Best reason to join a mailing list
If you've ever eaten there, you know it's one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Which is why the monthly wine dinners at the Federalist are such a good deal. For $100 - including tax and gratuity, no less - patrons enjoy a champagne-and-hors d'oeuvres reception, followed by a four-course sit-down dinner prepared by acclaimed executive chef David Daniels and accompanied by complementary wines. On a normal night at the Fed, that kind of decadence would set you back far more than a C-note, but if you're smart enough to get yourself on the restaurant's mailing list, you'll receive advance notice of these special events - and if you're really smart, you'll make reservations, because the Fed's wine dinners always sell out.

The Federalist, XV Beacon Hotel, 15 Beacon Street, Boston, (617) 670-1500, www.xvbeacon.com.