Maison Robert, long the premier French restaurant in Boston, now combines that refined sense of service and decorously beautiful room with chef Jacky Robert's adventurous palate. Crispy quail, clove and orange sauce or ostrich marinated in pomegranate juice mix with classical French dishes. Expensive to very expensive. Creature comforts meld with the signature dishes of chef and co-owner Bob Calderone at Anago. Brand-new, this restaurant in Back Bay's Lenox Hotel already grasps the concept of titillating the palate with strong and sure flavors while making dining a pleasure.
Olives holds an enviable place in Boston diners' hearts.
Mistral is the newest Boston superstar - the place to see and be seen. Chef Jaime Mammano's straightforward cooking is the perfect foil for the drop-dead chic of the patrons who crowd the handsome South End place. The young and the restless crowd Ginza, in Chinatown and Brookline, late at night to sample sushi chef Toro Oga's fanciful creations. It's a happening spot at 1 a.m. but the sushi and other Japanese appetizers are just as good all day and night. Casablanca has been a favorite gathering place in Harvard Square, Cambridge, for generations.