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MyrnEats Sep 4, 2007 02:06 PM

Looking for a place in Boston to take our grandparents

My husband and I are looking for a place in Boston to take his grandparents. Although they are elderly they are quite with it and appreciate a great meal.

We would probably be going early on a weekend - say 5 or 6 on a Saturday.

My only requirements would be that there would have to be room to either drop them off in front of the restaurant and be able to park nearby or they must have valet.

It also cannot be too loud since they can't hear well.

I don't have a preference on the type of food, but nothing overly expensive - say no more than $25 per dish.

  1. t
    taxi Sep 7, 2007 05:11 PM

    Perhaps, Jacob Wirth's in the theater district would be a nice memory of the city for them. The food is decent and the prices are very reasonable. Plus, there is a parking lot right next to the place. Let us know where you ended up and enjoy!

    1. m
      mwk Sep 6, 2007 07:04 AM

      Hi,

      Another idea might be Pierrot Bistrot, on Cambridge St. They do take reservations, it's fairly mellow/quiet inside, and the food is good. Also, you can drop them off right in front, and park across the street at Charles River Plaza.

      http://www.pierrotbistrot.com

      1 Reply
      1. re: mwk
        e
        emilief Sep 6, 2007 07:48 AM

        You took the words out of my mouth- I second this. Nice food, nice service, easy location, no stairs.

      2. MB fka MB Sep 5, 2007 02:12 PM

        Are they able to manage stairs pretty well, or no? What about Laurel - it's the right price range.

        6 Replies
        1. re: MB fka MB
          wittlejosh Sep 5, 2007 07:47 PM

          Metropolis Cafe in the South End.

          Valet parking
          Entrees top out around $22
          Quiet
          Familiar, classic foods like roast chicken, seared salmon, and steak (all three are great)

          1. re: wittlejosh
            wittlejosh Sep 5, 2007 07:48 PM

            Oh, and I second the PRB suggestion. But I still might go with Metropolis.

            1. re: wittlejosh
              e
              edgewater Sep 5, 2007 09:04 PM

              If you are going with Petit Robert, I would suggest the South End location. The parking in Kenmore Square is iffy and the South End location has valet.
              Also the Kenmore Square location has stairs going down to it if that is a problem.

              Davio's and Fleming's would also be good options but might be a bit more than you want to spend. Check our their websites. They both have valet parking, easy access, good food and service.

              1. re: edgewater
                p
                pollystyrene Sep 5, 2007 10:35 PM

                The only problem is that the South End Petit Robert doesn't take reservations. I still haven't been to either location because I can't decide which is the lesser of two evils: no reservations or BU student wait staff.

                1. re: pollystyrene
                  e
                  edgewater Sep 6, 2007 03:39 AM

                  I didn't realize that the South End location didn't take reservations. I have only been to the Kenmore Square PR and actually the waitstaff was quite good all of the times I went.

                  1. re: pollystyrene
                    g
                    ginnyhw Sep 6, 2007 03:41 AM

                    The waitstaff is very professional- no BU students in recent visits.

          2. 9
            9lives Sep 4, 2007 04:05 PM

            I took my 80ish parents to LaMorra in Brookline Village and they really enjoyed it..I dropped them off and parked next door in the bank parking lot..This was a Sunday night..lots of posts on the board.

            It was a feast night and we didn't want to deal with the North End.

            1. finlero Sep 4, 2007 02:45 PM

              If you don't need to dine in Boston itself, the immediate suburbs may be your best bet, due to the combination of slightly lower cost and better parking situations.

              Two very different mid-priced places I've gone with "with-it" octogenarians, both to good effect:

              Rendezvous (Cambridge) - monthly changing menu, interesting world-inspired cuisine, entrees $20 - $26, easy drop-off right on Mass Ave, with an inexpensive parking garage a block away on Green St.

              Vinny's at Night (East Somerville) - fun, bustling (but not deafeningly loud) restaurant serving my favorite Italian American food around (love the veal marsala with homemade mafalde). The "over-the-top" factor is that it's located in the back of a convenience store. You literally walk past the aisles of potato chips and soft drinks to get to the surprisingly nice dining room in the back. Entrees easily within your budget, fairly easy street parking, drop-off in front totally feasible.

              6 Replies
              1. re: finlero
                m
                MyrnEats Sep 5, 2007 11:31 AM

                We definitely want to go downtown. That is the primary reason we are taking them out is that they don't get into the city anymore. Any other thoughts?

                1. re: MyrnEats
                  finlero Sep 5, 2007 12:36 PM

                  Hmm, a reasonably priced downtown restaurant with convenient parking and great food may border on the mythological...

                  Grotto (Beacon Hill) - charming, but reasonably priced subterranean Italian, great food, especially their risotti. All entrees are currently $21.50. Parking in the immediate vicinity isn't fantastic, but there are garages within a block or two.

                  Sel de la Terre (Aquarium) - very good country French from the team that did L'Espalier. Just missing your price point, all entrees are fixed at $26. Although it won't be cheap, valet parking is available.

                  1. re: finlero
                    b
                    BBHound Sep 5, 2007 03:02 PM

                    Second Grotto and Sel de la Terre.

                    Also Petit Robert Bistro should work well. The Kenmore location generally has available parking on Newbury St behind the building next to the Pike if the Sox are not home.

                    www.petitrobertbistro.com

                    -----
                    Petit Robert Bistro
                    468 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215

                    1. re: finlero
                      b
                      Bluebell Sep 6, 2007 07:36 AM

                      Getting down those stairs at Grotto might be tough, plus the sidewalks are also treacherous. Sel de la Terre could be a winner though.

                    2. re: MyrnEats
                      g
                      Guinness02122 Sep 5, 2007 02:19 PM

                      I hear The Paramount on Charles Street is nice. Also, there's a Daily Catch attached to the new courthouse just over the Congress Street bridge (closed to only walkers, but you can drive there from Summer Street) which has the best view of the downtown skyline. I have read some negative things about the food on this board though.

                      1. re: Guinness02122
                        p
                        phoebek Sep 9, 2007 05:51 PM

                        Please don't take them to the Daily Catch at the courthouse. I had dinner there recently, and was really put off by the greasiness of everything except the fried calamari, which was quite good.

                        Grotto is an excellent choice, but parking may be really difficult. . .

                  2. g
                    Guinness02122 Sep 4, 2007 02:39 PM

                    Where in Boston are you looking to visit? I know that Amhrein's in South Boston is fairly inexpensive.

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