Second Date Suppers

Yesterday, we shared a few of our favorite first date restaurants with you. Today, we’ve been thinking a lot about second dates. The requirements for a second date restaurant are, obviously, quite different than those for a first date spot. Where a first date should take place in as casual a location as possible, a second date can happen somewhere a little more explicitly romantic. A second date can also feature a “nicer” restaurant, within limits (taking someone you’ve been out with once to L’Espalier might be a little much). A second date restaurant should be somewhere fairly intimate and not too loud so you and your date can have a nice long chat. Below, five of our favorite spots.

•Assuming that your date isn’t taking place right before a Sox game, you can hardly do better than Eastern Standard for dinner and drinks. The service is exemplary, the food is, quite simply, awesome, and the drinks are some of the best in town.
•More of a beer person? Head over to The Publick House and take your pick from the 20+ beers on tap to accompany your great meal (we recommend moules frites and burgers). One caveat: it gets a little crowded and loud on weekends, so it’s best for a weeknight rendezvous.
•Nowhere does effortless romance quite like Paris and nowhere in Boston does a Parisian impression quite like Petit Robert Bistro. Linger over a bottle from the excellent wine list and a treat from the amazing dessert menu (perhaps the tarte tatin?). Ah, l’amour!
•As much as we love it, we have to admit that the North End can be just a little bit cheesy. Wander a few steps off the beaten path and get dinner at Neptune Oyster. Eating at the marble bar is romantic in an off-beat way and, well, you know what they say about oysters.
•For a date entirely free of stuffiness, why not have a picnic? Head to Cardullo’s for provisions (we recommend sandwiches and chocolate) and find a nice spot to sit near the river.

Eastern Standard [Official Site]
The Publick House [MenuPages]
Petit Robert Bistro [Official Site]
Neptune Oyster [Official Site]
Cardullo’s [Official Site]

Second Date Suppers