Located in the South End in a converted 1860s building, Icarus is one of those rare restaurants where the evening is over way too soon. The intimate bar serves tasty cocktails and delicious homemade rosemary breadsticks, while the lovely, serene dining room (there’s live jazz every Friday evening) is an easy place to relax and enjoy chef/owner Chris Douglas’s flavorful seasonal New American menu, with whimsical dishes like slow-roasted tomato soup with Timson cheese panini, polenta with braised exotic mushrooms, and duck in a show-stopping cider and bourbon sauce. It’s tough to fit dessert in, but it’s worth loosening the belt--the chocolate molten cake with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce is a necessary evil.

Icarus Information:

• American menu. Dinner. Closed holidays. Bar. Valet parking.