Newbury College chef George Anbinder helps student Lindsey Cummings prepare chicken. Guests enjoy the results. (Globe Staff Photo/Mark Wilson) Photo gallery Printable version of this story

Dining out is always a treat, but some nights call for a dash of pizzazz, for a setting that thrills, for that extra little charge you get when you do something out of the ordinary. From upscale dining aboard a once-notorious tugboat to a movie house that delivers pizza to the row of your choice, we found five unique dining experiences for when it's the right night to try something new.

A cozy tugboat
A harbor sunset, a romantic fogged-in dock, the moon framed by the steel angles of the Memorial Bridge, a chill wind and a slight chop in the water - the setting is all the more perfect when viewed through the porthole of a cozy antique tugboat.

Around we go
The view from Spinnaker Italia, the revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt in Cambridge, is nearly 360 degrees of urban dazzle.

Reading, writing, and rack of lamb
Enter the hallowed halls of higher learning and you just don't expect the sweet scent of poulet a l'estragon to drift past the lectern.

Couch potato's night out
Not every night cries out for lobster Newburg.

A culinary party
If you have ever watched a cooking show and groaned with envy as the host sits down to savor the mouth-watering dishes, the Friday Night Cooking Series is your chance for relief.

Denise Taylor is a freelance writer.