O Ya
We Bostonians didn't need Frank Bruni to tell us that O Ya is extraordinary. But when the New York Times food critic named it the best new U.S. restaurant outside New York City, he shined a klieg light on just how good the place is—and repositioned our fair city as a worthy dining destination in the bargain. Husband-wife team Tim and Nancy Cushman have created a gastronomic jewel box full of dazzling innovations like ivory salmon with red curry and toasted garlic, and foie gras with chocolate-balsamic sauce. And Boston is richer for it. 9 East St., Boston, MA 2111, oyarestaurantboston.com.
Olivia Rose Children's Boutique
Scientists theorize that cute babies have had an evolutional leg up, as our Stone Age ancestors were less likely to abandon them. Modern-day parents are obviously far more civilized—but all the same, one could argue that Olivia Rose owner Gloria Peotrowski does give her tiny customers an edge. Her racks of darling yet functional clothing and accessories—including tees from California brand Le Top, colorful leggings by Mulberribush, and jumpers by Sweet Potatoes (tagged with product names like 'You're My Pumpkin Pie')—make their wearers so adorable, they'll be able to get away with anything. 1945 Ocean St., Marshfield, MA 2050, oliviarosechildrensboutique.com.
Salon Mario Russo
Even if this nationally lauded salon relied only on the coifing talents of Russo himself, it could top our list. But with the same perfectionist style and daring he brings to a haircut, Russo has assembled a powerhouse of crackerjack stylists. There's master colorist John Brosnan. Experts like Corey Henderson and Michael Casey (who just grabbed a Best of New York for his work as head colorist at Oribe salon) shuttle regularly between Manhattan and Newbury Street. Then there are the smaller (but no less appreciated) perks, like terrific manicures from Maria Rodrigues, and the best head massages known to man. 9 Newbury St., Boston, MA mariorusso.com.
East Coast Grill & Raw Bar
Some Sunday mornings require a little time spent catching up with our favorite sister, bloody mary. And the best place to find her in these parts is at the East Coast Grill. The bloody mary bar here goes beyond the traditional to offer tipplers a choice of ingredients—citrus squeezes, herbs, spices, vegetables, and hot sauces—to add to their base of vodka and tomato juice. From there you can get to the next order of business: pulling up to a hearty plate of grilled sausages, tropical fruit pancakes, a fluffy avocado—black bean—salsa omelet, cornbread-crusted French toast, and the Sunday paper. 1271 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA eastcoastgrill.net.
Stone Hearth Pizza Co.
Of course, the better story would have been some cheese sliceslinging hole in the wall beating out the gourmet spots as our pizza parlor champ. Maybe next year. For now, you can't do better than the thin, chewy-crusted pies at Stone Hearth Pizza. If rarified toppings like arugula, white beans, Yukon gold potatoes, hot Thai peppers, and all-beef, nitrate-free pepperoni sound a smidge pretentious—well, yeah, they are. But they also make a mighty tasty pizza. And with a price tag of about $11 for a whole pie, you can afford to keep it real with a $4 draft. (A $4 artisanal microbrewed draft, but still.) 57 Leonard St., Belmont, MA 2478, stonehearthpizza.com.
Catch
In our fish-fanatic city, it seems unlikely that many diners would chose to trek to a landlocked town for seafood. That a lot of people do make the trip to Winchester says a lot about Catch, where the clean décor is as calming as waves crashing on the beach and wholesome, seasonal ingredients enliven each of chef Chris Parsons's satisfying dishes. Don't miss the summer braised lobster, which arrives atop a crepe stuffed full of fragrant maitake mushrooms, spinach, and mascarpone cheese, or the flaky halibut accompanied by yellow beans, fingerling potatoes, and fragrant green garlic. 34 Church St., Winchester, MA 1890, catchrestaurant.com.
Furniture by Dovetail
In the traditional-furniture smackdown, the allure of an artisan hunched over his work right here in Massachusetts always wins out. So in Dovetail, a 20-year-old family-owned company based in Holden, just 50 miles from Boston, it was clear that we had our champ. Using hand-selected hardwoods, these folks turn out masterfully crafted, individually signed Shaker, Mission, Arts and Crafts, and Prairie furnishings, as well as custom work fit for any Ivy League reading room. Which, since Dovetail counts Harvard, Yale, and Princeton among its customers, only stands to reason. 2284 Washington St., Newton Lower Falls, MA 2462, furniturebydovetail.com.
Sister Ship
We didn’t expect to fall so deeply in love with everything about Sister Ship (who immediately likes the new kid?), the self-described “relaxed cocktail club” inside the new Faraway hotel. And yet everything from the cozy décor — think turn-of-the-century captain’s quarters meets underground speakeasy — to the Mediterranean-style dishes make this our new favorite spot on island. We’d advise you on what to order, but the kitchen continually changes up the menu with inventive specials. However, they swear that the tender rib-eye for two will remain a menu staple — and thank goodness for that. 29 Centre St., Nantucket, MA 02554, farawayhotels.com/restaurant/sistership.
Chez Henri
"French with a Cuban twist" is how chef/owner Paul O'Connell describes his Cambridge eatery. We say twist away, especially if that means more Cuban sandwiches (pork three ways, cornichon cheese and vegetables grilled into a melty, crunchy, stick-to-your-ribs meal), conch fritters, and chorizo sausage with scallion mashed potatoes. Chez Henri's small, narrow bar fills quickly with local neighborhood intelligentsia, who'd rather play a pick-up game of backgammon than watch "Must See TV." On any given night, a regular cast of characters informally gathers to socialize or quietly enjoy a periodista—just one of the notorious Chez Henry speciality drinks. For all the casual camaraderie in the bar, the dining room beckons with floor-to-ceiling windows that remind diners of Paris. It's in here that the menu gets more serious, with thoughtful nods to the French classics ad tasty inventive offerings like duck tamales. Note: You simply can't beat the steak frites anywhere in town. 1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA chezhenri.com.
Dine Out and Give Back
It's the perfect equation: Good food plus a great cause means everybody wins. The Place: Pammy's The Order: Chef Chris Willis’s artisanal breads (rustic Pugliese, please!), available for $20 a loaf. The Cause: Half the bread-loaf proceeds benefit a weekly-changing charity supporting BIPOC communities, like the American Civil Liberties Union. aclu.org The Place: Trina's Starlite Lounge The Order: Chill out during a socially distant summer with the frozen whiskey smash ($12). It gets a hit of crème de cacao alongside the standard lemon and mint. The Cause: Two bucks per drink—made with booze from a Black-female-run Tennessee distillery named for Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels whiskey making in the 1850s—goes to Black Lives Matter Boston. blacklivesmatterboston.org The Place: The Picnic Grove at Cambridge Crossing The Order: Take your pick! At this two-month-long al fresco pop-up, chef Will Gilson will preview multiple menu highlights from the Lexington, his restaurant/café/rooftop bar juggernaut that is slated to open in September. The Cause: A portion of all July and August proceeds goes to Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a food-rescue organization marking its 10th year of service. lovinspoonfulsinc.org
Michael Schlow, Radius
In the four years since Michael Schlow moved to Boston, he has become not just a major figure on the local culinary scene, but on the national ones as well. So when he left Cafe Louis to plan his own place, foodies eagerly awaited his next move. The impeccably designed Radius more than survived the attendant hype to become the restaurant sensation of the year. Offering a distinctive counterpoint to Boston's culinary old guard, Schlow's strength is his understanding of flavors and texture. To that end, he finds the finest ingredients and uses his mastery of technique to treat them with the utmost respect. His pork confit is memorable, meltingly soft and sweet, made in a classic confit technique of cooking the meat in its own fat, which, paradoxically, heightens the flavors without making the confit fatty. As for his striped bass, Corby Kummer wrote that "the impeccable conception, execution, and presentation would be hard to find in any arrondissement [in Paris.]" With food like that, he added, "I'll fight for a table wherever [he's] cooking." 8 High St., Boston, MA .
Lumiere
Like moths to a flame. That's how we're drawn to Michael and Jill Leviton's extraordinary Newton restaurant, Lumière. The couple's recipe for refined simplicity and excellent service starts with the crisp, white-on-white tones of the dining room, tempered with warm-hued upholstery you can't help but run your hands over. But the main ingredient is chef Michael Leviton's cuisine. His menu is mostly French in inspiration, though he dips into other parts of the Mediterranean, and occasionally into Asia, for plates that are minimalist in design and void of fussiness, yet bright and bold in flavor. He lets the principal ingredient anchor a dish like pan-seared, pristine sea scallops, then surprises us with rich and sweet truffled foie gras butter or a taste of caramelized fennel. He also keeps a watchful eye on everything from the homemade bread to the desserts. The cherry on top is the calm, efficient, confident, thorough, and knowledgeable service. We wish there were more restaurants like Lumière on this side of the city limits. 1293 Washington St., Newton, MA lumiererestaurant.com.
Tasting Counter
Considering how chained we’ve been to Zoom during workdays, a meal kit that includes a “virtual interactive dining experience” has to be really, really good to get us in front of a laptop on weekends. Exhibit A: TC@Home, Saturday-night livestreams that guide us through unboxing everything we need to prepare and artfully plate courses of the same haute cuisine — say, dry-aged duck with fermented autumn olive — served at chef Peter Ungár’s innovative fine-dining restaurant. Our rating? Two thumbs-up emojis. 14 Tyler St., Somerville, MA 02143, tastingcounter.com.
The Parlor Salon and Apothecary
After years spent styling models for fashion weeks in New York, Milan, and Paris, Nikki An-Levi brought her skills to Wellesley Hills, where she now delivers city-chic, face-framing cuts in a fresh, polished space. On a recent visit, An-Levi transformed our dried-out curls into a high-volume, shoulder-length 'do with beachy waves, walking us through every snip of the scissors and flip of the hairbrush. That attention to detail—not to mention the weekly training sessions she holds for staff—makes even more sense when you consider her background as lead educator at Bumble and Bumble University in New York. 398 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481, theparlorsalonandapothecary.com.
By Chloe
Sounds like virtue, tastes like vice: That's the MO of By Chloe, the quick-service vegan empire that's winning hearts, minds, and Instagram feeds with its sinfully sloppy portobello-and-seitan barbecue sandwiches. Don't be fooled by the Roald Dahl-grade whimsy (beet ketchup? kale ice cream?). In both taste and texture, these creations manage to soar over the uncanny valley where so many other faux meats have crashed and burned—our favorite being a smoky shiitake bacon that even shatters the way real bacon does. 107 Seaport Blvd., Boston; 100 Van Ness St., Boston; eatbychloe.com. 107 Seaport Blvd., Boston, MA 02210, eatbychloe.com.