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Set in a gracious townhouse, lit by candles, and staffed by impeccable waiters and brilliant cooks, romantic L’Espalier serves Boston’s finest contemporary French cuisine. Chef-owner Frank McClelland’s vegetarian entrées are every bit as sophisticated as those with meat.

Chef Jody Adams takes a luscious approach to Mediterranean cuisine, working magic with a simple basil cream soup, or using grilled tomatoes to give extra depth to her gazpacho. A green olive and balsamic vinegar sauce perfectly balances the unctuousness of her signature roasted marinated duck. The comfortable and soothing dining room is ideal for special occasions.

Chef-owner Gordon Hamersley presides over this defining South End restaurant. The menu is inspired by French provincial cooking but features the best of mostly local produce (don’t miss the lemon-infused broiled chicken). The bar scene is lively, and the outdoor dining tables provide one of the neighborhood’s prime social settings in summer.

One of the country’s most-lauded young chefs, Ken Oringer is dedicated to innovation. With an ever-changing menu he always looks for new flavor sensations. Few Boston chefs would dare to serve bone marrow custard with nougats of wild mushrooms and black truffles.

Everything old is new again since über-chef Lydia Shire took over Boston’s oldest gourmet restaurant (c.1875) and breathed new life into the classic haute cuisine dishes. Her crisped duck with elderberries and ginger achieves the perfect crackling over succulent meat. The city’s most established families dine here.

This gracious hideaway near MIT is the kind of neighborhood mom-and-pop bistro found more often in Europe than in the US, serving a menu of southern French classics such as braises and daubes in winter, and bright veggies and fish in summer. The 40 seats fill quickly, so reserve ahead to beat the slew of Cambridge professionals who consider Salts their secret.

High ceilings,huge windows and ultra-contemporary nautical decor could suggest you’re dining on a sophisticated yacht. Chef-owner Anthony Ambrose has raised the bar for Boston seafood with Asian-inspired twists, like seared tuna with a cucumber and ginger sauce.

Olives is home base for the city’s most famous chef, Todd English, who piles plates high with delights such as roasted pork chop on garlic mashed potatoes topped with a caramelized mushroom sauce. Huge and loud, Olives is a temple to bravura cookery. Reserve far ahead or arrive early and expect to wait.

Chainmail curtains dividing the cavernous room and a hookah lounge enclosed in a bamboo “tent” give Mantra definite drama. Chef Thomas John mixes his native Indian spices with French technique, like encasing lamb in a crust of poppy seed and cardamom.

Chef Michael Schlow blends multiple flavors for a single, clear taste fusion in his own version of New American cuisine. You’d think seared Maine scallops might get lost when combined with wild mushrooms, potato puree, leeks, and a truffle emulsion, but the woodsy flavors just enhance the sweet, salty taste of the sea. The restaurant is regularly mobbed by successful CEOs and their more glamorous stockholders.