Hot Box
It’s not just sharing beers with friends that we miss while Massachusetts bars are closed. We also pine for the days of splitting bar pies, that South Shore munchie made for pairing with pitchers of cold suds. Luckily, Somerville’s Hot Box, a takeout window tucked into open-air Bow Market, keeps the tradition alive nearby, dispensing gobble-worthy wheels of sauce, artisanal toppings (including wild-harvested mushrooms from Martha’s Vineyard), and cheese melted right to the electric-oven-crisped edge. One Bow Market Way, Somerville, MA 02143, eathotbox.com.
Casablanca Restaurant
There's nothing wrong with the dining room at Casablanca, but the bar is where the real action is. From midday to midnight, the barstools are occupied by businesspeople, students, professors, and others who come here not only because the room makes a great study hall, but because chef Ruth-Anne Adams's food is just that good. Adams keeps with the restaurant's whimsical North African theme by featuring such ingredients as Marcona almonds from Spain. Try the meze platter with mouhamara, dolmades, and sumac-dusted carrots. Her food is rock-solid delicious and lends itself well to the let's-get-a-drink-and-share-a-few-appetizers bar scene. 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA casablanca-restaurant.com.
Montien
The city's most delicious proof that life exists beyond pad Thai is found within these neon-lit walls. Authentic and exceptionally fresh dishes dominate chef-owner Tony Suktheva's Thai menu (ask for it specifically, or odds are you'll be handed the Americanized version), and they've earned him a rabid following. It's well-deserved. Straight-from-Bangkok dishes like kai jeaw moo-sub (omelet with shrimp and chili) and larb gai (super-spicy minced chicken) sing with the region's sharp flavors: lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and chile. The red curry is smooth, sweet, and teeming with gorgeous veggies. Oh, and for the record: There is pad Thai, and it's superb. 63 Stuart St., Boston, MA montien-boston.com.
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.
Harvard Book Store
Sticking it to the corporate chains is most satisfying when you can do so without, you know, sacrificing anything. Seventy-five years after Boston native Mark Kramer opened a bookstore in Harvard Square, the supersize word-maven haven is still family-owned (by Kramer's son, Frank) and still doing everything right, with a public library's worth of used tomes, and new releases to rival Barnes and Borders. In a particularly Cantabrigian touch, the shop vows to go to court before disclosing your purchases to the government or anyone else, should they for some reason ask. Take that, Patriot Act! 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA harvard.com.
Looc
In our fantasies, we while away our days in a Parisian café, composing flowery prose over café au lait. In reality, we've got desk jobs and are lactose intolerant. So we shop at Looc, and make believe. With an inventory that epitomizes accessible Gallic chica spare palette of black, gray, cream, and beige from French and French-informed lines like Simone, Nili Lotan, and Thread SocialLooc helps us look the part of the ingnue, in styles that still manage to fit our made-in-America behinds. 12 Union Park, Boston, MA 2118, .
Dolly Bilzerian-Kelly
There's more to upscale salesmanship than strategically doled-out snootiness. In her 30 years at the ring-for-entry Alan Bilzerian boutique, Bilzerian-Kelly (Alan's sister) has developed a knack for divining what customers want and, better yet, what they need. She'll know, for instance, to break the news gently but firmly that, alas, that fabulous Alexander McQueen corset is not a good look for your untoned upper arms—but that you might give this Rick Owens tunic a try. Her unfailing candor doesn't crowd out her dry sense of humor, though, which can turn a quick shopping stop into a memorable event. 34 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, .
Charles Street Inn
In the comely Henry James room, a fresh orchid echoes earth tones and the arc of a tree depicted in the Hudson River School painting behind it. Such details are characteristic of the Charles Street Inn, built as a Victorian townhouse in 1860 and revived four years ago as a beautiful inn by proprietors Sally Deane and Louise Venden. Today's rooms call up prominent Bostonians—Emerson, Gardner, Holmes. The Henry James Room, for example, offers lovingly restored classic antiques along with a thoughtfully stocked mini-fridge. The personable staff operates on the rare and precious middle ground between friendliness and respect for guests' privacy. 94 Charles St., Boston, MA .
Michael Wood, Sports Performance Group
Equal parts stern taskmaster, supportive coach, exercise physiologist, and physical therapist, Michael Wood is everything a person could want in a personal trainer. His workouts will leave you stiff, but his personality won't leave you bored. Having trained everyone from Lindsay Course and Steven Tyler to David Mamet and Prince Mohammed of Saudi Ariabia, Wood is a master at creating exercise regiments for every body type. He also offers sports-specific training to build strength, speed, and agility for more athletic types. 3 Bow Street, 4th Floor, Cambridge, MA sportsperformancegroup.com.
James Joseph Salon
Gushing is not usually our style, but in the case of William George's smart Newbury Street salon, we can't help but go on. Men and women alike will feel comfortable here, because each stylist establishes trust before attempting any 'do. The unintimidating decor is part of the appeal: blond wood floors, exposed brick walls, and brushed steel furniture provide a pleasing backdrop. Plus, the price range for various services, $16-$175 (haircuts $30-$60), is reasonable, which means that you can and should come often for some low-key pampering. 168 Newbury Street, Boston, MA jamesjosephsalon.com.
Salts
"Quaint," "romantic," and "personal" describe many a bistro around here. But underrated Salts takes those attributes to a new level, due partly to its inn-in-the-French-countryside polish, but owing mostly to chef Gabriel Bremer's exquisite seasonal plates—roasted halibut with heirloom-potato gnocchi and dill emulsion; bergamot-cured ocean trout with breakfast radishes and pea greens—all teeming with ingredients from Salts' own organic farm. Order the duck for two, and a hush falls over the dining room as it's presented whole at your table. 798 Main St., Cambridge, MA 2139, saltsrestaurant.com.
Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa
He's pushed diners' expectations at kitchens across the city, from Tremont 647 and Clio to Pigalle and Toro. Then, at Coppa, Bissonnette got us all comfy—nay, obsessed—with eating as many pigs, and as many parts of them, as possible. There's just something instinctive about the way he cooks from the gut and with the intelligent fire of a food brainiac. His inspired pairings (sea urchin panino with green tomato) are outshone only by his hands-on approach to making sure every last dish that leaves Coppa's kitchen is as beautiful as it is delicious. 253 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA 2118, .
Maureen Kilpatrick, Oleana
There's something you should know about Maureen Kilpatrick: Her baked Alaska is such a dreamy, caramelized puff of fluffy, warm meringue with coconut ice cream, and a delicate macaroon, doused with a pool of brilliant yellow passion fruit caramel, that once you taste it, you may never want another dessert again. It's simply that good—all at once hot and cold, soft and crispy, sweet and tart. Kilpatrick's other creations, from tapioca tartlet to palace bread, a syrup-soaked bread pudding, perfectly complement Oleana chef and owner Ana Sortun's Mediterranean cooking. 134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA oleanarestaurant.com.
Dennis Duffy, Duffy Design Group
An interior designer would call it classic modernism; we call it sleekness without pretense. However you describe Dennis Duffy's characteristic geometric lines and striking color combinations, you'd know them in an instant. Distinctive and original are the two adjectives uttered by nearly every client of Duffy Design Group, which was the team responsible for the livable luxury that is Manny Ramirez's Ritz-Carlton penthouse (but is just as happy to help Jane and Joe Suburb renovate their living space). Duffy has mastered the most delicate balancing act of all: divining clients' needs, yet supplying enough style to fill a house. 1313 Washington St., Suite 505, Boston, MA .
Covet
Even the pets are well dressed: On our last trip to this Southie consignment boutique, we spotted the Chihuahua mascot, Olive, rocking a fierce faux-fur vest. Humans will fare even better. What this tiny store lacks in square footage, it makes up for in seriously stylish duds at steep discounts, from vintage Yves Saint Laurent frocks to nearly new Jimmy Choos. Act fast when you see something you like on Covet’s Instagram account, lest another eagle-eyed buyer snap it up. 395 W. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127, covetboston.com.