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Old-world ambience, New England coziness. Beacon Hill's cobblestoned streets dusted with snow. Roasted lobster in lieu of Christmas turkey.
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WHERE TO STAY A gas fireplace warms every bedroom at the XV Beacon Hotel, which combines classic details (canopy beds, an antique cage elevator) with 21st-century amenities (CD players, high-speed data ports, a private phone number for each guest). It's only minutes from Boston Common and Faneuil Hall. CHRISTMAS DINNER Although Locke-Ober, a blue-blooded institution since 1875, got a long overdue revamping last year, the dining room still feels like a gentlemen's club. Classic dishes such as lobster bisque, Dover sole, calf's liver, and even baked alaska continue to draw the Brahmin faithful—only now the food is actually delicious. Meanwhile, the beau monde packs into No. 9 Park for over-the-top, shockingly good cuisine—prune-stuffed gnocchi with foie gras, a splendid roast duck with cherries and braised endive. JUST DESSERTS Mike's Pastry in the North End (Boston's Little Italy) has made the city's best cannoli for five decades running. Buy one, buy two—heck, buy a whole box. Afterward, cozy up to a steaming cappuccino at Caffè Vittoria or Caffè Graffiti. BEST GIFTS Black Ink is crammed with presents for all ages—tin lunch boxes, wind-up metal toys—as well as some unusual children's books, including a beautiful collection of Japanese fairy tales. Louis Boston, a Back Bay temple of men's and women's couture, also sells a mouthwatering selection of teas and chocolates from Fauchon in Paris. The boutique/gallery Good brings a fresh dose of style to old-school Beacon Hill, with vintage Scandinavian glassware and funky Midcentury furnishings. A REVEL-ATION Celebrate the ghosts of Christmases past with the Christmas Revels at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. Every December, the Revels troupe chooses a historical era (last year, Tudor England) and re-creates its holiday festivities in an evening of music, dance, theater, and general merrymaking. —Peter Jon Lindberg
The List
XV Beacon Hotel 15 Beacon St.; 877/982-3226 or 617/670-1500; doubles from $395
Locke-Ober 3 Winter Place; 617/542-1340; dinner for two $130
No. 9 Park 9 Park St.; 617/742-9991; dinner for two $120
Mike's Pastry 300 Hanover St.; 617/742-3050
Caffè Vittoria 290-294 Hanover St.; 617/227-7606
Caffè Graffiti 307 Hanover St.; 617/367-3016
Black Ink 101 Charles St.; 617/723-3883
Louis Boston 234 Berkeley St.; 617/262-6100
Salumeria Italiana 151 Richmond St.; 800/400-5916
Good 88 Charles St.; 617/722-9200
Christmas Revels December 16-26, 2002; 617/496-2222; tickets $20-$42
