Eating in Boston

I lived in Boston for a while and often asked to give restaurant advice to visitors. The following email went to a couple (friends of friends) in Boston for the weekend and staying near the Theater District. Now it is on the web for future reference:

I have been out of the loop for 9 months or so on the boston restaurant scene, but a couple of thoughts:

If they want to wander down to the south end, we always liked:

-The Butcher Shop which is a great wine bar with good food. It is next door to their oyster bar: B&G Oysters. Be prepared to wait if you want a table, but that’s ok cause you can drink wine and eat olives while you do.

-Given what I understand about the weather down there right now, the Hamersley’s patio would be a fantastic place to have dinner. Hamersley’s is a French bistro in the south end on Tremont street that has a really nice patio out front. In the evening it’s lit up with lights and is a really nice place to sit. They are known for their roast chicken. I have found the fish to be generally excellent there. It’s a little pricey. It's also across the street from the butchershop.

-Sage is a good, relatively low key Italian on Washington St.

Downtown and waterfront:

-Neptune is a downtown oyster bar that I have not been too but has gotten great reviews

-Sel de la Terre is a great place to get Sunday brunch (waterfront, not the new location in the Mandarin on Boylston

-the Barking Crab is a boston institution for fried clams, lobster, beer and general slobbery. Its cheap and fun. Big after work scene on fridays

Back bay:

-Casa Romero is a great Mexican place with a romantic patio. It’s a little tricky to find and you will definitely need a reservation to sit outside, but its good and not outrageously expensive.

Not so near where they are staying, the bar at the Liberty Hotel (called Clink) has a patio that will probably be mobbed. Place is upscale and fun. Will be a little scene-y (for boston at least), but would be fun for a couple of drinks.

Wild Card: there is a bar/restaurant called Jacob Wirth on Stuart Street not far from the hotel. Its weird, but sort of an institution. They have a great selection of beer on tap and there is frequently a guy playing piano and leading sing-alongs (I am not making this up). My recollection is that the burgers are pretty good too. Walk by, stick your head in and judge for yourself.

If they are looking for steaks or some kind of over the top dinner one night, let me know and I can make some other suggestions. Good luck