Bar Enza

The Charles Hotel’s dining has gotten a whole lot more interesting as chef Mark Ladner, of the famed NYC restaurant Del Posto, has returned to his roots after beginning his career cooking at a small Harvard Square restaurant. This Italian destination features impeccably sourced meat and seafood, housemade pastas, and farm-fresh vegetable dishes that use produce from the Harvard Square farmers market located just outside the hotel’s entrance. It’s a smorgasbord of indulgent pleasures: linguine in white clam sauce, pork alla Milanese, chicken breast paillard, and for us the star: shake and bake hake. A terrific lineup of traditional cocktails, including many sparkling options, just seals the deal.