When foodies next look to be spoiled outside the five boroughs, they should consider a trip north, where Boston has the historical culinary edge. After all, it was the home of Fannie Farmer, America\u2019s first lady of cooking and author of the “Boston Cooking-School Cook Book.” She pioneered the American food scene decades before Julia Child moved to Cambridge and took over the leading role.<\/p>\n
This borough of beantown hosts the popular Boston Restaurant Week <\/a>held for two weeks each March with two-course lunches for $15.10, three-course lunches for $20.11, and three-course dinners for $33.10 at Boston\u2019s top dining establishments.<\/p>\n In addition to the prix-fixe hot spots, when you decide to skedaddle spontaneously this winter or spring, consider putting one of these seven Boston hotel restaurants<\/strong> on your dining out list.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One area where Boston can flex its culinary muscle is the hotel-dining scene. The trinity of New England cuisine, chowder, baked beans, and clams are alive and well, but there is a lot more depth to Boston hotel dining then these venerable classics. Hotels around town are dishing up a mix of American favorites and innovative cuisine in a variety of elegant settings, all easy to reach by foot in this relatively compact city. Most are located just off the Freedom Trail, Boston\u2019s famous \u201cfollow the line of red paint\u201d on the sidewalk that links 16 sites, so you can get a sense of the city\u2019s historic relevance to matters other than culinary, too.<\/p>\n Omni Parker House<\/strong> | 60 School Street | 617.227.8600 | omniparkerhouse.com<\/a> The Fairmont Copley Plaza<\/strong> | 138 St. James Ave. | 617.267.5300 | fairmont.com The Langham<\/strong> | 250 Franklin St. | 617.451.1900 | boston.langhamhotels.com Millennium Bostonian Hotel<\/strong> | 26 North St. | 617.523.3600 | millenniumhotels.com
\nIf you\u2019re tired of Nouvelle Cuisine and want to get back to basics, you\u2019ll have no trouble finding hotel dining rooms that are steeped in tradition. The Omni Parker House Hotel is where Parker House rolls and Boston cream pie were invented in the 19th<\/sup> Century. As the oldest continuously operating hotel in America, its history is apparent in its menu\u2019s commitment to classic New England cuisine. Specialties include nursery-style dishes, like baked scrod and clam chowder, prepared with local seafood. It is served by an entertaining yet professional staff who enjoy wowing guests with a list of who has dined there (think Kennedy’s), and who has worked there (Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh).<\/p>\n
\nBoston\u2019s other dining grande dame is the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Its Oak Room serves up a great steak in a timeless, wood-paneled setting, and the adjacent and equally clubby Oak Bar has a creative Martini list and a terrific raw bar. If it\u2019s mirrors and marble you are after, you\u2019ve come to the right place. This somewhat quirky Boston hotel even has its own in-house dog that guests can book to take for a walk.<\/p>\n
\nIt is not all chintz and crystal at Boston hotels. The Langham serves its Metropolitan Tea each afternoon in a cavernous space that used to be Boston\u2019s Federal Reserve Bank vault. The hotel\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Fleuri serves a chocolate-themed extravaganza brunch each Saturday, from September till June. 85 chocolate desserts are available, all baked in house, and served in an unlimited buffet. Chocoholics from around the East coast make regular pilgrimages to The Langham for this over the top treat.<\/p>\n
\nA modern flair is also present at the Millennium\u2019s North 26 Bar and Restaurant. Its light wood d\u00e9cor and clean style is a welcome respite from the chaos found next door at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. It is popular with those looking for a break from the throngs of shoppers and tourists. The menu, classics prepared with a light hand, does not disappoint.<\/p>\n