Night Shift Brewing
You’ll find plenty of old-school Neapolitan and Sicilian slices in the neighboring North End, but if you’re craving Detroit-style pizza — a square-cut variety slowly starting to appear in Boston — you’ll need to stop by this young TD Garden–side brewery, which tapped a super-talented team of Eastern Standard alums to perfect its recipe. Locally milled high-gluten flour yields a wonderfully chewy, sheet-pan-deep pie built with sweet tomato sauce on top of salty, tangy cheese that reaches all the way to the caramelized edge — and don’t forget the crispy, heat-curled cups of dry-aged pepperoni. 1 Lovejoy Wharf, West End, MA 02114, nightshiftbrewing.com.
The Garment District
The best selection of the good old classics (read: second-hand clothes) can be found on the second floor of the Garment District. Leave the dollar-fifty-a-pound first-floor stuff to the true scavengers, and head upstairs to neatly racked selections of retro-to-contempo clothes of all styles. There you can also take your pick from the store's rich jean pool, including Lee, Levi's, Guess, Jordache, and so on. 200 Broadway St., Cambridge, MA .
Jillian's
Among up-scale pool halls, the original Jillian's gets bonus points for being there first. But what sets it apart from the competition is all the stuff beneath the third-floor pool tables: hundreds of high-tech video games on the second floor and a decent restaurant/mental amusement park called the Atlas Grill at street level. Which means there's lots of things to do on a Friday night while you wait hours for a pool table. 145 Ipswich St., Boston, MA .
MiniLuxe
MiniLuxe garners raves for its devotion to hygiene (technicians sterilize tools in the same machines used by surgeons and dentists), but the three-year-old chain takes its perfectionism a step further: The salon is immaculately clean, sleek, and decorated with gorgeous displays of high-end beauty products. Best of all, the manicures are the most detail-oriented in town. As far as technicians go, we're still partial to last year's pedicure winner, the ultrasweet Shayna Shirazi at the Newbury outpost—but everyone we encountered was pleasant and thorough. Bonus: Prices are only a few bucks more than at those blinking-neon-light nail salons—and polish colors are always on-trend. Try the new OPI Axxium gel polish, which lasts two blissfully chip-free weeks. 296 Newbury St, Boston, MA 2116, miniluxe.com.
Fish Kids
Unless your child has a contract with Kix, you probably don't dress him in expensive outfits destined to wear more cereal than he digests. Miniature linen suits and raw-silk dresses have their place, but shorts that can survive the sandbox and tees that don't need to be dry-cleaned are what most parents are after. The racks at Fish Kids are filled with just that—"better everyday clothing" by European makers such as Catimini, Cakewalk, and Confetti. There are even 125 different styles of shoes from brands including Buckle My Shoe and Aster. Overwhelmed? Owner Donna Fishman knows her stock—and her clientele—and can fill Junior's closet without spending his college savings. 1378A Beacon St., Brookline, MA .
Louis Boston
Buyer Debi Greenberg scours the globe to find the in fashion for men and women alike. Her Back Bay store is known the world over for its incredible timing, with many design darlings of the fashion press finding their way onto its floors before they hit the big time. The store caters to a wide variety of ages, from street fashion on the ground floor to power suits on the second and third levels, and a mix of women's wear designers from Kiton to Imitation of Christ. There's also an extensive and cutting-edge makeup counter, Salon Mario Russo, and a top-notch restaurant. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA louisboston.com.
Bank of Boston
A controversial choice, no matter how you cite it, considering the bank's relatively recent troubles with the law. Happily, Bank of Boston has since then kept its nose clean and its books in order. Despite some shaky Latin American paper on its ledgers, the bank reported a bracing 34 percent rise in profits this year. Moreover, our cockles were warmed by a number of neighborly gestures: those full-page Globe ads congratulating the coaches of our suddenly successful sports franchises, for instance. And the bank's sponsorship of M. L> Carr's "Say No to Drugs" campaign in area schools. Some would dismiss these as mere public relations gestures. Bleeding hearts that we are, however, we were moved. After all, second chances are what America is all about.
Crane Beach
The long, winding boardwalks and grassy dunes at Crane Beach can magically readjust the tired mind of even the most citified creature. After sinking your toes into the beach's soft white sand, you may decide to trade in your power suit for a bathing suit—permanently. Bird lovers, bring your binoculars—Crane is home to more than 200 aviary species, including wild turkeys. Getting there a problem? For those without wheels, take the commuter rail to downtown Ipswich, and then bike five miles to the beach. For those who drive: Stop to go antiquing in nearby Essex on the way. For kids of all ages: Don't miss Crane's annual sand-sculpture competition on August 12. Beach amenities: ample parking, refreshments, clean bathhouses, and outside showers. Argilla Road, Ipswich, MA .
Crane & Co. Paper Makers
Most people don't give stationery a second thought. Then they get engaged and suddenly need an expert opinion on a forest's worth of papers—invitations, save-the-date cards, programs, thank-you notes. Dalton-based Crane, manufacturer of the most classic and elegant wedding stationery collections on the finest-quality paper, makes sense of it all. For tastes that veer toward the modern, there's a newer line of invites that don't follow the classic models. An experienced staff helps you find exactly the right paper and style to fit your budget, and even occasionally eschews tradition by letting you in on a little secret: You don't need that expensive second envelope nowadays. (Our saleswoman whispered that it was used to keep the invitation clean back when mail was carried on horseback.) Prudential Center, Boston, MA crane.com.
Tess & Carlos
No doubt the chic Cambridge salespeople at this refined boutique blanch a little every time they have to tell a prospective customer, "We're just down the street from Urban Outfitters." But it's hard to feel sorry for them—they work among some of the most luxurious threads in the city, an impeccable rainbow of lacy Jil Sander skirts, silky Collette Dinnigan slipdresses, Piazza Sempione jackets, and racy Blumarine trousers. It's all this-moment cool, but never arduously so, thanks to low-key charm, beautiful cuts, and clean, classic lines. Don't ignore the small stuff: exquisite black headbands, Petite Bateau tanks, and gorgeous cashmere socks often make an appearance on one of the idiosyncratically placed tables. 20 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA tessandcarlos.com.
Twig
Unless they're dead (or dyed), we welcome almost any flowers that come our way—which is why it takes an outstanding florist to go beyond pretty, and deliver pretty damn amazing. Winston earns points for reliably gorgeous arrangements, but just as with designer clothing, if we can tell where it came from we're already bored. Ilex is the go-to for exotic numbers, yet its over-the-top approach can feel, well, too over-the-top. By contrast, Twig composes innovative, cleanly artistic bouquets, all fresh enough to last a week. A DIY option accommodates buyers on a carnation budget, while a home decorating service will thrill those who dream of a bed of roses. 558 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2114, twigboston.com.
Bondir Concord
You could be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back to Thoreau’s time upon sitting down to dinner inside chef Jason Bond’s cozy Concord outpost, with its roaring hearth, cream and pink tablecloths, and elegant bud vases. The kitchen’s wholehearted commitment to celebrating New England’s bounty, however, is utterly timeless. The menu changes every day, giving Bond the freedom to play with the best the season has to offer. Case in point: alate-winter lineup featuring delicate rye-flour agnolotti with favas, foraged mushrooms, and Lemon Gem marigold ricotta; decadent gnocchi gratinée with spring nettles; and perfectly done roasted beef bavette with einkorn and horseradish crème fraîche. 24 Walden St., Concord, MA 1742, bondirconcord.com.
Waterworks
The more private a space is, the more luxury it deserves. Enter Waterworks, a shrine to beautiful bathrooms whose Newbury Street shop and Boston Design Center showroom are filled with tasteful and functional bathtubs, sinks, vanities, storage units, whirlpools for two, old-fashioned footed tubs, and a collection of stylish fixtures crafted out of porcelain, metal, and glass. Soaps, delicately scented with everything from soft florals to clean citruses, are crisply packaged in perfect rows. There are more than a dozen fluffy and absorbent towel patterns to choose from, deliciously thick bathrobes and slippers, and our favorite: a firm terry-cloth—covered headrest for those times when you need to soak for a really, really long time. 103 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
The 'Quin House
Boston’s swankiest, sexiest new hangout has plenty of James Bond–style secrets: The first-floor speakeasy, Scottie’s, features “champagne buttons” to summon bubbly, while a hidden room a few floors up is revealed by pulling on a bronze bust. But really, the best reason to finagle an invitation to lunch at Sandy and Paul Edgerley’s fresh take on the members-only club is the who’s who of power players known to walk through the doors every day. Who, you ask? That’s the biggest secret of all. 217 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02116, thequinhouse.com.
Steve Buckley
Sports guy Steve Buckley holds down four, count'em, four jobs: ESPN2 staffer, Herald columnist, WEEI weekend man, and prodigious freelancer. A little Buckley goes a long way.