New England–French Fusion | Local Ingredients | Vegetarian Degustation | Weekend Tea Parties | Ultramodern Decor

Sample Menu

• First course: roasted Hudson Valley foie gras with muscat-macerated strawberries, Sicilian pistachios, and beets cooked in embers
• Second course: hot smoked Columbia River salmon with seasonal vegetables from Apple Street Farm and tomato jam
• Dessert: sunflower-honey sponge cake with pansies and honey frozen yogurt

When to Go: L'Espalier serves lunch and dinner daily, but guests can also book a reservation for the restaurant's charming Fantasy Tea Party on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, eager Anglophiles can nibble on delicate tea sandwiches and petits fours between sips of one of more than 15 teas.

While You're Waiting

• Honor Chef Frank McClelland, who grows much of the restaurant's produce on his own farm, by planting an amuse-bouche under your chair and waiting patiently for it to sprout.
• Ogle the dining room's ultramodern decor and custom chandeliers—both the result of the renowned interior-design firm Projects Design Associates.

Inside Tips

• Herbivores rejoice! L'Espalier offers a four-course degustation of seasonal vegetables that's 100% vegetarian.
• If you’re a cheese aficionado, don’t miss fromager Louis Risoli's lovingly curated à la carte cheese tray, which was named the city's best by Boston Magazine.
• Make reservations before you go.
• Look the part. Though there is no set-in-stone dress code, the restaurant prefers guests wear jackets and ties.

While You're in the Neighborhood
Before: Pore over some long-forgotten tomes at Raven Used Books (263 Newbury Street), which Boston Magazine named the city's top used bookstore in 2012.

After: Treat your ears to the same rapturous joy that your mouth just experienced with a show from the Boston Symphony Orchestra (301 Massachusetts Avenue).