Boston has no shortage of seafood restaurants, but many of them are relatively simple, offering oysters, clam chowder, lobster rolls and other staples of the New England kitchen. On our recent trip, we dined at two places that aspire to a more elevated standard.

Atlantic Fish Company

This renowned establishment on Boylston Street, across from the Boston Public Library, has long been an Andrew Harper-recommended restaurant, so a return visit was overdue. The Atlantic Fish Company remains enduringly popular, and it is essential to make a reservation well in advance. We arrived in the early evening to find the place already packed. The interior design is nautical, with navy-blue leather booths, polished woodwork, semaphore flags and model sailing crafts in glass cases. And the mood is lively, to the point of being boisterous at times. What is never in question is the quality of the ingredients, including the seafood, which is sourced from a local fourth-generation family business. The menu offers a range of appetizers, plus oysters and clams from the raw bar, and then separate sections for lobster, seafood specialities and the catch of the day, with fish being available “grilled, broiled, fried, pan seared, blackened or baked with garlic breadcrumbs.” To start, we opted for the lobster ravioli with shiitake mushrooms and basil cream — nice but rather bland — and a bowl of steamers. The latter was composed of a huge tottering pile of shells, providing an immediate reminder that portions here tend to be enormous (or generous, depending on your point of view). For mains, we tried the San Francisco cioppino, which was also gargantuan, and the moist and flavorful crab-crusted haddock with truffle-salted potatoes and sautéed spinach. Essentially, you come to the Atlantic Fish Company for the convivial atmosphere and the quality of the ingredients, which are best when simply prepared. The food is often delicious, but haute cuisine this is not.

Atlantic Fish Company
761 Boylston Street. Tel. (617) 267-4000