Andover Inn
Andover students and faculty know this hearty buffet rocks, so you can expect a packed house on school-year Sunday mornings. The inn has all the standard brunch items but also includes such gourmet goodies as smoked salmon, fruit, and specialty cheeses. Rounding out the meal are enough sweet danishes, croissants, and freshly baked breads to satisfy any palate. 4 Chapel Ave., Andover, MA andoverinn.com.
Forest Cafe
This cafe's a bit dark, a bit smokey, a bit of a hole in the wall, and a bit more country/western than Southwestern. But it has the most authentic Mexican food in the city— from old standbys like chiles rellenos and burritos to more imaginative creations such as pescado con mole verde (with pumpkin seeds and peanuts) and enchiladas poblanos (with a chile sauce flavored with bitter chocolate and sweet spices). Who says hot has to mean bothered? 1682 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Tremont Ale
A classic pale ale—vaguely sweet, distinctly hopped, and tinged a deep shade of copper—this is the flagship brew of tiny Atlantic Coast Brewing, more commonly known as Tremont Brewery, in Charlestown. The really cool part? After years as a tap-only product, Tremont is finally, thankfully, in bottles available at finer packies everywhere. For a by-the-pint-only treat, look for Tremont's cask-conditioned best bitter of IPA, stocked in small batches at select bars such as Doyle's in Jamaica Plain.
Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen
With eats, beats, and spiked sweet tea like this, you’ll never hit the snooze button on a Sunday morning again. Darryl’s all-you-can-eat brunch buffet is a rollicking good time every weekend, a place to feast on mouthwatering southern favorites — say, fried chicken and catfish cheddar grits — to the backdrop of live music from jazz and blues performers. Come hungry, and leave happy (with a very, very, full belly). 604 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA 02118, dcbkboston.com.
Mother Juice
Mother Juice’s liquid diet is as tasty as it is virtuous, designed to satisfy cravings at just the right time (we’re particularly thankful for the hearty and sweet “Cashew Mylk” right before bed). The local chainlet will even deliver its freshly made elixirs to your door daily. 291 Newbury St., Boston, MA motherjuice.com.
Pomme Frite
We've always loved the frites—especially the sweet potato wedges with the peanut dipping sauce—but the new Belgian spin on the menu—plus the all-you-can-eat mussels on Monday nights makes this several cuts above your standard suburban hangout. 1208 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA .
Maryahm's Famous Cuisine
Loads of fresh ginger make this an intense, heady drink: spicy, sweet, assertive, simultaneously refreshing and invigorating. The Come Back is a sandwich—either fried fish or chicken, served with special sauce on homemade rolls—so called because you'll keep coming back for more. And you will. 310 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester, MA .
TenderCrop Farm
Let the livestock milling about outside (including buffalo) serve as your first clue: Everything at TenderCrop is fresh off the field and so wholesome, it's surreal. The 17th-century barn is packed to its rafters with fat tomatoes, sweet-smelling herbs, freckled green zucchini, local honey, and dried flowers. 108 High Rd. (Route 1A), Newbury, MA tendercropfarm.com.
Strip-T's
Chef Tim Maslow has transformed his father's tiny Watertown sandwich shop into a temple to the bounty of New England—and the world. Delicate bluefish with sweet carrot and creamy labne. Roast chicken with parsnip, broccoli, walnut, and ricotta. This may not be a traditional special-occasion spot, but it sure is special. 93 School St., Watertown, MA stripts.com.
Pollywogs
An adorable selection of threads from Petit Bateau, Kissy Kissy, and Pink Chicken is displayed here among hanging paper lanterns and decorative flags. The icing on this charming confection of a children's boutique is the sweet-as-pie staffers, who are more than happy to elucidate on the mysteries of newborn sizing as they ring up their cotton-candy clothes. 10124 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 2492, pollywogskids.com.
Top Drawer
Forget polyster and well-endowed supermodels staring at you from all angles; this lingerie treasure-trove is filled with innerwear too beautiful to hide: gauzy lace concoctions, sweet silk slips, and cotton underwear from Italy, France, Switzerland, and Belgium. 112 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Neptune Oyster
It takes a special kind of hot lobster roll to best its chilled brethren, but Neptune's much-beloved version manages to pull it off. Seven ounces of lobster are tossed in melted butter and heaped on a grilled brioche bun that struggles under the weight of so much sweet claw and tail meat. 63 Salem St., Boston, MA 02113, neptuneoyster.com.
Rafanelli Events
After you've been to three or more weddings, things begin to get predictable. But there is an antidote: Rafanelli Events. Bryan Rafanelli and his expert team sweat the small stuff, tending to every detail, from the rehearsal dinner to the reception. Whether you've been dreaming of a simple oceanside wedding or an opulent Boston affair, Rafanelli's staff will spare your guests a cookie-cutter wedding, and ensure that, far from yawning, guests will be talking about your reception for years to come. 142 Berkeley St., 2nd floor, Boston, MA rafanellievents.com.
Sports Club/LA
Buff, Lycraclad CEOs ogle the quads of passing yoga addicts; yoga addicts ogle the finely tuned glutes of venture capitalists; interior designers swap tall tales of ankle twists by the pool; and male and female models struggle to understand their StairMaster readouts. Boston has never seen a fitness club like this—largely because it's as much urban country club and schmoozefest as gym. In this top-dollar, luxury-ridden setting meld two of humanity's greatest aphrodisiacs: money and sweat. Pound for pound, this four-star spectacle has the most muscle in town. 2 Avery St., Boston, MA boston.sportsclubla.com.
Uber
We don't fancy ourselves the "needs a private driver" type—but Uber swept us off our feet (in a luxurious Lincoln Town Car, no less). Launched in Boston last fall, the car-service smartphone app allows you to get a limo ride from anywhere, to anywhere with the press of a button. Apps available for iPhone and Android. Boston, MA uber.com.