Locke-Ober

Lydia Shire had good reason to tread lightly around the venerable history of Locke-Ober when she remade and reopened it this year: The Boston institution has been around since 1894 and has fed everyone from Orson Welles to JFK. So why mess with history? With its classic New England fare, career waiters, and splendid foyer and bar, this eight-time winner is still Boston's consummate landmark restaurant.