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Lunch, anyone?
Globe reviewer Alison Arnett surveys the best spots for the midday meal
By Alison Arnett, Boston Globe Staff
Boston clung to a Puritan sensibility far into the 20th century. Work is work and lunch, well, lunch is something eaten at the desk from a brown paper bag. No time for frivolities.
The current economic boom is sweeping away the old conventions like cobwebs, and Bostonians and those visiting the city are venturing out of high rises for a midday repast. New restaurants, many in the financial district, are concentrating on lunch tailored to businesspeople's appetites and time constraints. Places that used to be shuttered until dusk are lunch-time converts.
There are several keys to doing lunch, particularly in the traffic-clogged center of the Hub. In order to make the break in the day relaxing rather than more stressful than work, it's important to map out the geography and the purpose whether it be a business lunch, the lunch to impress, a romantic interlude or the endless search for fun and cheap.
The business lunch: Hotel restaurants are a traditional mecca for closing or opening deals, probably because they tend to be quieter than other eateries. For those times when missing a word could be fatal, the Julien at the Le Meridien combines high-flight food with the luxurious surroundings, possibly the most comfortable upholstered wing chairs in town. Boston Harbor Hotel's restaurant Rowes Wharf is another luxurious and generally quiet dining room. Chef Daniel Bruce's cuisine is always worth stopping the conversation for, and he offers wonderfully flavorful heart and waistline-friendly selections as well. Chef Ed Doyle's finely-crafted food and the pleasant ambience at Aura at the new Seaport Hotel would blend well with business.
In the Back Bay, the Four Seasons Hotel gives two choices, the Bristol Lounge or the more exclusive Aujourd'hui for lunch. The luxurious surroundings and smooth service are matched by sophisticated food without a hint of hotel coffeeshop. One relative newcomer in Back Bay is Anago in the Lenox Hotel where chef/owner Bob Calderone serves soul-satisfying food to do business by or just enjoy.
But business doesn't have to be confined to a hotel restaurant. The possibilities are broader now that fine dining establishments have woken up to lunch-time's draw. Plaza III, a Kansas City Steakhouse, in Quincy Market, is a cut above other steakhouses, both in the quality of the steaks and the dignified atmosphere. The Vault on Water street is noisy and a little cramped, but all the better to overhear the deals going down at the next table. And chef Rebecca Estes' American-comfort cuisine warms the day. Joe's on High features its special sandwich, a sort of everyman's surf and turf, of a mega-fat burger topped with lobster tail meat, and sparkling raw bar selections along with a waitstaff who watch the clock for you.
Across the Charles, the newly-renovated Harvest in Harvard Square is resplendent, chef John Delpha's cuisine sparkles and the back room is perfect for signing that new author or snagging that whiz for your software start-up.
Lunch to impress: Boston being Boston, tradition and a connection to prestige hold more cachet than glitz or raw displays of money. No. 9 Park gleans sex appeal from the scent of power wafting from the State House across the street and chef Barbara Lynch's sensual food. Try to snag a seat near the bow windows in the front to catch a glimpse of the Common.
For those who like to be first in the know, Radius, the brand-new, hot-hot restaurant at the edge of the financial district will be tempting, especially with chef Michael Schlow's rarified cuisine.
Having the maitre'd call you by name at The Ritz Cafe should make that CEO whose business you're wooing take notice. (Call ahead to request the greeting.) The small room, all in rococo blues and dark woods retains its clubby charm with a menu updated for the '90s; just the slight bows from the tuxedoed waiters can woo a client from the hinterlands. Locke-Ober is unchanging in decor and in menu, but still evokes a bygone era with its carved mahogany and tables assigned by geneaology.
Another evocative place is Maison Robert, Boston's Old City Hall. Downstairs the lunchtime crowd is casual but upstairs, the spacious, almost hushed room with its floor to ceiling windows and beautifully carved wood are a gracious backdrop for the sleek French food.
When romance is on the menu: You're floating on air and so is he. Where do you go to hold hands under the table, and to nibble, of course?
Cafe Louis, in the Louis clothing store, is a little jewel-box of a restaurant. Now owned by Johanne Killeen and George Germon, of Al Forno-fame in Providence, the fare and the decor is as sparely beautiful and as satisfying as the clothes. After salad and maybe a perfectly roasted fish, you can stroll the aisles for fashions as rarefied as your love.
A cool green respite in the bustling Park Plaza area, Pignoli would be a perfect place to whisper sweet nothings or patch a quarrel. Chef Daniele Balliani's pasta could rekindle any flame.
On a sunny day, the dining room of Ambrosia on Huntington glimmers with light, a perfect backlight for spooning while eating chef Anthony Ambrosia's creative fancies. Even if it's cloudy, the place can lift your spirits.
Hibernia near Downtown Crossing is a rocking dance spot at night, but its rather dim nooks and crannies make a great place for a day-time tete a tete. Chef Chris Bussell does a nice job with the food, too.
An exotic voyage is always conducive to romance, even if it's just a mind trip. Penang on the edge of Chinatown will make the two of you think you're half a world away. Take two straws and one ABT, the colorful red bean and crushed ice drink and dream of swaying palm trees.
Upstairs at the Pudding in Harvard Square gives off good vibes - the dining room gilds tradition with prettiness. The pinks and greens of the decor and the sumptuous food will put lovers and others in a good mood. And in the warm season, the rooftop garden area is swooningly beautiful, just right for a betrothal.
Sometimes romance needs the long view. What better vantage point than the Top of the Hub restaurant, where chef Dean Moore's food has changed this once tourist-only draw into a desirable destination.
When the two of you want to slip away from the office crowd, the Claremont Cafe on Columbus ave. could be a destination. Essentially, a neighborhood spot, this little spot boasts simple, nourishing fare at lunch and a whimsical revolving show of South End artists.
Fun with the gang on the cheap: Your usual repast is PB&J from home or a cup of soup from the company caf. Now and then variety would spice the lunch life for you and your bunch or maybe you need a place to take that out-of-town guest.
The North End draws crowds at night, but is quieter in the daylight. Many restaurants are open for lunch and have reasonable deals, but it takes a bit of sleuthing to avoid red sauce overload. Antico Forno on Salem street is a project of the legendary Mario Nocera, chef of Terramia. Its ribollita (thick vegetable soup) baked in the restaurant's brick oven can brighten the coldest winter day, and the pizzas are great for sharing.
Artu, on Prince st. around the corner from the Paul Revere House, serves country fare in heart-warming portions. The salads sparkle, the pasta is good and the older waiters are particularly nice to children.
Chinatown is another lunchtime mecca - so many doctors and medical students from nearby hospitals and medical schools eat there that there's almost always a doctor in the house. And price is never a problem. Some places high on the good-food-and-fun-o-meter are East Ocean City, great for fresh seafood of all kinds; Peach Farm, cozy and family-style, and Suishaya, a Korean restaurant with delicious sushi and fiery hotpots. The dishes lend themselves to sharing, once you get the hang of chopsticks.
The best of the lot for cuisine is New Shanghai on Hudson street, where chef C.K. Sau's delicacies are served at amazingly low prices. Across the street is Ginza, where beautifully prepared sushi and sashimi can make a party of lunchtime. (Though restraint is necessary to keep prices from soaring to Toyko levels.)
The financial district has its own often-overlooked jewel. Sultan's Kitchen on Broad street looks like a regular takeout place - until you taste Turkish chef Ozcan Ozan's vivid flavors. From lamb kabobs to some lovely soups to grilled vegetables, everything is delicious and a bargain. There's a simple dining room upstairs so you don't have to schlep your lunch back to the office.
Almost hidden behind Big Dig construction on State street, Goemon Japanese Noodle Restaurant and Tapas Bar offers luncheon specials that make simple sushi affordable. The Black Rhino farther down on Broad street offers a selection of casual lunch fare for the business crowd in a sleek men's club atmosphere. Trader's, also on Broad, serves up the stock market ticker tape and business shows on TV along with a casual menu.
For a Gallic adventure at lunch, try Les Zygomate, the wine bar and restaurant on South street. Chef Ian Just offers reasonably-priced prix fixe specials at midday and the black and white decor is suffused offbeat charm.
The cyber-heavy Fort Point Channel district may harbor the next Bill Gates and other geek geniuses but eating here is spare. Cafe 300 on Summer street, where a nice selection of soups, salads and light main dishes are offered in a little space full of light. Yada Yada on Farnsworth street concentrates on good, fresh fare and simple counter service.
This is only a sampling of Boston and Cambridge lunchtime possiblities, enough reason for even the most work-obsessed to venture out.
