Boston Restaurant Week

With over 212 restaurants participating in this year’s Boston Restaurant Week it’s difficult to know where to begin. However, consider this a cheat sheet for the visitor with limited time to spend in the city, A Top 5 list based on cuisine, ambiance and price.

Best Sea Food Pick: Legal Sea Foods

New England is the land of lobster rolls, crab cakes and clam chowder. Seafood is serious stuff that is not to be treated lightly, and one restaurant that adheres to the area’s history and tradition of excellent seafood is Legal Sea Foods, a chain with a location in Copley. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s popular enough to be a chain, it’s popular for a reason and has been consistently voted #1 in Zagat’s Boston survey for it’s tremendous menu. Generally the prices are a little on the higher side so the time is now to take advantage of the $33.09 prix fixe menu including an appetizer, entrée and dessert.

www.legalseafoods.com

100 Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: (617) 266-7775

Best Eclectic Cuisine Pick: The Blue Room

Out of the way from the usual hustle and bustle of the city, The Blue Room is located in East Cambridge and is commonly known as “Foodie Heaven”. It has been reviewed by all the top magazines and has won accolades from Wine Spectator, Food and Wine, Gourmet, and Boston Magazine. In addition to offering a 3-course prix fixe menu that would make someone with even the most indifferent taste buds salivate, for $48.09 they’re offering wine pairings from their famous cellar. If you can only pick one restaurant to visit during the week, pick this one.

www.theblueroom.net

One Kendall Square

Cambridge

Phone: 617-494-9034

Best Sushi Pick: Osushi

Osushi in the Back Bay area stands out above the crowd, especially in an area that’s overrun with mediocre sushi restaurants. The sushi speaks for itself but the restaurant is one of the hippest sushi spots in the city and boasts a sexy and stylish clientele. Intimidating stuff for an outsider but don’t fret, the sushi bar is very welcoming, even if you look like you’ve been sight seeing all day.

www.osushirestaurant.com

10 Huntington Ave

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: (617) 266-2788

Best Italian Cuisine Pick: Rialto

Boston boasts a proud and loyal population of Italian-Americans and for them, Italian food is and always will be the best food. One restaurant where it’s almost impossible to deny this claim is at Rialto, located in the Charles Hotel. On a rotating basis, regional Italian specialties are prepared with fresh New England ingredients creating a beautiful marriage between new and old world gastronomy. What makes this restaurant a favorite amongst Bostonians is the thoroughness of the menu, highlighting dishes from the North, South and everything in between.

www.rialto-restaurant.com

One Bennett Street

Cambridge

Phone: 617-661-5050

Best French Bistro Pick: Chez Henri

At it’s worst French food can be overly ornate, stuffy and pretentious, but what makes Chez Henri so far apart from that mold is its Cuban twist that has won it 5 Best of Boston awards in consecutive years. Chez Henri specializes in time tested French favorites, reinvented; like steak frites with ‘toasted garlic bordelaise and spicy Cuban fries’ and foie gras with a ‘petite plantain Belgian waffle and pink peppercorn maple syrup’. For something a little more adventurous than the typical French bistro, Chez Henri offers the eater an adventure without the sense of danger that comes with not knowing whether one is going to like it or not. Every dish is a hit and it’s hard not to leave without feeling full and happy.

www.chezhenri.com

1 Shepard Street

Cambridge

Phone: 617-354-8980