Best of Boston

Too often, prix fixe dinners amount to culinary acrobatics: long on pizzazz, short on pacing. At Aujourd’hui, the concept is far more refined. Chef William Kovel and sommelier Jason Irving spend days plotting the menu, then welcome guests to a VIP seating area known as Table 76, positioned only inches from the kitchen. Between courses, diners get to hear firsthand where Kovel sourced the woodcock they just polished off, or how Irving managed to land the two bottles of that jaunty Spatburgunder they downed.