Owner/Executive Chef
Aquitaine Bis and Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot

Seth Woods is the executive chef/owner of the critically acclaimed Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot in Boston's South End and now Aquitaine Bis in Chestnut Hill. Seth has received praise from both press and patrons alike. In her rave reviews of Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot, Alison Arnett of the Boston Globe said, "The South End meets the Left Bank in a bistro that charms all the senses."

Excluding a short stint on Wall Street, Seth has worked in the food and wine business since the age of fifteen. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1989, Seth went on to apprentice under French Master Chef Maxime Ribera at Maximes in New York. Woods then trained with Ali Barker and Michael Romano at Manhattan's acclaimed Union Square Café. Later, Seth went on to open Sole E Luna Ristorante Toscano in Westport, Connecticut as Executive Sous Chef, working with Alan Tardé of Le Madri and Eugene Gerome of Coco Pazzo.

Upon his arrival in Boston in 1993, Seth opened Alloro restaurant in the North End as Executive Chef. He then went on to serve as Executive Chef at Armani Café. Seth then opened his own restaurant, Metropolis Cafe in April of 1995.  The New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl wrote she "just didn't want to leave" after a trip to Metropolis Cafe and listed it as one of her favorite restaurants in Boston.  In 1996, the James Beard Foundation nominated Seth Woods 'Rising Star Chef'.

In May 1998, Seth opened Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot, one of the most highly anticipated restaurants to open in Boston. From The Boston Globe to Food & Wine magazine, Seth Woods and Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot has been featured locally and nationally. In December 2000, Seth Woods and Partner/General Manager Matthew Burns have opened Aquitaine Bis in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, a sister restaurant to Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot.

Recent Aquitaine-Bar á Vin Bistrot accolades include: "Award of Excellence" 1998, 1999, 2000, Wine Spectator; "Best Wine List, Affordable", Best of Boston 2000, Boston Magazine; "Top Hot Spot Boston", USA Today; "Best Frites", Boston Phoenix; "Top Ten French Bistros", Food.com; "Best Trip to Paris under $100.00", Improper Bostonian magazine; "Best Bet Steak and Frites", Delta Shuttle Sheet; "Best New Restaurant 1998, Boston Phoenix; and Nation's Restaurant News named Aquitaine-Bar á Bistrot one the "Five Hottest Restaurants in Boston".

Aquitaine Quotes

Aquitaine has been featured both locally and nationally -from The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine to Food & Wine and USA Today.  

Wine "Award of Excellence" 1998, 1999, 2000 --Wine Spectator Magazine.

One of the "5 Hottest Restaurants in Boston" --Nation's Restaurant News

"Best Wine List, Affordable" --Boston Magazine, Best of Boston 2000

"Best Frites" --Boston Phoenix

"Aquitaine is pretty; it's comfortable to be in; the wine is interesting; the crowd, sophisticated-looking, multi-generational and diverse, is fascinating to watch. And Seth Wood's food is as appealing as the surroundings." --Alison Arnett, Boston Globe

"Top 10 French Bistros" --Food.com

"Best New Restaurant" --Boston Phoenix

"Best Trip to Paris Under $100" --Improper Bostonian Magazine

Best Bet "Steak & Frites" --Delta Shuttle Sheet

"Top Hot Spot Boston," --USA Today

"The South End meets the Left Bank in a bistro that charms all the senses." --Alison Arnett, Boston Globe

"After years of steady dining out, I've found I can usually close the book, so to speak, on a restaurant when the review is completed. Even if I like the place, it's time to go on; there are new places to visit. Now and then, though, a restaurant is so inviting, so enticing, that I find myself wanting to stretch out the reviewing process, to find reasons to return yet another time, to taste a little more, to savor the ambience. The latest of these is Aquitaine." --Alison Arnett, Boston Globe

"It's never easy to keep two restaurants running right. But the overflow crowds at Aquitaine, and the continuing loyal customers of Metropolis, have already voted: Seth Woods is up to the challenge." --Corby Kummer, Boston Magazine

Press Contact:
Chris Haynes
CBH Communications
phone: (617) 266-7642