F.D. Hodge Interiors
There’s a certain lightness to a Frank Hodge–designed space. His rooms are polished, not stuffy. Artful, not overdone. Hodge has impressed us with projects ranging from a serene study with Venetian plaster walls and framed Claude Lorrain landscapes to his own South End brownstone, brimming with antique pieces. 748 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118, fdhodgeinteriors.com.
B&G Oysters
If hyperfresh seafood is the sole requirement, Legal and McCormick can deliver the same still-quivering quality for a few clams less. It takes a hypertalented chef like B&G's Barbara Lynch, however, to gussy it up with refined flavors and textures that accentuate without stealing the show. That intense focus on pristine ingredients is evident throughout the small, cleanly constructed menu. The cult-spawning lobster BLT is a study in restraint, and a sauteed halibut rings sweet above grassy artichoke, tangy tomato, and briny black-olive consomme. 550 Tremont St., Boston, MA bandgoysters.com.
Ellen Signaigo Brockman, Coldwell Banker/Hunneman realty
With the real estate market showing few signs of slowing, the only way to find your dream home is to have a great broker by your side. Ellen Brockman specializes in Cambridge real estate—she knows every property, every building, every transaction that occurs. For buyers, she's a quick study on your likes and dislikes, and her instincts are dead-on when it comes time to make an offer. For sellers, she offers tried-and-true advice for showing your home at its best and getting the right potential buyers in the door. 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA .
Marathon Sports
This is not your average athletic-shoe store. The staff will study your strut to determine whether your feet pronate or roll outward, and whether you need a wide shoe or a skinny one. Then they'll hold your hand and guide you through a sea of brands, sizes, and models until you find the perfect fit. Athletes swear their knees, heels, and other weak points improve after a proper fitting at Marathon. 255 Washington St., Wellesley, MA .
Washington Square Tavern
In Europe, the luckiest of travelers lost on some tiny rue or strasse will happen upon the bar their guidebooks forgot: barely marked, yet packed with locals eating, drinking, and socializing with gusto. Such a find is the Washington Square Tavern, whose book-lined walls and scattered Orientals suggest a boozy study, an irresistible combination for largely literate, well-off Brookline (and the odd wayward traveler). 714 Washington St., Brookline, MA 2146, washingtonsquaretavern.com.
Sadie Higgins, Sarra
There are plenty of beauty rituals that can survive a rushed appointment. Eyebrow shaping is not one of them. Sadie Higgins spends a full 45 minutes studying the shape of your face while tweezing (no wax) a natural arch precisely where it was meant to be—even if nature had other ideas. She also dispenses at-home maintenance tips, all in a gorgeous loft space. 840 Summer St., Boston, MA sarrastudios.com.
Anne Gottlieb
Gottlieb is an actress and a scholar at Brandeis's Women's Studies Research Center. Her disparate talents dovetailed in uproarious fashion last fall, when she performed in the SpeakEasy Stage Company's feminist farce In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play), about the 1880s women who first discovered the sexual freedom that comes with...electricity. But then she somehow made sultry innuendo poignant in the New Repertory Theatre's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Mahoney's Garden Centers
Year after year, we appreciate Mahoney's straightforward approach to gardening: Give us what we want (fertilizer, soil, a variety of hardy plants), and when summer sneaks up on us, we're ready to dig in. We also can't help but be grateful for the invaluable advice staffers consistently dish out, to say nothing of the design, planting, and delivery services. 449 Western Ave., Brighton, MA 2135, .
Niche
Does your windowsill already resemble a jungle, but you still need one more hedgehog aloe? Is your sun porch incomplete without twin philodendrons flanking the entrance? Then you just might be the kind of urban gardener Niche caters to. Its two retail locations are all-in-one stops for plants, pots, soil, fertilizer, tools, and, yes, more plants, letting you indulge your green thumb without sacrificing your prime city real estate. 619 Tremont St., Boston, MA nicheplantshop.com.
Dakzen
Save your airline miles: This new Davis Square destination offers all the pleasures of Thai street food, minus the daylong flight. The killer khao soi (“cut rice”) is a study in richness and fiery depth, sharpened with fixings such as pork belly and pickled mustard. Classic pad thai, meanwhile, is mercifully more savory than sweet. And the rice porridge and satiny egg custards at the weekend-only breakfast pop-up (dubbed Egg E Egg Egg) consistently dazzle. 195 Elm St., Somerville, MA dakzen.com.
Eye and Eye Optics
It’s not easy finding a pair of frames that harmonize with your face just so. But if anyone can do it, it’s father-and-son opticians Bobin and Tariq Nicholson, both of whom studied music in college and now bring their artistic vision to this one-stop shop for glasses, contacts, and eye exams. Whether you prefer your specs colorful and funky or sleek and understated, you’ll find them in the cases here—along with warm, personable service that turns a chore into an outing to look forward to. 2271 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02124, eyeandeyeoptics.com.
The Urban Grape
Husband-and-wife team TJ and Hadley Douglas wrote the book (literally) on Progressive Shelving, their innovative, palate-broadening system that organizes wines by body rather than region or grape. The shop’s whole culture, really, is forward-thinking—see: its Clink Progressively education series, which hosted a virtual Juneteenth panel about issues facing Black winemakers, or its new Wine Studies Award for Students of Color, which will send ambitious oenophiles through wine school and connect them to paid internships. 303 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA 02116, theurbangrape.com.
Area Four
Michael Leviton's Cambridge venture is many things to many people: a morning latte-and-breakfast-sandwich stop for local tech gurus; a de facto study hall for MIT students; a casual spot for friends to catch up over a crispy potato-and-pancetta pizza and a couple of glasses of wine. Despite the crowds, though, Area Four maintains a warm, neighborhoody vibe. 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 2139, areafour.com.
Rani Indian Bistro
Rani is a study in contrasts. The spicy pinch of lamb vindaloo meets the sugary melt of mango chutney, and the taste of sour curry is followed by the sweet nectar of a rose lassi. No taste bud is ignored at Coolidge Corner's hottest new bistro. The atmosphere is airy and pleasant, with authentic décor to match the authentic Hyderabadi cuisine. And the service is as steady as the stream of locals coming through the door. 1353 Beacon St., Brookline, MA ranibistro.com.
Chuck Bass Jean Pierre Salon
A scissoring from Bass doesn't come cheap (expect to drop a C-note on a session), but you'll finally get what you need in a haircut, as opposed to those one-size-fits-all quickies available elsewhere. Bass first scrupulously studies your hair, then delivers a cut that complements your face and frame, and your head's idiosyncratic contours. In short, he makes sure it's all working seamlessly and, dare we say, suavely. 116 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, chuckbass.com.