is still excellent and very much traditional/stately and probably closest to what you're looking for), No. 9 Park, The Bristol, etc.

Really, Menton is probably your best bet for quality traditional dining as it's not fully French, but I'm excluding it because it does have elements of French cooking. O Ya has an outpost in NYC, but it got started here and I think it's still the best dining experience in the city, personally. I would also consider not turning your nose up at the "modern" places that look good - dining is trending this way all over the world and much of Boston's best cuisine is found in non-traditional settings.

[sawyer2]

OP is probably looking for something like Locke-ober which closed several years ago. I used to go there with some crusty old beacon hill hedge fund guys who always got the beef wellington .... it was like a step back in time.

I would also look at the menus rather than a blanket exclusion of french restaurants or you really will miss some of the best in Boston. It's not like they only have onion soup and coq au vin on the menu.

I would echo the suggestions already on here .... Sorrelina, O Ya, menton, No. 9 park and perhaps Mistral. For a steakhouse, try Mooo or Grill 23.

The Bristol at the 4 Seasons might be your best bet for the formal dining experience of old. Although I have only been there for brunch so can't comment on dinner.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by traveler098

Hi everyone i will be visiting Boston in a few weeks and while looking online at restaurants in Boston i haven't really come across too many traditional, formal fine dining places. Everywhere seems to be new and hip. Can you guys recommend me some formal fine dining in Boston?

Not into french food at all.

I wouldn't make a special trip to the 'burbs just for it, but I've been here and it probably more fits the bill of what you're looking for:

https://www.the-bancroft.com/

[chicagoliz]

Maybe Top of the Hub?

or, for steak, Abe & Louie's.

[G-fused]

Most higher end/historic hotels have restaurants that I would define as formal dining (not sure how to qualify fine dining). The Liberty has Scampo or Parker's at the Omni for example.

[emm74]

Traditionally, fine dining in Boston has very much skewed towards French cuisine. So the fact that many of the old standbys are gone, combined with the OP's stated distaste for French food makes this a pretty hard ask.

Personally, I'd focus more on places that are very Boston-specific, to enjoy what's unique about this great city, rather than a more arbitrary definition of "formal, fine dining"