Route 9 in greater Boston is a busy stretch of road leading to the towns of Newton, Wellesley, Natick and Framingham--all home to some of the finest municipal and private golf courses in the area.
Route 9, itself, is a highly commercial stretch with stores, strip malls, office buildings and some first-class shopping malls. The Mall at Chestnut Hill, not far from Downtown Boston, is one of these.
Bernard's
Bernard's in the Chestnut Hill Mall on Route 9 in the Chestnut Hill section of greater Boston is an upscale Chinese restaurant that puts a slightly American spin on the preparation and presentation of traditional Chinese cuisine. Named for owner Bernard Leung, the restaurant was honored as "Boston's Best Asian Restaurant" by the Improper Bostonian.
Most of the items on Bernard's menu will appear familiar to denizens of Chinatown, but others, like salt-and-peppered calamari, are not everyday offerings elsewhere. Soups are a highlight here and include a shredded pork, pickled cabbage and rice noodle soup, as well as a roasted duck noodle soup and a shrimp with cheese rabi noodle soup. There is an extensive dim sum--traditional Chinese brunch--menu, as well.
Expect to pay about 25 percent more for your meal than you might in your local Chinese restaurant. The tastes and the experience are worth it.
Bernard's
199 Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 969-3388
The Capital Grille
Steak house aficionados are already familiar with The Capital Grille. With 40 locations across the country and counting, The Capital Grille is a traditional steak house with high standards and prices to match. Try the porcini rubbed Delmonico steak, served with 12-year-aged balsamic vinegar or the enormous veal chop with Roquefort butter. If anyone in your party is avoiding red meat, suggest a satisfying 4-pound lobster. Smaller beasts are on the menu, as well, but you only live once.
You can order side dishes like Lyonaisse potatoes, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce or roasted cremini, portabella, shiitake and oyster mushrooms a la carte.
The Capital Grille
250 Boylston St
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 928-1400
thecapitalgrille.com
Aquitaine Bis
Aquitaine Bis in the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center--do not confuse it with the Chestnut Hill Mall--brings a little bit of Paris to the edge of Boston. The bright bistro/brasserie atmosphere makes for an upbeat and convivial evening. The menu includes most traditional French bistro fare, albeit with a few odd surprises. For example, the cheese plate appears on the menu as an appetizer served with candied nuts and brioche.
Here, the perennial bistro favorite, steak frites, is prepared au jus with a Périgord black truffle vinaigrette and watercress shallot salad.
There is also a daily plat du jour. Go on a Thursday for the diver scallops with duck confit risotto, sweet potatoes and roasted chanterelle mushooms, served with slim truffle haricots verts (French green beans), greens and a Madeira wine glaze.
Aquitaine Bis at Chestnut Hill was a 2009 Open Table Diners' Choice winner.
Aquitaine Bis
11 Boylston St
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 734-8400
aquitainebis.com
About The Author
Lois Lawrence is an attorney and freelance writer living and working in Stonington, Conn. She has written on many subjects including travel, food, consumerism, relationships, insurance and law. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1976, and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1979.
