Concierge.com's insider take:

Boston has gone nutty for oysters, and among the many local favorites are the ones harvested by Island Creek Oysters in the South Shore seaside town of Duxbury. In addition to the spread from a top-flight raw bar, the Island Creek Oyster Bar at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square serves chef Jeremy Sewall's distinctive New England–style comfort dishes. Sewall's cousin in Maine supplies the lobster, the owner's mother provided the seafood stew recipe, and the chef brings creativity to dishes such as seared Scituate scallops in a roasted mushroom ragù with lentil and lobster cream. All of this plus a buzzing bar scene means there can sometimes be a wait for a table. Sewall's other fine-dining restaurant, Lineage, is just a few blocks away (242 Harvard St., Brookline; 617-232-0065).—Jon Marcus

Open Mondays through Saturdays 4 pm to 1 am, Sundays 10:30 am to 1 am.