Romantic restaurant for a 25th wedding anniversary

Cuchi Cuchi on Main in Cambridge if you want something a tad exotic and very Romantic (in the classical sense of that word).

Dali (Beacon and Washington, Somerville)is a little less intense on that score, but still intimate and intersting.

Bistro 5 in West Medford is very quiet and intmate, and easy to get to/park, if you don't mind that there isn't much else going on around it.

Then there is the whole strip in East Arlington - Flora, etc.

I haven't been yet, but Menton is supposed to be amazing. I also second the recommendation for Clio, and throw in a rec for Rialto (can't miss with Jody Adams). Bondir in Cambridge is also great - more casual, but cozy and warm. They have a fireplace!

Congrats to the married couple!

No, not really (although MY WIFE and I had our first date there, and we just celebrated twenty years together, so...)

Although I haven't been there for a few years, I'd suggest Locke-Ober as a safe choice. Pricey, but hard to beat for old-school dark-wood charm. Anyone been there more recently?

Another decent choice, if you like Italian, would be The Cantina, on Hanover Street.

One that might sound a bit bizarre, but a fair bet: Amrhein's on Broadway in South Boston. It used to be a neighborhood joint with good, if standard, fisherman platters and other comforting choices. Last time I was in there, it had gone more upscale - full redecoration, new menu, new chef. Again, though, like Locke-Ober, that was a few years back. If anyone else has a more recent experience, take their advice over mine.

If I think of some others, I'll return to post them.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

all the restaurants that folks have suggested are great places and all are good date places. The Hungry I in Beacon Hill (especially the tables downstairs--it's in an old Beacon Hill townhouse) it special though in terms of being a cozy ,romantic place.

Seconding Upstairs on the Square and adding Oleana near Kendall Square.

How about Mamma Maria in the North End? I haven't been for a few years, but it was elegant and cozy, and the food was delicious. Seconding the Grotto recommendation, as well - that's been our go-to for a few special occasions. Sad that Gargoyles is closed, because that was our absolute favorite spot for celebrating.

At several of the restaurants above, the food is great and the decor is romantic, but the noise cancels out both. My husband and I struggle to find quiet places to enjoy good conversation over food, together and with friends. We find we're happier chatting over burritos at Annas on Cambridge Street (four tables upstairs) than getting hoarse over fancier fare at Aquitane or Eastern Standard. Eating outdoors on patios is a good solution, weather permitting: the general racket of Boston, even with sirens, is quieter than the din inside most restaurants.

BIN Enoteca on a busy night? You couldn't hear yourself smash a plate.

Such restaurants can be great destinations for dating, when you don't know each other well and the conversation may lag. You don't even NEED to talk; everyone else is doing it for you and will drown you out even as you're screaming your undergrad majors at each other.

For a 25th anniversary, you need something different: quiet and intimacy, and also great food, service, and atmosphere. You're safest at a cozy little place, preferably earlier in the evening and/or on a week night. Grotto, the Hungry I, and Lala Rokh come to mind. We once reserved a table for four in a small dining room at the Capital Grille in Chestnut Hill and had an exceptional evening. We were with a much older couple and we could hear each other easily — mostly we were marveling over the food, the wonderful service, and the atmosphere. A private or tiny dining room within a fabulous restaurant is bound to be ideal.

No guidance on budget, preferences in cuisine, level of formality, dietary restrictions, etc. How do you give advice when their idea of "excellent food" might be the Cheesecake Factory, or Durgin-Park, or Schhhhtrega?

Also, Mistral, much as it tries to glom onto it along with the Stanhope Street restaurants, is not in the South End. That side of Columbus is Back Bay.

Very romantic!