photograph by Josh Reynolds/file

WHAT GOES AROUND . . .Rocca’s showstopping circular bar was the place’s intimate, beating heart.Too bad there were 100 more seats to fill upstairs.

photograph by Essdras M Suarez/Globe staff/file

500 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE, BOSTON: MISS Great Bay opened in Kenmore Square in 2003 to wild acclaim. Before too long, though, diners, even if they were happy with the upscale seafood, were put off by the formality of both the service and the decor. It closed in 2009.

photograph by Keller + Keller/file

500 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE, BOSTON: HIT Open since 2010, Island Creek Oyster Bar also happens to sell upscale seafood – but it doesn’t feel fancy. It’s nice enough for a special dinner, sure, but not too nice for drinks and a bite after a Red Sox game.

photograph by Tom Herde/Globe staff/file

1217 MAIN STREET, HINGHAM: MISS Despite prime real estate, several upscale lessees (most recently, a Blackfin Chop House, opened by chef Tony Ambrose), struggled in this old Colonial house.

; Scarlet Oak photograph by Bill Brett/Globe staff/file

1217 MAIN STREET, HINGHAM: HIT “When you’re in the suburbs and you’ve got a large restaurant like ours, you have to appeal to a broad range of people,” says Josh Webber, whose more flexible Scarlet Oak Tavern – there’s a $9 pizza and a $35 steak – has been drawing diners since 2007.

Photograph by Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff

CHOP CHOP: Aquitaine (pictured: Woods and chef de cuisine Chris Robins) is transforming the old Rocca.