PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

It figures that the Charles Hotel, which looks utilitarian at first and turns out to be luxurious, has a similarly deceptive restaurant. Decorated in upscale farmhouse style, Henrietta's Table serves (and prices) "supper" side dishes a la carte -- I didn't see the appeal. Baked scrod, roasted chicken, pot roast? Show me an American city that doesn't have a "sophisticated comfort food" restaurant. But I'm sold on the concept, hooked by the fresh, usually local, often organic provisions chef Peter Davis uses to create his . . . oh, fine: sophisticated comfort food. Complementing the top-of-the line meats, fish, and poultry are terrific breads and an impressive variety of gorgeous produce, prepared to let the quality of the ingredients take center stage. I especially like the bounteous salads and tasty desserts, but try any dish with ingredients you like: mysterious additions aren't a problem here. Given a choice, go for lunch over dinner, when service can be scattered and running up an unexpectedly large bill is unexpectedly easy. There's seasonal outdoor seating in the pleasant courtyard. The hotel's fine-dining restaurant, Rialto (tel. 617/661-5050; www.rialto-restaurant.com), serves dinner daily. Rialto made its reputation as a special-occasion favorite in the days when it served a Mediterranean menu, and the handful of hold-overs from the old days are the only surefire options today. The cuisine otherwise is exclusively Italian, presented in a style that seems designed to appeal to other chefs, culinary purists, and diners with small appetites and big wallets.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Boston 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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