Boston Chefs

Get a little glammed up for a night at La Padrona inside the Raffles Boston Hotel in the Back Bay. The elegant eatery from celebrated chef Jody Adams and partners Eric Papachristos and Jon Mendez at A Street Hospitality (Trade, Porto, Saloniki Greek, The Venetian) ups the ante on Italian dining with two floors of sleek entertaining space.

The 8,600-square-foot endeavor invites you in with the light and airy Lounge Bar and Living Room Lounge on the first floor, where you can pop in for a proper cocktail and snacks or wait for a group before ascending the central grand staircase up to the main dining room. On the second floor you’ll find a modern Italian villa-style dining space designed with an eye toward Italy’s Golden Era Cinema period, with deep toned wood floors, heavy drapery, black iron open balusters, warm walnut wood handrails, and travertine stone steps. A 360-degree central bar with a Calacatta viola marble countertop and plush oversized velvet bar stools anchors the room, and the main dining seating consists of intimate booths, four-top tables, comfortable banquette seating, and larger tables for parties of six or more. Those seated on the banquettes will also be able to peep an iconic view out into the Back Bay to see the John Hancock tower. If you’re looking for an extra intimate evening you can reserve one of a few semi-private “Hollywood booths,” which are tucked within niches in the wall, lined with diamond-tufted fabric panels and lit with a mixture of cove lighting, or book one of their luxurious private dining room spaces for a group.

The menu spans cuisines from Italy’s Piedmont region to the hills of Emilia-Romagna and the coastline of Abruzzo. Choose from a selection of insalati and antipasti to start then move on to the handmade pastas on the primi menu, or a selection of hearty main dishes of fresh catches, slow roasted pork, and dry-aged cuts of prime beef. Finish off the evening with something sweet or opt for a signature cocktail made with premier spirits. Wine lovers will also have much to discuss on the huge wine list of more than 400 bottles that leans heavily into Italian vintages.