NORTH
48 Central St., Salem, 978-744-4881, ajkingbakery.com
Set foot inside a great restaurant, and the feeling is usually admiration, even awe. Enter a great bakery like A&J King, and it’s more like giddiness. Everything looks as good as it smells, and tastes even better, courtesy of the New England Culinary Institute grads working the ovens. Andy King bakes the breads—tangy North Shore sourdough, airy ciabatta—and wife Jackie creates the toothsome pastries, which range from flaky croissants and custardy bread puddings to the dense and intense chocolate cakes called bouchons. They also plate fresh-made sandwiches and flatbreads and pour what just might be the North Shore’s best espresso. Did we say giddiness? We meant love.
RUNNER-UP: Sweet Sue’s
LAST YEAR: N/A
282A Cabot St., Beverly, 978-921-2266, trystbeverly.com
Given the high caliber of the region’s diners (the Agawam in Rowley) and lunch counters (Newburyport’s Fowle’s), we’ll admit this fine-dining pick is an eye-opener. Chef-owner Peter Capalbo crafts upscale cuisine most nights at his New American bistro, but on Sundays he does breakfast—not brunch, he insists. Oh sure, after 11 there are bloody marys and mimosas, but the emphasis is right where it should be. Local eggs served Florentine style with hollandaise, as fluffy omelets, or scrambled to perfection. Hearty corned beef hash, topped with sunny-side-up eggs. Lacy-edged pancakes. Plus, the staff has a happy-to-be-here attitude that’s downright contagious.
RUNNERS-UP: Fowle’s Café, Sugar Magnolia’s
LAST YEAR: Sugar Magnolia’s
261 Washington St., Marblehead, 781-631-2090, daylesdayspa.com
The full name is "Dayle’s European Skin Care and Day Spa," yet "Dayle’s" captures the friendly essence of this little gem, founded in ’84 by Elizabeth Grady alum Dayle Ciampa. Like its namesake (lithe, blonde, very much hands-on), the spa doesn’t show its age: On the sleek, sun-filled first floor are blissful mani/pedis; upstairs is for up-to-date med-spa services, HydraFacials (locally exclusive to Dayle’s), and indulgences like chocolate body wraps.
RUNNERS-UP: Maison Esthetique, M. Lekkakos
LAST YEAR: LuxeBeautique
.jpg)
East India Square, Salem, 978-745-9500, pem.org
Even if the proceeds didn’t benefit Asian-art mecca the Peabody Essex Museum, we’d still spend like drunken Qing-dynasty mandarins here. There are all-occasion gifts like Mariposa salad bowls alongside Far East–inspired finds both reverent (addictively collectible netsukes) and less so (pop-art trays printed with a bespectacled Pu Yi). Each new exhibit brings fresh goodies: Look for quirky jewelry and clothing to arrive this fall with "Rare Bird of Fashion," showcasing style icon Iris Apfel.
RUNNER-UP: Scribe
LAST YEAR: N/A
16 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, 781-631-0149, shubies.com
Shubie’s gets the nod this year for upping the ante in the cheese department, where scores of familiar and rarely seen varieties pack the cases: Cowgirl Creamery’s Mount Tam, Jasper Hill’s Constant Bliss, and more. The selection changes frequently, depending on what cheese expert Doug Shube discovers, which means even those who stop by to raid the store’s mouthwatering takeout section or shelves of expertly chosen wines inevitably drift back to the cheese counter to see what’s new.
RUNNER-UP: Ned’s Groceria
LAST YEAR: Ned’s Groceria
8 Main St., Andover, 978-470-8800, indrasalon.com
There’s something of an X-Men feel to the staff photo on Indra’s website, and it’s justified: The black-clad stylists lined up like superchic superheroes do, in fact, have serious hair powers. Their not-so-secret lair is a hip, Aveda-branded salon known to the likes of Paula Cole and Olympian Jenna Johnson; there, pros including co-owner Jose Batistine (brings dying color back to life!) and senior stylist Jen Traverso (rescues curls in distress!) perform their follicular feats. And at Indra’s fast-growing "talent academy," the next generation of wonder-cutters delivers new ‘dos at wallet-saving prices.
RUNNER-UP: Fringe Salon (Salem)
LAST YEAR: Shanti
RESTAURANT, GENERAL EXCELLENCE: L’Andana
86 Cambridge St., Burlington, 781-270-0100, landanagrill.com
Everything about Italian specialist L’Andana (which this magazine named the Best New Restaurant of 2008) is so generously proportioned that it might seem excessive. That’s fine by us, considering that Jamie Mammano of Mistral, Teatro, and Sorellina fame is the one laying on the flourishes. So, yes, we’ll happily loll in the overstuffed banquettes; order up big bowls of dreamy homemade pastas or three-course Tuscan suppers with enormous, flawlessly grilled steaks; and raise our giant wine glasses to the joys of going overboard.
RUNNERS-UP: Soma, Duckworth’s Bistrot
LAST YEAR: Soma
34 Church St., Winchester, 781-729-1040, catchrestaurant.com
It’s safe to say Chris Parsons has a love affair with New England seafood. The menus at his diminutive Winchester restaurant read like a roll call of the Atlantic’s tastiest yield: salt-roasted Wellfleet clams with chorizo; fried Island Creek oysters with snap peas and baby basil; Maine lobster with bacon and chanterelles. Add in Parsons’s strong commitment to produce from local, sustainable farms, and Catch is, well, an excellent catch.
RUNNER-UP: Summer Winter
LAST YEAR: N/A
191 Oxford St., Lynn, 781-780-5722, theblueoxlynn.com
Given his stints at No. 9 Park and Prezza, chef Matt O’Neil knows from high-end. For the Swampscott native’s first solo flight, however, he chose to appeal to the rest of us. At his casual American-Mediterranean outpost, there’s a juicy blue cheese–stuffed burger for the college kid, quality cuts of swordfish and steak for Mom and Dad, and $6 meal deals with dessert for tykes. Dining out a few times a week here is both an attractive and affordable proposition, making the pull of the Blue Ox strong indeed.
RUNNERS-UP: 62 on Wharf, G Bar & Kitchen
LAST YEAR: N/A
Newburyport, 978-465-7047, thetannerymall.com
Despite recent hubbub over Salem’s retail revival, the miles-walked-to-treasures-found ratio at the Tannery—an old leather mill packed with more than 40 shops and services—remains the most enticing on the North Shore. It boasts two previous Best of Boston winners, Shanti Salon and luxe homegoods shop Wishbasket, as well as two of our favorite kinds of independents: bookstore (Jabberwocky Books) and toy store (Eureka). Summer has the added lure of the local farmers’ market; during the holidays, the Tannery has a lock on one-stop gift shopping.
RUNNER-UP: Downtown Salem
Go Back to Best of Boston 2009 Landing Page
