Boston, MASteakhouse

For more than 40 years this Back Bay institution has been a go-to for first-class steak, wine, and service. It was the first Boston restaurant to earn a Grand Award from Wine Spectator, and dinner still comes with a sense of occasion, right down to tableside cigar service.

A decades-spanning Back Bay chophouse that never seems to go out of fashion, with crisp white linens, dark wood paneling, and skillet-blackened steaks. The enormous crispy hash brown side is a must, and desserts arrive tableside topped with heaping scoops of Chantilly cream.

Chef Jamie Mammano's steakhouse inside Beacon Hill's XV Beacon hotel pairs excellent cuts, from grass-fed New York sirloin to Japanese wagyu, with sauces like Madeira and black truffle. The Japanese wagyu dumplings with soy and ginger, alongside Parker House-style rolls, are the right way to start.

A Brighton landmark that has drawn Bostonians for special-occasion dinners for decades, with old-school steakhouse charm and free parking. Hefty steaks arrive sizzling with charred, flavorful crusts, and cuts can be topped with extras like jumbo baked shrimp, with generous sides and an unfussy dining room that rewards a return visit.

An 18-seat steakhouse hidden behind velvet drapes in the back of JM Curley in Downtown Crossing, with a no-cell-phones policy that keeps it off social media. The tender eight-ounce filet mignon and 22-ounce bone-in ribeye punch well above the room's small footprint.