A local French bistro with classic decor and a great selection of appetizers and entrees. Tucked below street level where you have a great view of some of the Back Bay's outstanding buildings, and you can watch the Newbury Street window shoppers pass by. Tables are available downstairs near the bar or upstairs in an open, but not-too-noisy atmosphere. A nice selection of wine is available by the glass, half bottle or full bottle. Some menu favorites include the Bouchee burger with foie gras, mussles in white wine sauce with cherry tomatoes, or any of the flatbread pizzas. If you manage to have room left for dessert, there's tarte tartin, creme brulee, and other French treats. Outdoor dining is also available in season. Reservations are recommended on weekends, and can be made on Open Table.

Don't forget to save room for their Tiramisu and Chocolate Amarena Cake!!

Azure offers rare and exotic seafood, resulting in a tantalizing shock to the senses and the bank account. A bit too expensive for any old Saturday night out, it's a fabulous place to go with parents or friends with pockets deeper than yours. Located off the lobby of the Lenox Hotel in the Back Bay, Azure offers its inventive New American fare in a mellow, romantic, and azure-infused atmosphere. The muted glow of backlit walls, glassed-in open kitchen, high ceiling, and understated gold accents that linger about the room soothe diners during what tends to be a lengthy and luxuriant meal. The menu is not lengthy but combines a number of classic delicacies with more innovative dishes. Decadent entrees like potato-encrusted Halibut and five-spiced roasted duck (both about $27) showcase chef Robert Fathman's excellent talent. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.

For over 80 years The Palm has been renowned for its aged USDA prime steaks, jumbo Nova Scotia lobsters, Italian entrees, warm smiles, outstanding service and an atmosphere like nowhere else. The walls are covered with caricatures of local notables and national celebrities.

This swanky Bay Bay restaurant and bar, connected to the Copley Westin, costs a pretty penny but will blow you away with its classic elegance. Serving New England seafood--including its award-winning clam chowder--in a five-star setting, Turner Fisheries is perfect for the quintessential power lunch. Armed with a $3 million renovation, the venue isn't your typical hotel bar.

The Vox is the perfect place to see and be seen. Although quite the meat market, if you are in the mood to schmooze it up and look your best on a Saturday night, it is a fun place as an outing with friends. Serving 27 of the most creative martinis around in a hip but unpretentious milieu, this swanky bar is Boylston Street's “It” spot. A mostly twenty- and thirty-something crowd fills the bar on weekend nights to down $9 martinis. It kind of has that 'beautiful people' vibe going on... which can be oh so good, and can also be a complete nightmare. There are some creepy types who frequent the place hoping to pick up the aforementioned beautiful people, but thankfully they are amusing to watch. Granted, the drinks are expensive, but with such tempting varieties as the Tiramisu Martini and White Crantini (a clear martini made for men who “don't want to be seen with a pink drink”), who can resist? 8 types of scotch ($8-14), 12 bottled beers and 6 on tap, traditional cocktails ($6-9), and wine by the glass ($7.50-10.50) provide ample variety for those morally opposed to martinis. Thanks to Vox Pop's massive space there's always a quiet corner to retreat to, even on busy weekend nights. No cover.

PLEASE NOTE: L'Espalier moved to its new home on the second floor of the Mandarin Oriental on Boylston Street.

UPDATE: L'Espalier opened its doors at 774 Boylston Street for dinner at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12.
Fearlessly led by Frank McClelland, one of the top 25 chefs in the nation according to Food and Wine, L'Espalier is as good as it gets. And it gets good. Ascend the narrow staircase into the first of L'Espalier's 2 classically-decorated dining rooms (get a table in the more modern upper dining room if you can) and prepare yourself for high-class French food, catering to no less than serious eaters with serious finances; this is one place that'll get you psyched for Parents Weekend. The menu is a standard three-course prix-fixe for $75: spanning a wealth of tastes, from foie gras to Hawaiian red snapper to grilled lamb, the seasonal selection is substantially varied and guaranteed to delight every palate (course if that isn't enough, there's always the 6-course Degustation Menu for $95; $135 and up with paired wines). But perhaps the best thing L'Espalier has to offer: their special events, like “cheese Tuesdays,” a 4-course dinner with matching wines and a grand cheese sampler, all led by the restaurant's top cheese and wine meisters for a bargain $55. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard. Afternoon tea: There are two tea service choices offered: 'Make Way For The Ducklings' ($27) - your choice of tea plus a selection of petit fours and pastries - and 'Red Riding Hood's Basket' ($36), which adds tea sandwiches and canapes. For 15 dollars further, a glass of fine champagne can be served with either. Vegetarian substitutions can be requested. The tea choice is a typical 8 or so varieties and your cup is refilled from teapots carried by the staff rather than leaving them on your table. The accompanying food includes lobster salad, cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, strawberry terrine and the classic L'Espalier swan.

This restaurant and bar is located inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Oak Room is a regal, comfortably elegant restaurant that offers a traditional steakhouse menu with a distinctive twist. The Oak Room is adorned with gold, maroon and green fabrics and draperies that complement the dark wood paneling and mirrored walls. Cameos and lacunaria accent the intricate white plasterwork that details the 30-foot-high ceiling and twin Waterford crystal chandeliers illuminate the room.

The Oak Bar has been recently restored and is reminiscent of a British Officer's Club in the Orient. The same dark wood paneling and mirrors that flank the Oak Room are offset in the Oak Bar by smooth marble. Heraldry symbols decorate the ornately gilded and painted coffered ceiling. The furniture and décor create an inviting atmosphere to enjoy a relaxing drink or close a business deal. The dress code is business casual, but after 6pm, no shorts, cut out or tank top T-shirts, hats and sport sandals.

Above the ever famous Daisy Buchanans, Ciao Bella serves up tasty italian fare like the best. Known for a good cup of capacinno, and equally known for their dark, upscale atmostphere. The prices are moderate. Want a updated version of a classic? Try the mac n' cheese. It's not of the blue box variety. Patio in the summer, and always busy.

Haru, recently opened in the ground floor of the Prudential Center on Huntington Ave., has finally come to Boston. For years this speciality sushi joint has been feeding california rolls and sashimi to hungry New Yorkers and Philadelphians. Bostonians now have the freedom to swing by their latest 6,100 square foot restaurant to feast on Kabuki and salmon without buying an Amtrak ticket. Haku also decorates using local artists and a bamboo garden. However fresh their seafood might be, it comes with a price. Haku is chic and happening, but not the most filling or affordable in the market.