French Restaurants in Massachusetts
- For travelers, the state of Massachusetts offers many destinations, including historic Boston, the educational center of Cambridge with the campuses of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the beaches at Nantucket and Cape Cod. Visitors to Massachusetts have numerous dining options to enjoy during their trip, including French restaurants. These establishments range from upscale restaurants that feature both classic dishes and innovative new dishes to bistros with outdoor seating.
- L'Espalier is adjacent to the Prudential Center shopping area in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. The restaurant held "Zagat" dining guide ratings of "extraordinary to perfection" for its food and service as of August 2010. For dinner, the restaurant offers a three-course prix fixe menu, which changes with the seasons. Past entrees include roasted squab in raspberry foie gras butter, dry-aged duck breast with broccoli rabe and striped sea bass with escarole. Caviar and imported French cheeses also are available on the menu. The restaurant also features a four-course tasting menu. For dessert, try the milk chocolate banana macadamia pudding with chocolate sorbet. The wine list changes frequently and highlights domestic bottles as well as French imports from the regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley, Southern France and Alsace. L'Espalier serves lunch and dinner daily. High tea is held on the afternoons on Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations are highly recommended and accepted online or over the telephone. A jacket is suggested for men, while business casual attire is the norm for women.
L'Espalier
774 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02199
617-262-3023
lespalier.com - Established in January 1996, Sandrine's is in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge, less than two miles from the Peabody Museum, the Harvard Science Center and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. As of 2010, the restaurant held "Zagat" ratings of "very good to excellent" for its food, service and decor. To begin the meal, the restaurant offers 13 appetizers, including the traditional tarte flambee, a crispy flatbread topped with bacon and caramelized onions that originates from the Alsace region of France. Among the dinner entrees is the Long Island duck breast served with spring pea risotto in a blood orange and raspberry sauce. Another is the filet mignon available topped with truffle butter by request. Daily prix fixe and five-course tasting menus also are featured. The bar specializes in cocktails like the restaurant's signature rhy Manhattan. Sandrine's serves lunch Mondays through Saturdays and dinner nightly. Reservations are highly recommended and arrangeable online or over the phone. Business casual attire is suggested.
Sandrine's
8 Holyoke St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-497-5300
sandrines.com - Le Languedoc Bistro is located inside of Le Languedoc Inn in Nantucket. The restaurant had "Zagat" ratings of "extraordinary to perfection" for its food and service and "very good to excellent" for its decor as of August 2010. To begin the meal, the restaurant offers platters of chilled seafood, oysters or charcuterie intended for sharing. Popular first courses include the lobster bisque and the cheese souffle baked fresh and garnished with sauce mornay. For the entree, seafood lovers may opt for the locally-caught fluke served in a brown butter sauce along with a creamy artichoke dish that originates from France's Provence region. Another dinner option is the leek-wrapped braised beef accompanied by foie gras and grilled cipollini onions. Featuring 150 selections, the wine list is a past recipient of the "Wine Spectator" "Award of Excellence." Le Languedoc Bistro serves lunch on Saturday and Sunday and dinner Tuesdays through Sundays. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Reservations are required. Upscale casual attire is recommended. Outdoor dining is available on the restaurant's patio, weather permitting.
Le Languedoc Bistro
24 Broad St.
Nantucket, MA 02554
508-228-2552
lelanguedoc.com