Dorfman Jewelers
Sitting on a block somewhere between Juicy Couture and Newbury MedSpa, Dorfman's looks a tad out of place among its campier neighbors. Chalk it up to the stately facade and, no doubt, to the fact that this store practically oozes staying power. For two generations the Dorfman family has dealt exclusively in European-cut diamonds and other gems; these days they also sell such illustrious names as Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Breguet. Perhaps most representative is the in-house Barbara Collection, open-link gold pieces inspired by the clan matriarch that are at once unpretentious and enduring—much like the venerable Dorfman itself. 24 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, .
Pho Lemongrass
Great Vietnamese should be the way it is in Vietnam: simple, brimming with sharp flavors, and built with ingredients that shout their freshness. Enter Pho Lemongrass, where a diverse (and bilingual) menu overflows with anise-and-ginger-laced dishes. Pho, the beloved noodle soup of Hanoi, comes steaming in huge bowls and filled with the protein of your choice (the shredded chicken breast is the savory standout; less so, the tripe), and packed with crunchy bean sprouts, lime juice, and chiles. One of the best entrées is vegetarian—the lemongrass tofu, which is heartily textured, spicy, and scattered with peanuts and vegetables so fresh, they might as well have just been plucked from the Mekong Delta. 239 Harvard St., Brookline, MA pholemongrass.com.
Cafe Fleuri
With eclectic specials such as the Japanese breakfast (seaweed, pickles, broiled salmon with vegetables, steamed rice, green tea), or the fitness breakfast (yogurt, exotic mushroom frittata, six-grain toast), it's impossible not to find something to please even the pickiest clients. And while the tables are close together, the plush carpet and thickly cushioned chairs make for an unhurried setting. Le Meridien recently spent a little more than $2 million on Cafe Fleuri's renovation, hiring the Parisian interior design firm Pierres-Yves Rochon to create an atmosphere perfect for schmoozing. But you'll have to clinch the deal on your own. Le Meridien Hotel, 250 Franklin St., Boston, MA .
Café Fleuri
Before it reopened after renovations and started serving only dinner, Aujourd'hui at the Four Seasons had a seemingly unshakable hold on the title of best power breakfast. Now that honor has been decisively usurped by Café Fleuri—a sunny, cushy space at the Langham Hotel where every weekday morning the elite now meet to eat. Financiers, lawyers, politicos, and every bigwig in between file in to carve up the universe while they're carving up their fruit-covered waffles and Maine lobster and soft scrambled eggs. Breakfast of champions, indeed. 250 Franklin St., Boston, MA boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/best_boston_restaurants.htm.
Alex's Shoe Service
Been missing truly great customer service in your life? Here's some advice: Take an old or broken pair of shoes to Alexander's. This family-owned business takes pride in its work, whether it's making the new red high heels you bought on sale actually fit or resoling a favorite old pair. The staff is helpful, courteous, fast, and services are priced right. check out all those fun shoe products like buffers, pads, and polishes, too. They even repaired a dog's collar while we waited out on the steps. 6 Grove Street, Wellesley, MA .
City Salon
Huge second-floor bay windows and sky-blue walls make you feel like you're floating int he clouds as your cranium is massaged with soothing-scented liquids. The walls are lined with works by local artists, and the eight barber chairs are spaced comfortably apart in an airy room. But best of all is the zero-attitude, down-to-earth mentality of the stylists. No hippier-than-thou hair bullies here. The staff is friendly and helpful— co-owner Jeffrey cheerfully washes clients' hair; stylish Tonya volunteers techniques for blow-drying tresses to perfection at home. 118 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Stellabella
Kid alert: This well-laid-out shop in Inman Square has lots of room for wandering feet, plus fun and interactive on-site activities for curious minds. There's a play area with a crawl-through tunnel; a plastic structure holding more than 200 balls for jumping around in; a large-piece floor puzzle; a plastic house for climbing in and out of; and, most important, a storyteller the first Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. And those things aren't even on sale! Stelabella has top-notch goods, including the usual suspects, like Radio Flyers and Lincoln Logs, as well as an impressive selection of arts and crafts kids. Open seven days a week. 1360 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA stellabellatoys.com.
Ski Haus
When you're looking for the deals on gear, the most helpful staff, and the widest array of clothes, you have to go a few miles out of town. That's because Ski Haus, on Route 129, is the black diamond of ski shops. Its package deals of skis and bindings beat all the better-known ski shops in the area, and staffers don't try to push the newest (read: most expensive) equipment. In fact, they volunteer last year's cheaper model if the design is basically the same. Plus, the hospitality while you wait for your new bindings to be mounted is first-rate. 320 Lowell St., Wilmington, MA .
Harvest
Like to eat while on display, with the entire passing world gawking at your menu choices? Pull up a sidewalk seat on Newbury. Prefer to dine discreetly en plein air, where you can focus on the meal, the company, and the cool breezes? Settle in at Harvest's soothing garden retreat, tucked into a hidden nook off Harvard Square. Kick back among the sun-dappled linden trees and order a plate of chef Mary Dumont's salmon with green garlic, or the tea-marinated duck with rhubarb. Then try to decide which is more restorative: the food or the setting. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, harvestcambridge.com.
Wired Puppy
Less than a year old, Wired Puppy's Newbury Street café is smartly taking cues from its sister store in Provincetown. Each cup of tea or coffee is certified organic and fair-trade, and the skilled baristas are happy to discuss the origins of your latte's beans (though if you don't care about pedigree, they're happy to just serve you). WiFi is free, and pooches are welcome on the patio. In short, the drinks are delish, the help is cheerful, and this new spot is—at press time, anyway—still sort of a secret. 250 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, .
Johnny's Luncheonette
Do your dopey morning brain a favor and resist the impulse to overthink breakfast. We'll make it simple for you. Start with: thick-cut French toast, or some big spongy pancakes. Also: real butter and syrup, and real sugar for that mug of high-test coffee. And, if you must: a few nutritious bits, like turkey-apple sausage and homemade oatmeal. A laid-back diner with laid-back prices and an array of mini meals for the kids, Johnny's does all this better than anyone else in the neighborhood. Which makes this pick a blissful no-brainer. 30 Langley Rd., Newton Centre, MA 2459, .
Evenfall
On the approach—down a dismal stretch of highway, across from a gas station—Evenfall scarcely looks the date-night part. Enter, though, and the picture improves as you discover a space that's cozy but not cramped, dim but not dark. Things get better still with chef Scott Pelletier's seasonal dishes, which are too good not to share; a recent evening saw couples swapping forkfuls of braised Kobe beef cheeks and chestnut ravioli. By the time you're stealing bites of your companion's warm apple strudel, the iffy setting outside feels like a benefit. After all, what's romance without surprise? 8 Knipe Road, Haverhill, MA 1835, evenfallrestaurant.com.
Coast Café
Dainty eaters, beware. Only those with a hankering for a little grease and gobs of pork-addled flavor are able to handle the made-to-order plates at Cambridge's stick-to-your-ribs haven. Sure, the chicken's great, but there's also smoked turkey with collard greens, and bread crumb-encrusted mac and cheese, and silky sweet potatoes, and (the only thing harder than settling on an order here, you'll find, is nabbing one of the few seats). Coast Café may not have much competition in these parts—KFC? Popeyes?—but it could surely hold its own in Dixie. 233 River St., Cambridge, MA 2139, .
Ole
Don't write off Olé for its unremarkable exterior. Inside you'll find a peppy atmosphere and Boston's most bona fide Mexican fare: In place of sloppy enchiladas, chef Erwin Ramos serves up inventive plates including tacos de cangrejo, crabmeat tacos with crème fraîche and baby spinach, and costillas de puerco, pork ribs cooked in banana leaves with a chili ancho peanut glaze, which go down even better when accompanied by pitchers of the potent house sangria and bowls of fresh guacamole prepared tableside by friendly waiters. 11 Springfield St., Cambridge, MA 2139, olegrill.com.
Stacy Klein, Pigalle
It was the delightful French pixie Amélie who set us on a quest for the perfect, crackable crème brûlée. And it's another sylph, Pigalle pastry chef Stacy Klein (how does she stay so slim?) who's finally delivered it. Klein's creamy custard, infused with sweet corn, is heavenly under a patina of burnt sugar that cracks like glass. Also amazing is her grown-up version of s'mores, toasted á table and paired with milk-chocolate sorbet and candied kumquats. You'll be tempted to skip your main course (but don't!). 75 Charles St. S., Boston, MA pigalleboston.com.