Family
Dinner with your parents
There's something for everyone on the menu at classy, comfortable Lumiere in West Newton - cod (pictured), duck, steak - and everything is incredibly fresh and impeccably served. There's even a $35 prix fixe dinner ($50 with wine) that's bound to please those parents who have trouble with today's prices.
Lumiere 1293 Washington street, Newton, 617-244-9199, lumiererestaurant.com
Dinner with your parents if they're still paying for your education
You want a place nice enough for your folks to feel at ease (no waitstaff with strange piercings) but not so high-end that they'll feel you're shaking them down. It also wouldn't hurt if you showed them how cultured you've become since they sent you to school. India Quality, in Kenmore Square, fits the bill. Try the lamb coconut korma curry, or a goat dish if you're feeling adventurous, and know that by the time the bill comes, everyone will feel good about your liberal arts major.
India Quality 484 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617-267-4499, indiaquality.com
Happy hour with your mother
The next time mom is in town, distract her from an in-depth discussion of your job/girlfriend/boyfriend/college loans/life goals by taking her to the Achilles Project in Fort Point Channel - a restaurant and men's and women's clothing store in one. Begin with a cocktail and something from the innovative menu (all dishes are available in sizes from small to extra large). When you're feeling fortified, start shopping. If things go as planned, there will be no dramatic confrontations and possibly even a new outfit.
The Achilles Project 283 Summer Street, Boston, 617-695-2257, achilles-project.com
Where to blow the tax refund
You may have to wait until next year's refund arrives, because O Ya was just named the best restaurant in the United States outside New York City by the
O Ya 9 East Street, Boston, 617-654-9900, oyarestaurantboston.com
Big family meal that won't sabotage your inheritance
It's Father's Day or maybe a first communion or even somebody's 70th, and your extended family could pack the dining room at Anthony's Pier 4. If just the thought of all those split checks makes your head swim, make the math easy (and keep costs down) by heading for Emperor Garden in Chinatown. The spacious rooms have tables for 10; go and commandeer as many as you need for dim sum, which is served all day. Waiters with carts of sweet pork buns and savory shrimp dumplings circulate so often, there's no chance of cranky, hungry youngsters (or uncles) ruining the party. The clincher? Your wallet will remain almost a full as you are at the end of the meal.
Emperor Garden 690 Washington Street, Boston, 617-482-8898
Spontaneous dinner for a crowd
Living close to family can be convenient, but it can also mean cooking for nine when every- one decides to visit at once. Thankfully, the aptly named Rendezvous in Central Square can accommodate large parties - often without much notice on the earlier or later side of the dinner hour - for its signature Gascon-style duck three ways or the potato gnocchi with spring vegetables. Just make sure you call the restaurant as soon as you have a cousin-count.
Rendezvous 502 Masschusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-576-1900, rendezvouscentralsquare.com
A night out with the big kids
Every night of the week, The Milky Way Lounge & Lanes in Jamaica Plain serves up Italian cuisine from neighboring restaurant Bella Luna with a side of candlepin bowling (bowlers must be at least 4 feet tall). Start your evening with 11-ounce sirloin burgers - big enough for teenagers - or homemade meatballs and spaghetti. Then change your shoes and bowl until bedtime.
The Milky Way Lounge & Lanes 403-405 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617-524-3740, milkywayjp.com
Moving day
Highland Kitchen's affordable, hearty menu of mac and cheese, seafood gumbo, and roasted chicken is guaranteed to comfort after a day of lifting and hauling. The Somerville spot, opened just months ago, already feels like a longstanding neighborhood joint. Even if the restaurant isn't in your new neighborhood, one meal in the place and you'll feel right at home.
Highland Kitchen 150 Highland Avenue, Somerville, 617-625-1131, highlandkitchen.com
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