It was the first night of the cold-weather season. As we walked across Copley Square, the city sparkled, and I was looking forward to dinner at the Café Budapest.
For twenty-five years this restaurant has provided a romantic, continental atmosphere for Bostonians, complete with a violinist to enhance the ambiance. But even more than the superb food in the Old-World tradition, and the relaxed elegance, patrons treasure the real warmth and hospitality of the owner and proprietor, Edith Ban. A regal, consummately professional woman, known for her custom of always dressing in white, Mrs. Ban is someone who overcame personal suffering to bring a sense of happiness to others.
Since Mrs. Ban first opened her doors here in 1964 (after four years in Brookline) Copley Square, in the heart of downtown Boston, has kept its historied character while developing its own modern style. Twenty-five years ago, only old Boston landmarks lined the square: the gothic Trinity Church, the museum-like Boston Public Library, the postwar John Hancock Building, and the gracious bowed façade of the Copley Plaza Hotel.
Since the sixties, the Café Budapest has seen Copley Square emerge into a new landmark. The Prudential Center, the first major development of the new Boston, rises just next door. A new John Hancock building, I. M. Pei's glass tower, and five major hotels, now surround the neighborhood. The brand new Copley Place, with international shopping, eight movie theatres, and glass-enclosed skywalks is just across the street. New restaurants, chefs, and cuisines have arrived in Boston and become known. The old Copley Square Hotel, which houses the Café Budapest, has had a discreet facelift by a new owner, and the restaurant is better than ever.
In the seventies, national recognition from the likes of Women's Wear Daily and others followed. Café Budapest habitués feared fame would spoil their favorite restaurant. At the same time, Mario, famous maitre d' of Boston's Ritz Carlton, left his long-held post at that venerable hotel to join Mrs. Ban's staff as manager. Boston gasped, and observers realized that the Café Budapest had indeed earned world class rank.
No one need have feared that fame would dilute Edith Ban's standards or her restaurant's character and quality. Now in its third decade, the standards and quality remain consistently high. "When you stay in one spot, you go backward," Edith Ban asserts. "Nothing is so perfect that it can't be improved."
One enters the Café Budapest from Exeter Street in Boston's Back Bay. The entrance is marked by a domed glass marquee. Double glass doors bear the Café Budapest crest--the cross of St. Stephen (white on red) with the two guardian angels of the ancient city of Budapest, Hungary, Edith Ban's native home. Through those distinctive doors, red-carpeted stairs curve down to the restaurant--the special world that Edith Ban has created: red and clear crystal chandeliers; upholstery in French silk brocade and velvet; behind a marble bar, porcelain figurines on glass shelves. The fresh flower arrangements can only be called magnificent, with birds of paradise flown in regularly from Hawaii. On vacation a few years ago, Mrs. Ban discovered the island flowers and decided they would add to the atmosphere of her restaurant and the enjoyment of her
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