Tremendous Maid
Few things are more intimate than hiring someone to clean your home. Tremendous Maid, thankfully, is all business: Fill out an Internet request form with your square footage and home layout, and you'll quickly hear back about scheduling options. The actual cleaning was both impressive and a bit guilt-inducing, as the team scrubbed items we willfully ignore: baseboards, toaster oven, mini blinds. By the time they were done, our house was as pristine as the day it was built. 270 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA tremendousmaid.com.
Laundromutt
What’s worse—a dog in desperate need of a bath, or one that returns from the groomer smelling like cheap air freshener? At Laundromutt, the emphasis on all-natural products means your pooch will be shampooed with olfactory-pleasing scents like honey-almond and pomegranate. Fido, meanwhile, will be in great hands with the company’s expert groomers, who handle matted fur and overgrown coats with ease. And if a romp in the mud needs urgent attention, there’s also the DIY bath, which doesn’t require an appointment. Waterproof smocks are included—hair in the drain of your home tub, mercifully, is not. 489 Concord Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, laundromutt.com.
Common Vines
Here’s one of those whip-smart, why-didn’t-someone-think-of-it-sooner concepts: a wine bar and shop that work together to help you discover your next favorite pour. From Croatian plavac mali to Monterey-grown malvasia, all of the by-the-glass selections at Jennifer Scott and Chris Hsi’s Taste Wine Bar & Kitchen are also available to tote home by the bottle at Common Vines, their vino boutique right across the street. Not enough time for a full pour? Pop into the shop for a free tasting; themes—such as "Wines with a Long Finish" on Marathon Monday—change by the day. 100 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110, commonvines.com.
Jumbo Seafood
It stands to reason that seafood is the speciality of the house at this bright little spot near the Chinatown gate. To wit: The restaurant is decorated with tanks of live fish, lobsters, eels, crabs, and shrimp. The atmosphere itself is delightful, including a huge mural of Hong Kong adorning one wall, and the constant chatter of both Chinese and English filling the air. Favorite dishes: crispy orange shrimp and calamari with mixed green vegetables; lobster sauteed with ginger and scallions; Hunan-style crispy whole fish. All meals finish with chocolate-dipped fortune cookies. Jumbo Seafood is open seven days a week until 2 am. 5-9 Hudson Street, Boston, MA newjumboseafoodrestaurant.com.
Grand Opening!
Men, women, novices, and veterans all feel at home in this inconspicuous, tasteful boutique. Small signs tell timid shoppers all the details they want to know (but are too shy to ask) about the excellent selection of books, videos, sex toys, and gifts. of all, the sleaze factor is notably nonexistent at this woman-owned shop. You'll find no shifty salesman asking overly personal questions or pushing questionable products. Feeling studious? Sign up for one of the classes hosted here: The "Spring Training for Guys" course, filled with sex tips for men, should be a civic requirement. For the truly meek at heart, there's—you guessed it—a Web site: www.grandopening.com. 318 Harvard St., Suite 32, Brookline, MA .
Duxbury Beach
Seven miles of white sand nudge up against the salt waters of the Atlantic on this, the South Shore's most utopian spot. The chaos (near the restrooms, parking, and refreshment stand) eases out toward Powder Point Bridge, and ends with empty stretches interrupted by only a few unobtrusive patches of locals here to kayak, admire the natural beauty, and walk the clean dunes toward Gurnet Light in neighboring Plymouth. Beyond the quiet beauty of the bridge, sailboats and windsurfers ride the sterling blue bay that separates the beach from town. If you don't have to rush home, stick around for the sunset—one of the area's most magnificent. Canal St., Duxbury, MA .
Mahoney's Garden Centers
In our search for the holy grail of garden centers, we were pleasantly tempted by the personalized attention and quaint urban setting of Ricky's Flower Market in Somerville. But Mahoney's has the edge when it comes to one-stop garden shopping. Where else near the city can you find starter grapevines, elephant-shaped watering cans, large ceramic urns, and a barn filled with landscaping tools, not to mention the obligatory greenhouses brimming with flowers and herbs? The vast and varied selection makes it worth the extra work it sometimes takes to find a salesperson to answer your questions. 889 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA mahoneysgarden.com.
Tweeter CE Playground Store
Never mind our underutilized brains: Experts say most of us tap only 10 percent of the capability of the whiz-bang high-def TVs, sound systems, and talking refrigerators we use to decorate our homes. Tweeter's solution is its adult-playground stores—there's just one in New England—where the latest technology is set up in replica kitchens, dens, and bedrooms. The chain's hyperinformed tech-heads walk buyers from room to pretend room, demonstrating features meant to keep them entertained in space-age style. One Wheeler Rd., Burlington, MA .
Tiffani Faison, Big Heart Hospitality
The one-person machine that is Tiffani Faison was firing on every cylinder this year: She was a James Beard finalist for Orfano, took home the largest cash prize in Food Network history by winning Guy Fieri’s famous-chef-filled Tournament of Champions, and opened three totally different casual restaurants inside downtown’s highly anticipated High Street Place. In other words: A decade since she launched her New England barbecue landmark Sweet Cheeks Q, the Chopped judge keeps showing the grit and growth that made her a household name in Boston and beyond. bighearthospitality.com.
Matt Shearer, WBZ
A video reporter for the radio station WBZ, Shearer has become a social media sensation for his spin on traditional man-on-the-street interviews, a freewheeling format in which he asks Bay State residents probing questions about their home localities. For example: How did Billericans feel when one of three Market Baskets on the same street (Boston Road, naturally) closed? “I actually cried,” a customer named Peggy told him gravely. “I felt like I lost a part of my family.” The accents always fly, but what makes the videos sing are heartfelt, hysterical contributions from subjects like these. twitter.com/MattWBZ.
Coast Cafe
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 Street, Cambridge, MA 2139, coastsoulcafe.com.
Maggie Kessler, The Sports Club/LA
Touch is one of those mysterious forces science hasn't even begun to understand. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Maggie Kessler has the most sensitive, soothing, and magical touch of any masseuse in town. Trust us; we put her to the test, asking her to work the kinks out of sore muscles, strained backs, stressed-out shoulders, and beat-up soles. We requested everything from delicate pressure and medium kneading to iron-tight body punches, and Kessler excelled at them all without so much as breaking a sweat. 4 Avery St., Boston, MA boston.sportsclubla.com.
Soma
Thanks to new chef Seth Fernald, who hails from the dearly departed Federalist, it's easy to attain euphoria at Soma. Menu standards like 'Duck, Duck, Goose,' a crisp-skinned duck breast served with foie gras butter and sautéed brussels sprouts, are impeccable. Specials such as gray sole-enveloped honshemeji mushrooms with a ricotta-stuffed squash blossom beguile at first bite ('Like spring on a plate,' one diner mused). If that doesn't leave your head spinning, the house-infused bourbons and raspberry-kumquat martinis certainly will. 256 Cabot St., Beverly, MA 1915, somabeverly.com.
Black Cow Tap & Grill, Hamilton Location
Order a burger at the Black Cow, and you may never fire up your Weber again. These handpacked 10-ounce patties are so juicy and flavorful, any attempt to imitate them on your own home grill is sure to come up short. It's hard to believe such flame-broiled babies are only 7 bucks ($8 with cheese), accompanied as they are by mountains of crisp, golden, diet-busting French fries. For maximum enjoyment, pair one with a cold Black Cow Blond Ale, then sit back to feel your iron count rise. 16 Bay Rd., South Hamilton, MA blackcowrestaurants.com.
Mamaleh's
We'd love to tell you how tasty the hot house-smoked pastrami and creamy blintzes are at Mamaleh's, but oy vey, we're stuffed like a kishka and can barely finish writing this. For years the area has been short on real-deal Jewish delicatessens, and now we finally have one that satisfies all of our cravings, right down to the cherry phosphates and crisp, golden latkes just like Mom used to make. Bring the experience home with you via the takeout counter, generously stocked with all manner of smoked fish and cold cuts. One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA 02139, mamalehs.com.