What are the best picks for a quiet romantic dinner place with great food and wine?

[mellospice]

I have been to Troquet, L'espalier, Upstairs on the Square, Rialto, Hamersley's, Lumiere, Aujourd'hui, Mistral,etc....looking for that special quiet dimly lit atmosphere with great food and wine. It is for a special occasion. What do you suggest? Thanks in advance.

[Guy Boccabella]

The Top of the Hub is a great choice. It's at the top of the Prudential Building, so you not only get great food but also a view. Unless you have acrophobia, this is a very nice place -- quiet, cozy, a wonderful place to converse. I think some people remember the previous Top of the Hub which was a tourist trap; this is a completely different version. It's high quality, and better than a lot of other Boston restaurants that think they're really good. The Top of the Hub, on the other hand, to me, succeeds on all levels -- food, view, atmosphere and service. Eric, VisitingNewEngland.com htttp://www.visitingnewengland.com

[jajjguy]

Including the undignified wait for a table at the elevators...

[mellospice]

I think if you have reservations, you need not wait by the elevators and you can wait up at the bar, if the table is not ready.

[carteduvin]

Many good recommendations here but one my wife and I really enjoy is Sage in the North End. It's small, low key, romantic in a less obvious way because it's more informal. But we've always had lovely dinners there (we've been two or three times in the last year.)

[bella_sarda]

It sounds like you've decided on Pigalle, but just wanted to add my two cents. I agree about the Blue Room not being sufficiently quiet/romantic---I happened to be at the Blue Room, in a group of "non-Valentine" diners, last Valentine's Day, and it seemed cramped and hectic. I just went to Locke-Ober and that seems less like a date place (more like a medium-sized group or family celebration place), although I did enjoy it very much.

[mellospice]

btw,bella sarda,or anyone else, what did you order at Lock-Ober for future chow....Pigalle does seem to be the top pick on this thread for all the criteria I have asked for...I will post after the event to let you know how it went. Thanks chowhounds.

[ElizabethHenton]

les zygomates on south street

[bella_sarda]

I had the JFK lobster stew as a first course, the lamb rump steak as main, polenta fries with truffle aioli as a side dish, and shared a Bailey's ice cream sundae for dessert. I also had tastes of the buffalo mozz ravioli starter and the watercress-endive salad. The star of the meal was the lobster stew. Delectable broth with just the right balance of lobster essence and cream (the soup is not at all thick like a bisque, thankfully), and lots of sweet lobster meat. The lamb steak was nice, served quite rare (as I like it) but could have been more tender. The flavorings and accompaniments to it (lamb tortellini and eggplant caviar, spiced curry oil) were excellent, however. The polenta fries were scrumptious: hot and crispy on outside, creamy on inside; the truffle aioli was decadent and delicious. Was not impresssed with the ravioli---the sauce was bland and a bit gummy; the salad was tasty; the sundae was good but over-the-top sweet. Next time I'm going to order the baked alaska based on its spectacular looks alone, however.

[finlero]

As much as I love the Blue Room, I have to disagree with the recs for it in this particular thread; it's many things, but 'quiet' isn't one of them.

[jajjguy]

Blue Room is excellent, less uppity and less expensive than many other choices.

[frankie Imbergamo]

My picks are--Mama Maria, via matta, tresca, oak room.

Frankie Imbergamo

[FoodFemme]

Bristol Lounge, OM, Scollay Sqaure, BarLola, Clio

[mellospice]

hi everyone. Thanks for all your responses. It seems that Pigalle is the next place to try for this romantic dinner. Any suggestions as to what is good on the menu. Has anyone been here for Valentine's day?

[BostonZest]

Can't help with Valentine's-- we never go out on those big "everyone is going out to dinner" holidays. But, I'm sure they will post the menu soon.

Here is a link to the website. It is a pain to use with cutsie screens and intros but if you click on the menu on the table you will get the menu.

http://www.pigalleboston.com/flashmov...

I adore their Cassolet but have had many other great meals there. This is a chef driven restaurant so go with your heart and you'll choose well.

[Gabatta]

Pigalle is definitely the place to go. They are an exception to the rule on major dining holidays (NYE, Valentines, Mother's Day). They will generally pull together an excellent menu with some special items.

[peelmeagrape]

Thought I'd toss out some more ideas: Uni, Locke-Ober, Meritage, EVOO. Some are more dimly lit than others and EVOO is more casual than the rest (the Somerville thing?), but all meet your requirements of quiet and romantic with great food and wine.

[Food4Thought]

How about Carmen in the North End (I got engaged there)

[enhF94]

This is less fancy than your examples, but the Blue Room is dimly lit.

[LindaWhit]

Salts or La Campania in Waltham.

[BostonZest]

We had a wonderful meal at Pigalle on Christmas eve. The Cassoulet is fantastic. My husband had the halibut. Every bite was perfect.

And, they do have that touch of romance.

[Rubee]

Pigalle would be my vote too.

[capeanne]

Salts or Pigalle and a tough choice between the two

[wittlejosh]

Pigalle
Blu