Aquitaine Bar à Vin Bistro has established itself as one of the premier French Bistro in the South End. You'll sigh in culinary ecstasy from your first sip of Perrier to your last crumb of profiterole. Everything—from appetizers to dessert—is absolutely mouth-watering and cooked to perfection. Starters range from gourmet escargot with garlic and parsley butter ($12), mussels ($9), or rabbit and foie gras terrine ($14) to the more traditional endive salad ($9). Equally delicious entrees include everything from salmon, sole, or cod to goat cheese ravioli, or steak frites (entrees $19-30). And if you're feeling ambitious, Aquitaine's extensive wine list offers a host of options for that $200 hangover you've been craving. Saturday Prix Fixe Brunch for $9.95 per person. They also serve a slightly pricier and more elaborate brunch on Sunday. If you are going to visit Aquitaine for dinner, and you want to be really impressed, try the filet au poive w/ congnac cream, grilled scallions and green peppercorns ($29). Aquitaine also has a sister restaurant - Aquitaine Bis - located in Chestnut Hill.

Mela comes to us from the One World Cuisine team who also run Bukhara, Diva, Kashmir, Mantra, and Cafe of India. The lunch buffet is very reasonable for the area: $10 weekdays, $13 weekends. Mela is likely the only Indian restaurant in the South End, but a very welcome addition. The service is friendly to children, but expect tight spaces, no kid cups or kid menus and to emphasize "very very mild spices please"/ They will however store your stroller for you.

Metropolis occupies what was once an ice cream parlor; today, there is no better place in Boston to spoon up cinnamon ice cream with chocolate bread pudding and caramel sauce ($8), one of the restaurant's rarefied desserts. While the ice cream here is exquisitely prepared, this trendy bistro focuses on innovative, Italian-influenced cuisine. Dishes such as the roasted duck with sun-dried plum, goat cheese, and smoked bacon tart ($20) exemplify how Metropolis' chef melds diverse and complex flavors with excellent results. The date-worthy atmosphere more than compensates for the lack of elbow room and the inevitable wait (call ahead). Entrees $15-20. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard. Customers squeeze into the tightly spaced tables and read the paper at the wrap-around bar.

This restaurant opened in what seemed like a revolving location for restaurants. It replaced Perdix, a venerable New American restaurant, and has established itself pretty firmly with a comfortable and varied menu. It is a favorite hangout of Povo employees for business lunches in the South End. The POPS menu offers familiar dishes prepared with a creative twist. Join us for a night of amazing, unique cuisine, fantastic and friendly service, and an atmosphere that evokes energy, movement, and celebration. Join us at POPS on Monday, December 15 from 11:30 AM until 1:30 PM for a spectacular Holiday Luncheon and Ornament-Making Extravaganza

A hidden gem in the South End that serves cocktails and oysters! From their website: In 2003, Barbara opened B&G Oysters providing the city with a classic yet stylish oyster bar. At the center of the dining room of this subterranean restaurant is an open kitchen surrounded by a white marble bar and black bar stools. Cool blue and grey tiles accented by stainless steel lend a calming oceanic aura to the space while the funky music playing keeps the mood fun and social. The menu offers exquisitely fresh seafood including a daily selection of 12+ oyster varieties, ready to be shucked, New England classics like lobster rolls and fried clams, and Mediterranean-inspired dishes. The selective and reasonably priced wine list features a number of whites and sparklers as well as a selection of smooth reds that compliment shellfish and seafood. Never tried a Gigamoto? No worries. This is a staff that loves their mollusks and bivalves: they can discuss oysters the way other servers might discuss a fine wine, able to describe a particular oysters origin, flavor profile, and farming method.

This place has the buzz. Situated in the South End, with the atmosphere of an artist's studio, you feel as if you're attending a great dinner party. Relax and take in the sounds of jazz and sip on a martini or a glass of wine. The food is fabulously yummy with fare from Moroccan to Italian, making any craving satisfied here. The best thing about this place, other than its funky vibe and hip atmosphere? It's open late. Get your food on until 2am, nightly. The Beehive will be hosting a Santa Christmas Brunch on Sat. Dec. 20th from 11:30am-3pm. There will be carol singers and photos with Santa. Families are welcome!

Sibling Rivalry, a restaurant located on Tremont Street in the South End, was started by two brothers. The brothers Kinkead, both chefs at the restaurant, have their own menus-diverse in nature and have to utilize the same ingredients while preparing a variety of dishes. Sibling Rivalry has what is called a "Chef's Bar," where people can sit and watch the kitchen staff in action. The bar and wine list is extremly creative, not to mention fresh. Sample menu items from Chef David's side of the menu include: "Pan Roasted Veal Chop Fontina Cheese Fonduta, Black Truffle Jus and Caramelized Onion and Potato…$38.00," "*Barbequed Lamb Chop Lollipops with Roast Acorn Squash and Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin...$32.00"--and from Chef Bob's menu: "Boneless Short Ribs of Beef with Roast Beets, Ragout of Salsify, Pearl Onions and Carrots, Mashed Potatoes & Horseradish Cream…$28.00," "*Pancetta Wrapped Monkfish with Celery Three Ways: Braised Celery Hearts, Celeriac Puree and Celery Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette…$26.00." The bar at Sibling Rivalry is also a happening place and serves a variety of inventive cocktails with an extensive wine list.

This quaint bistro has earned its many Best of Boston awards. Owned by chef Andy Husbands, a former apprentice to famed East Coast Grill maestro Chris Schlesinger, Tremont 647 is serious food. The MoMos ($8) and the lemon butter roasted mussels ($9) are appetizer favorites, and entrees like grilled tuna ($26) and Chilean sea bass ($25) reflect the cosmopolitan flavors the menu has to offer. Don't skip the killer desserts, which rotate at the chef's whim. Valet parking available ($8). Appetizers $10-12, entrees $18-30, desserts $7. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard. Consider the breakfast pizza. It's topped with eggs, home fries, ham, and bacon. During the dinner hour, Tremont 647 offers fare described as "adventurous American cuisine." Although the brunch is family-friendly, you may find dinner somewhat less so. The restaurant does not offer a children's menu, and the atmosphere is clearly geared toward adult dining. $2 Tacos every Tuesday night!

A vast majority of the menu is offered on flavor infused wooden skewers, the other half a mix of international fusion cuisine. Great cocktails and patio. The new dining and entertainment venture from the owners of neighboring 33 Restaurant & Lounge. Stix is right in the crossroads of the Back Bay and the South End, and offers a sleek design, wine bar (that allows you to bring your own collection in at a small cost) takeout, patio seating and live entertainment a few nights a week. The menu is diverse and international with 50% of the plates on flavor infused skewers, and 50% in entree or small plate form.