Best of Boston

2004 Best Romantic Restaurant

L’Espalier

Maybe you can’t buy love, but you can most certainly feed it. Just ask the staff at L’Espalier, which has been trained to produce a dining experience as mesmerizing as it is meticulous. Start with a glass of bubbly at any of the crisp-linened, candlelit tables. It won’t be long before the elegant courses arrive—sautéed marlin with leeks, littlenecks, and blood orange-pineapple glaze. This, plus the world-class wine list and grand décor (dark wood paneling and fireplaces in a 19th-century Back Bay townhouse) is enough to hurl you deeply into love—even if you weren’t already.

30 Gloucester St., Boston, 617-262-3023, lespalier.com