Bostonians of a certain age may have fond memories of
yuletide excursions into the city with Grandma, back when Filene's Basement was
a major tourist attraction and kids could goggle at the Christmas Village
window displays at Jordan Marsh. Times sure have changed: there's a giant
crater where Filene's once stood, and Jordan Marsh is now a Macy's, its
animatronic Victorian carolers banished to a suburban Jordan's Furniture. Even
if you're still employed, chances are Downtown Crossing isn't first on your
list of holiday shopping destinations anymore.
However, the Downtown Crossing Partnership has spearheaded some
promising efforts to revitalize the area, and not all of the neighborhood's old
glories have withered away. Fading fine-dining institution Locke-Ober
(3 Winter Place, Boston, 617.542.1340) got a second life when Lydia Shire took
it over in 2001, restoring its Victorian mahogany-and-mirrored luster and
refreshing its fusty menu. But shortly after last year's financial crisis hit,
Locke-Ober suspended its lunch service: you know times are tough when a place
that caters to the well-heeled can't fill up its midday seating chart. Now
there's a glimmer of hope: Locke-Ober recently reopened for lunch, offering a
two-course prix fixe for a mere $18.75. The dining room is once again buzzing
with deal-making Financial District suits, frosty Beacon Hill Brahmins with
lockjawed accents, and the occasional older-man/much-younger-babe tandem.
The luncheon menu changes weekly, but one appetizer typical of
Shire's updated Continental/Olde New England fare is the Baked Giant Sea Clam
"Casino." A gargantuan bivalve is baked, chopped, creamily dressed with
breadcrumbs and lemon and lots of garlic, topped with excellent lean bacon, and
served in the shell - like a Rhode Island stuffed quahog that went to finishing
school. Another bit of modernized mid-century cooking is the surf 'n' turf entree
called Oscar's Petit Filet Mignon, a small, thick chunk of beef tenderloin
pleasantly charred and perfectly medium-rare, bedecked with a fat tail-on prawn
stuffed with crabmeat. It's accompanied by a fine red wine sauce, good mashed
potatoes, and too-underdone green beans. There's no knock-your-socks-off
innovation here, just platefuls of high-quality ingredients in the kind of
traditional preparations that Grandma would still find familiar and comforting
after prowling the nearby shops. She wouldn't kick at the prices, either: this
might be the sweetest bargain of a fancy lunch in town. So soak up the vintage
atmosphere - and perhaps a glass of the 2004 Château D'Agassac ($16), a lovely
Bordeaux. This tranquil, gilded oasis is just the spot to recall more innocent,
flush, and carefree Decembers in downtown Boston.
