Beaucage
It's worth overlooking the "healing stones" in the manicure water for the soothing hand massage. 71 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
El Oriental de Cuba
Jamaica Plain might be Boston’s single best neighborhood for Caribbean cuisine, filled with homey Dominican, Jamaican, and Cuban restaurants all frying or mashing plantains their own way. The subtly sweet mofongo at El Oriental de Cuba, though, with its pork rinds and garlic oil … that’s the one that leads the inter-island flotilla. The specialty Cubano sandwicah, meanwhile, is the standard by which all others should be judged. 416 Centre St., Boston, MA 02130, elorientaldecuba.net.
Po Boy
Editor’s Note, July 1, 2 p.m.: After our 2016 Best of Boston issue was published in print and online, reports surfaced that Po Boy has closed, future unknown. Calls to the restaurant have gone unanswered.
It’s not just the Mardi Gras beads or the TV tuned to French Quarter street performers. Eric Cormier’s tiny, chatty Newtonville shop—with its three nicked booths and the scent of fried seafood hanging heavy in the air—feels like something ripped right out of Elysian Fields. More important, Cormier’s take on New Orleans’ ubiquitous sandwich, the po’ boy, is a faithful facsimile, a crusty baguette layered with tangy rémoulade and Captain Marden’s–sourced catfish and oysters. 67 Crafts St., Newton, MA 02458, .
Boston Art & Framing
You know you've come to the right place when you read a sign that says "Unless constantly nurtured, nothing is as short-lived as a good customer." Abiding by that philosophy, Dave Poutre treats each customer—as well as each item brought in to be framed—with care. Whether it's a beautiful watercolor or a black-and-white family photo circa 1920, your print is in expert hands. With a huge selection of frames and mats to choose from, Poutre goes to work, offering you frame and mat combinations until you're satisfied. Soothing background music and Poutre's good sense of humor are an added bonus. Nestledin a cozy locale in the heart of Charles Street, Boston Art & Framing ensures your picture is worth a thousand words. 100 Charles Street, Boston, MA bostonframing.com.
Pyara Spa and Salon
In a land of office parks, Pyara is quite the oasis: a serene sanctuary where the only to-do lists include hot stone massages, Ayurvedic shirodhara treatments, and invigorating Vichy showers. Within the confines of this corporate-seeming storefront, therapists soothe and scrub like nobody's business. 101 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington, MA 1803, pyaraaveda.com.
Tower Records
No babel in this Tower, but a vertical, sensible, well-delineated selection of everything you're looking for, whether in the roomful of world music or on that rack of local bands. Can't decide? Ample sampler booths stand at the ready, a necessary pleasure when the staff knows less than it should. 360 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Claudia Grimaud, Salon Mario Russo
She spends so much time on your nails you'll think you're her only client for the day. Grimaud pampers you with a soothing hand massage and expertly takes the rough edges off your talons. Most important, her multicoated polishing will take you through a week and then some. 9 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
CBS Scene
CBS Scene is perched above the north end zone at Gillette Stadium, allowing fans unrivaled (and yes, unticketed) access to the game-day action. Tailgate among the foam fingers and clouds of Italian sausage smoke, then step inside and watch the instant replay—on some 135 high-def TVs, including one in each booth. 200 Patriot Pl., Foxboro, MA 2035, .
Clio
Soothing taupe walls, oversize art and leopard print carpet make for a swanky ambiance perfect for a night on the town with visiting urbanites from elsewhere. Ken Oringer works magic with bold flavors and unique combinations, and intimate tables allow as much attention to companions as to food. If you feel underdressed for the restaurant, the bar beckons. The Eliot Hotel, 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Café Vanille
Most bakeries aim for French authenticity, but few this side of the Atlantic succeed as completely as Café Vanille. Choosing between the flaky, airy, and flawlessly textured chocolate croissants and blissful fresh-fruit custard tarts is an exercise in futility: Just take one of each. The setting, an almost impossibly charming little Charles Street storefront, also sports a sunny brick patio, the ideal perch for tucking into a decadent mocha crème-filled pâté à choux while watching all of Beacon Hill stroll past. Now you know what Proust was fussing about. 70 Charles St., Boston, MA frenchmemories.com.
Bos. Shop South End
Since it replaced the beloved Olives & Grace last summer, this sweet boutique, which showcases goods from Black-owned businesses, has taken over the mantle of Boston’s most thoughtful — and beautifully merchandised — gift shop. Drop in for a bag of loose-leaf herbal tea, a box of locally made chocolates, or a cute little “plant baby” for your dinner-party host (even better, spring for the curated gift box). No matter what you choose, you can be confident you’ll always get the same thing from the person receiving it: another invite. 623 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118, blackownedbos.com/bos-shop.
Weylu's on the Wharf
These are sweet and tender. Boston's just not a city for the barbecued version. 254 Summer St., Boston, MA .
Chinese New Year Parade and Cultural Village
As 2022’s Year of the Tiger kicks 2021’s Ox into the rearview mirror, we’ll look forward to seeing downtown come vibrantly alive again with firecrackers, lion dancers, booths teaching Chinese calligraphy and crafts, and, of course, some of the most delicious street food of the year. Chinatown, MA chinatownmainstreet.org.
Wonder Bar
Who needs comfort food when you have comfort drink? Lurking beneath the floorboards of the stiff-backed, black-attired glam scene at the Wonder Bar is a comfortable lounge downstairs. It has enveloping booths and sofas and a TV playing sports du jour. The jazz wafts down from upstairs; the pretense, fortunately, does not. 186 Harvard Ave., Allston, MA .
Brick Cellar at Atria
Estonian beer, caipirinhas with a citrus twist—this swanky underground bar is not your typical Vineyard watering hole. The drinks are fun, the atmosphereis cozy and intimate, and the food (including 10 different burgers) is tasty. Don't miss the photo booth on your way out. 137 Main St., Edgartown, MA atriamv.com.