<p>We had a terrible experience at the Union Oyster House. I am fairly forgiving, but the food, service, and noise level were all so poor that I will never eat there again. We are fairly certain that my sister got a mild case of food poisoning from the scallops, also. </p>
<p>I mentioned this to my SIL, who lived in Boston for many years, and she said she wouldn’t eat there. I should have asked her for recommendations beforehand.</p>
<p>MIT’s graduation is D-Day, which is a Friday. I wouldn’t expect any more than usual Friday night difficulties going where you want. The schools around here do graduation on different days. </p>
<p>I also would look at chowhound, though with the caveat the board tends to skew towards cheaper places because so many of the main posters are monetarily challenged. Feel free to ask your question on that board. If you read a few threads, you see who posts a lot.</p>
<p>Union Oyster House means the bar and only the bar. That is special: the place where guys like Daniel Webster sat. And you’ll get actual shucked stuff instead of pre-shucked.</p>
<p>I went to MIT parents’ site for reminders. I think the best grad places already mentioned here. Did anyone mention The Parker House? (ate their a few times)</p>
<p>I’ll add some other places for meals, and the locals can chime in</p>
<p>Catalyst (Kendall Sq)</p>
<p>Fire & Ice–Mongolian barbecue</p>
<p>Thai: Mulan, Desi Dhaba</p>
<p>Chinese: Mary Chung (Central Sq)</p>
<p>Breakfast & Desserts: Sweet cheeks & Flour bakery, Kickass Cupcakes, Friendly Toast, Abigail</p>
<p>In Alewife ( a t-stop) Jasper White’s Seafood Shack</p>
<p>Was Russels Tavern & East Coast Grill mentioned?</p>
<p>I hate to give away my local secrets but I’m feeling generous today. </p>
<p>We love Bambara.</p>
<p>[Cambridge</a> Restaurant & Happy Hour near Tech Square | Bambara Restaurant](<a href=“http://www.bambara-cambridge.com/]Cambridge”>http://www.bambara-cambridge.com/)</p>
<p>and it’s walking distance to MIT and many hotels, and you can reserve on open table</p>
<p>An absolute no to Fire & Ice. It’s for kids in groups who don’t like actual food. And it isn’t Mongolian BBQ. </p>
<p>Neither Mulan nor Desi Dhaba are Thai. Mulan is pretty good. </p>
<p>It always interest me that out of the thousands of choices, so many lists you find are of bad to not very good places. I mean no personal comment in that; I’m speaking in general. That’s why chowhound helps.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to The Top of the Hub, but was told it is very good. You may want to try it for that meal or maybe another meal for another day…I looked briefly at website and they have lunch and brunch too…</p>
<p>Another option not mentioned is Dante in the Royal Sonesta Hotel - very close to MIT on Edwin Land Blvd. They have a nice outdoor patio with a lovely river view. The food is beautifully prepared contemporary Italian - a real sleeper of a place no one seems to mention, probably because it is located in a hotel that no one knows about!</p>
<p>I also like Harvest - the interior courtyard has a nice atmosphere and their very effective heaters keep it warm even in cool weather.</p>
<p>@CanadaMom - how many in the dinner party?</p>
<p>That asked – I rather like [Taranta</a> Cucina Meridionale](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/taranta-cucina-meridionale-boston"][i]Taranta”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/taranta-cucina-meridionale-boston) – Peruvian Italian fusion.</p>
<p>I’ll add – I’ve rarely been led astray by a 4+ Yelp review.</p>
<p>Top of the Hub is very dated. I’d vote for Abe and Louie’s, Sonsie, Grill 23 or Capital Grill.</p>
<p>I’ve eaten at Top of the Hub. Not bad, but not memorable. Of course the view is very nice.</p>
<p>I agree about Yelp reviews. Otoh, I’ve read restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor that I thought were way off the mark (usually singing praises of food that I found mediocre).</p>
<p>Abe and Louie’s is good - excellent service and consistent, decent food, but it’s definitely not “great” in my opinion. It’s part of a chain that includes Papa Razzi and Joe’s American and the focus on the bottom line is evident - customers are moved in and out pretty quickly without much fuss. That said, my boys love it and we go there all the time.</p>
<p>I also like Henrietta’s Table for a casual meal, but I don’t think there is a good area in the restaurant for a private party.</p>
<p>We also go to Toscano often - traditional white tablecloth Italian near Harvard, and there is another location on Beacon Hill. Consistent, typical menu and excellent service. The Cambridge location is very cozy with a nice bar.</p>
<p>My daughter and I had dinner at Taranta (in the North End), and it was quite nice.</p>
<p>It is a very small, intimate restaurant.</p>
<p>Henrietta’s Table does have a small back room. I’m not sure how many you need to use it. We went for the brunch, and they normally do not take reservations. I must have sounded pathetic when i called as they put our party of 30 in that nice room. Worth asking about if you want a more casual meal that is very nice.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I’ll definitely check out chowhound. I’m not on FB so not part of the MIT group on there. We will probably have 4 people. The most would be 6.</p>
<p>I would second the Oleana suggestion. It’s in Cambridge–not too far from MIT. It’s close to Central Square. Another great place is Bondir. It’s in Cambridge too–it’s small–about 25 seats. The chef (Jason Bond) is committed to using local food sources and is very creative. Harvest (mentioned above) is great too. Another good restaurant in Harvard Square is Rialto (Jody Adams)–it’s in the Charles Hotel.</p>
<p>I’m a fan of Barbara Lynch–she has a number of restaurants mostly in Boston’s South End (B&G Oysters and The Butcher Shop.) My favorite of her places is Menton. It’s wonderful–celebrated our 30th anniversary there a few years ago. Another place that is similar to Menton is L’Espalier. The last two are more formal than the others but I’m pretty sure a coat/tie is not required.</p>