Lively Dining at Pairings Boston

Forget your preconceptions about hotel restaurants. Pairings (50 Park Plaza, Boston)(Map) is both contemporary and welcoming, serving  nearly all-day dining at the Park Plaza Hotel.  The space is stunning- a sophisticated mix of seating, creative  lighting, an uber-hip curved bar and floor-to-ceiling windows/doors that overlook a pretty sidewalk space.

In the evening, mixing and matching a spread of hot and cold small plates really makes for a fantastic meal. Some standouts include the sumac crusted crab cake ($11), the char grilled fig with soft feta ($10) and the  grilled flat bread with olive tapenade and za’atar ($9). Wine choices are taken seriously, each dish has a suggested wine pairing printed on the menu.  The wine list is fairly impressive too- dozens are available in affordable 3 and 6 ounce pours giving you the opportunity to taste several flavor types with your meal.

Traditional dining course options are available as well. For entrees, the lobster pappardelle ($23) with wild mushrooms and hand-cut noodles is as fine a pasta dish as some of the city’s best Italian restaurants. At lunch, if you order the lobster rolls ($22) you will get two sandwiches! The dish features lobster from James Hook and the (requisite) toasted bun. The dessert menu is small, but the lime tort ($8) with wild berries is just-right sweetly tart and you can’t go wrong with the ice cream split ($8) with caramelized banana.

Image Credit: Pairings Boston