A Night Out

Style extends beyond simple material things. You can use any normal meal as an excuse to strut your fabulous self. To help you in this self-indulgent endeavor, FM’s Jamie B. Sodikoff has done a bit of reconaissance work. This week, we introduce you to a few places where style trumps food, and where the dress code is strictly chic.

Armani Café

214 Newbury Street. (617) 437-0909

Sunday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-1 a. m.

Armani Café simply sounds stylish—and it is. This is the type of place where sunglasses stay on long after the sun goes down. The vast majority of clientele at the restaurant are European, so it’s not surprising that the outdoor patio has the feel of an elegant French café and that the people seated next to you may very well be speaking Italian. The restaurant has one of the best patios on Newbury, so be sure to snag an outdoor table—weather permitting.

One of the most popular dining periods is the time between 1 and 4 p.m., what one manager has dubbed “cookies and tea time.” The mid-afternoon crowd consists primarily of shoppers who stop at the café to give their feet—and their credit cards—a brief respite.

With entrées ranging from $21-$27, prices are what is to be expected of an establishment associated with a designer label. Head chef Seth Woods offers a variety of Italian dishes ranging from pastas (Spaghetti alla Pomodorini $15) to seafood dishes (Pesce del Giorno alla Picatta $24). However, the menu offers nothing particularly unique or amazing. Compared to the Café at Louis, the dishes at Armani are wholly uninspiring. But with it’s more laid-back atmosphere, the Armani Cafe is a nice place to unwind after an afternoon of shopping.

Café at Louis

234 Berkeley Street. (617) 262-6100

11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (hours will expand in November)

To say that the café in Louis of Boston is ultra-trendy is an understatement. The gem of Newbury high fashion, Louis of Boston is known for its up-to-the-minute clothes and up-to-the-ceiling prices. In the café, waiters—all clad in designer clothing, ranging from Italian Lorenzini shirts to Paperdenim&cloth jeans to custom-made Puma sneakers—ensure that customers dine in an atmosphere that reeks of style. Even background music is customized—an in-house DJ blends low-tempo tunes to enhance patrons’ dining experience. “Jackie O used to come here. The café has the feel of American royalty,” says one of the veteran male servers.

Indeed, anyone can feel like royalty when they order any one of the café’s delicious hot teas, which are available by the pot ($6) and are served in porcelain teapots with silver strainers. Some of the suggested flavors include Bouddah Bleu, Bourbon and Karmel. For a main dish, try the grilled chicken breast with asparagus and wild mushroom salad ($21) or the grilled focaccia with grilled portobello mushroom, roasted pepper and goat cheese ($19)—both are light and flavorful. The raspberry and pistachio napoleon with amaretto cream ($12) is the perfect ending to an elegant meal. New chef Pino Maffeo, formerly of Manhattan’s AZ, is currently redesigning the café’s entire menu to emphasize healthy Asian cuisine. The interior of the café is also being remodeled to reflect the restaurant’s new theme. As one employee says, “The trend is to healthier. We cater to a lot of women here who are on diets, so the new menu will include healthy dishes that leave out starch.”

Unfortunately, this renovation means that the chic restaurant will not be open for dinner until the end of November. The café is far from the typical college hangout—the food is too good, the customers are too patronizing (even for Harvard students) and the general atmosphere is much too see-and-be-seen. Those on a tight college budget unwilling to dish out the cash and deal with the attitude should choose to go elsewhere. With its hip reputation and high-end customers, the café will appeal only to those confident fashionistas who are not easily intimidated.