Ye Olde Union Oyster House

America's oldest restaurant in continuous service (since 1826), the Union Oyster House serves tasty, traditional New England fare to visitors following the adjacent Freedom Trail and savvy locals. They're not looking for anything fancy, and you shouldn't, either -- classic preparations account for the restaurant's staying power. At the oyster bar on the lower level of the antique building (a National Historic Landmark "where Daniel Webster drank many a toddy in his day"), try excellent fish chowder, oyster stew, or the cold shellfish sampler to start. Follow with a broiled or grilled dish such as scrod or salmon, or perhaps fried seafood or grilled pork loin. A "shore dinner" of chowder, steamers or mussels, lobster, corn, and potatoes is an excellent introduction to local favorites. For dessert, try gingerbread with whipped cream. A plaque marks John F. Kennedy's favorite booth (no. 18), where he often sat to read the Sunday papers.

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