Dinner and a [ ! ] in Boston

by Christine Liu - Citysearch Editor - 60 Reviews - 100 Lists

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Updated: January 23, 2009

Not that there's anything wrong with the dinner and a movie formula, but we can all agree that the romance wheel needs some serious greasing once in a while. Pepper the routine with victory dancing or beat-boxing, whatever it takes to get physical.

Is This Dessert, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

  1. 1 3 Star Rating: Average Hungry Mother
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    233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge, MA 02141 (map)

    [ARTHOUSE FILM] Yeah, this might look like the scenario we're trying to avoid. However, the dinner part of the equation is extraordinary, a humbly spectacular French-Southern feast with local regulars. And if you pop in before 6pm, the restaurant staff will personally fetch $6 tickets for your desired film at the next-block-over Kendall Landmark Cinema. Hearts melting yet?

  2. 2 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended ZuZu!
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    474 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 (map)

    [SOUL TRAIN] The swank lounge, dishing exotic platters like kibbeh mishi and tagine, transforms into a groove box come late evening. Mambo bands, punk sing-a-longs and DJ lineups rotate nightly. Just watch the whipped garlic--it's tasty but potent, making any potential kissing a super-stinky proposition.

  3. 3 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Medieval Manor Theatre
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    246 E Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02118 (map)

    [WENCH] This South End castle of kitsch is deservedly the butt of many Boston jokes. But the fact that they've courted diners with faux dragon soup and flagon-wielding song for more than three decades is no laughing matter. "Fool around tonight," as they suggest, and lest you ask: Nay, there are no horses, and if you're seeking a dungeon, look elsewhere.

  4. 4 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Bella Luna Restaurant--RELOCATED
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    405 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (map)

    [BOWL-A-THON] It's one thing for a bowling alley to have food (uh, nachos, dear?). It's quite another for a chef-driven restaurant to feature bowling. Kissing cousins Bella Luna and Milky Way Lounge and Lanes elevate the latter scenario, with savory Mediterranean courses fueling a post-meal silly-shod strike-out with live bands, beer and DJs.

  5. 5 3.5 Star Rating: Average UpStairs on the Square
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    91 Winthrop St, Cambridge, MA 02138 (map)

    [IVORY-TICKLING] Humphrey Bogart is woefully absent, but the piano man serenading UpStairs' Monday Club diners comes awfully close to the Casablanca fantasy--only in more zebra-striped environs. Joe della Penna struts Sinatra and Gershwin on the lavender (yup) upright every Monday evening, as you toast, once again, to the beginning of a beautiful friendship.