Dine Out Boston 2017: Downtown Restaurants To Check Out

Sure, you dine out. But in August you have the chance to Dine Out Boston. From August 6 through 11 and August 13 through 18, this much-antipicated two weeks (formerly Restaurant Week) gives you a chance to explore many of Boston’s finest restaurants. Lunches are $20 (a few are $25), while dinners set you back $38 per person. At those prices, you’ll have enough in your budget to try a few new places while visiting your old favorites. Here are a few spots on our radar.

Artisan (No 10 Avery Street, Boston): Just inside the Ritz-Carlton, Boston, Artisan is what happens when a European bistro meets a modern American restaurant. Chef Robert Bruce favors local farmers for native herbs, fresh produce, cheeses, meats and seafood and it shows in his menu. Dine Out’s Lunch begins with Roasted Eggplant Soup Mint Oil or Bay Scallop Ceviche. Second course is a choice of Grilled Lamb Chops with Tabbouleh or Block Island Swordfish with Roasted Asian Vegetables. For dinner, begin with  Duck Tacos and House-Made Kimchi or Ratatouille Croquet. Your entreé is either Bay Scallop Tagliatelle or Lemongrass Chicken Breast with Coconut Carrot Puree and Sherry Braised Red Cabbage. Dessert is decadent for both meals – Strawberry Shortcake or Cocoa Chambord Parfait.

The Palm (One International Place, Boston): Take a seat in the Vineyard or Atlantic rooms or on the outdoor patio overlooking the Evelyn Moakley Bridge and the Greenway for your Dine Out experience. Specializing in steak and seafood, their menu is grand but they’ll only offer dinner this year. It begins with a Mixed Green Salad or Classic Caesar Salad, then moves on to the main course –  a tender 7-ounce Filet Mignon broiled to perfection or the Classic Oscar of jumbo lump crabmeat, asparagus and hollandaise. For $12 more, order Chicken Parmigiana with linguini or Atlantic Salmon Filet. Individual sides include Green Beans Aglio e Olio, Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes or Creamed Spinach. Finish up with New York Style Cheesecake with raspberry sauce or Flourless Chocolate Cake with crème anglaise.

North 26 (Millennium Bostonian Hotel, 26 North Street, Boston): Located in Haymarket just steps away from Quincy Market, your meal comes with a side of people-watching. A two-course lunchtime dining experience begins with an appetizer of Lobster Bisque; Grilled Spicy Shrimp Skewers; or Red Watercress Salad with spiced wine-poached Bosc Pear and Blueberry Wensleydale Cheese. Entreé choices showcase local seafood (as the restaurant is known to do), with Lobster Tagliatelle with Chanterelle Mushrooms; Grilled Bluefin Tuna on Cashew Jasmine Rice; or Murray’s Farm All Natural Statler Chicken Breast Filled with Spinach, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto. The dinner choices mirror lunch, switching out chicken for a heartier Ribeye with Garlic Mashed and a Cabernet Demi-Glaze. The evening meal ups the ante with a dessert course of Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream; a Fresh Summer Berry Tart; or Boston Cream Pie.

Koy (16 North Street, Boston): How coy of this Asian fusion eatery, grabbing our attention with more selections than the typical Dine Out menu. Begin lunch with either Shrimp Tempura or Fried Yucca with a house sweet chili sauce. Then choose between brown sugar and soy-braised Short Rib Sandwich; Jajangmyun udon noodles with black bean bolognaise; or a heated stone bowl of Bibimbap, which can be served vegetarian, but traditionally has bulgogi beef, fried egg and gochujang chili sauce. Sweet teeth rejoice in a finale of Coconut Ice Cream with a torched banana. Dinner begins with Tofu Pillows, and continues to the second course of Short Rib Sandwich or Kamaboko Avocado Salad with slivered crab. They make decision-making difficult, with a third course of Bibimbap, Coconut Jerk Shrimp Scampi, Pan-Seared Salmon or Teriyaki Steak Tips. If you have any room left, indulge in Coconut Ice Cream or Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte.