Ken Oringer, Clio
Of the many honors chef Ken Oringer has won (a James Beard Award among them), this year's nod as one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors was perhaps the most high profile. Of course, the folks at People must know that it's not just his looks that make Oringer such a catch—it's also his talent and creativity as a chef. From foie gras to sashimi, Oringer executes the dishes at the elegant French Back Bay restaurant Clio with such precision, grace, and flavor, you'd think he'd invented the ingredients himself. Whether it's his signature tomato water martini (a refreshing predinner palate cleanser that tastes like summer in a glass), his delicate and beautifully flavored tuna tartare, or the savory roasted suckling pig, Oringer's cooking is, indeed, a study in seduction. Eliot Suite Hotel, 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA cliorestaurant.com.
SoundBites
A good breakfast joint is the kind of place where you can settle down with your morning paper, sipping from a bottomless cup of self-serve coffee, and order what mom used to cook (or what you wish she had). After seven years in Ball Square, SoundBites is still sans frills; just good home cookin' fresh out of the oven and off the grill. Order French toast or waffles with fruit and you'll get a mound of cool, glistening slices of sunshine atop the warm, light battercakes. The other side of the menu proves there's more than one right way to do eggs, whether they're Moroccan, Benedict, or an omelet. 708 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, MA .
Newbury Tailoring Company
Antonio Rivas and his merry band of seamsters have earned a cult following for their skill in reattaching the original hem to jeans. But come on: Who's not doing original hem these days? A great tailor can, and should, also make a garment look better. Tests of the competition, including 2008 winner Le Couturier, yielded mostly adequate results ($40 later, a vintage party dress was appropriately shortened, yet still suggested second-trimester pregnancy). Only Rivas and company, given a fur-trimmed '60s-era coat that was two sizes too big and six inches too long, came through like champs, producing a glorious brand-new garment for around 50 bucks. 91 Newbury St., Boston,, Boston, MA 2116, .
Franklin Cafe
This utterly unpretentious, hip South End restaurant is doing its best to change the image of Boston as an early-to-eat town. Though it has only nine tables and a crowded bar, Franklin services perfectly homey, simply executed food that gives late-night dining a good name. Favorites on the New American menu include loin of tuna (a large piece of fish cooked medium-rare and served atop creamy mashed potatoes) and the grilled lahmajune (an Armenian-inspired pizza topped with ground lamb and cilantro). Portions are large, prices are low, and the crowd is cool—a winning combination that keeps hungry night owls happy and fed until 1:30 a.m. every night of the week. 278 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, MA franklincafe.com.
Maxime Salon & Spa
Norwell is hardly a hotbed of international enchantment, but this tiny house of beauty has it in spades. The journey begins in the tasseled Moroccan aesthetics room, where you can undergo a Valmont facial—using the famed and exquisite Swiss product line laced with sweet Bulgarian rose—at the nurturing hands of Barbara Foley while you gaze up at a swathed ceiling. Or give yourself over to one of the masseuses, who make their own herb-infused oils and will leave you wondering if you even have a spine. Maxime's nerve center is a conglomerate of beauty bar and hair salon. (Ronit Enos is a meticulous whiz at color.) Relax in the plush cranny decked out like the Taj Mahal as you wait for your day of beauty. 124 Washington St., Norwell, MA maximesalon.com.
Jason Bowen
The Huntington Theatre Company had a lot to crow about with this spring's production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which marked the company's completion of all 10 plays in August Wilson's legendary Century Cycle series, about the African-American experience in the 20th century. TV and Broadway star Yvette Freeman played titular blues diva Ma Rainey, but it was Roslindale's own Jason Bowen who stole the show. His roiling, titanic performance as Levee, Rainey's trumpeter, perfectly captured the unbridled ambition that led to his character's violent downfall. Combine that with his sweet performance last fall as the lovestruck Duke Orsino in the Actors' Shakespeare Project's Twelfth Night, and Bowen is well on his way to stardom.
The MBTA's #1 Bus (Harvard Square to Dudley Station)
A glimpse at the true, uncensored soul of Boston is found on a roundtrip ride on the MBTA's #1 bus. It bisects the city by running the length of Mass. Ave. from Harvard to Roxbury; along the way it picks up an array of characters from all walks of life, professions, and strata. Harvard Square intellectuals are joined by the eccentrics of Central Square, followed by the tech/science types from M.I.T. After crossing the river, the #1 glides through posh Back Bay and past Newbury Street, skirts Fenway, and then moves into the heart of Boston's music epicenter—Berklee, the Symphony, New England Conservatory, and Wally's. It then cruises through the South End and finally makes its way through the environs of Roxbury to Dudley Station.
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, .
Katrina Hess
Over the years, hundreds of women have watched natural beauty they never knew they had emerge from under Katrina Hess's skilled brushstrokes. Weddings are a specialty, but, as Hess puts it, a woman should feel like a million bucks whether she's going to the office or going to the altar. Hess is a well of beauty tips and tricks (from how to avoid getting lipstick on your teeth to giving lashes that elusive perfect curl). Equally impressive is her product knowledge: While she's worked for many of the best (Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy, Chanel, Christian Dior), Hess now works only for her clients and has the luxury of culling every label's standout cosmetics into a dream palette. Combine that with her meticulously honed technique, and you've got a beautiful thing indeed. 105 Newbury St., 3rd floor, Boston, MA .
Katerina Kolokotronis, Grettacole
Just about any facial you receive at Grettacole will be head and shoulders above the rest in town. But those at the hands of Katerina Kolokotronis are nothing short of miraculous. The sweet and down-to-earth Kolokotronis swiftly determines the needs of even the most sensitive skin and, using the acclaimed Swiss beauty line Valmont, sets about rejuvenating it with the most luxurious, restorative facial in town. Gentle extractions and calming masks designed to make the skin glow are applied during the relaxing one-hour treatment. (The collagen mask is a surefire way to keep Botox at bay for years to come.) And to keep the rest of you from getting jealous while your face is pampered, Kolokotronis can arrange for a hair conditioning treatment, after-facial blowout, and makeup application. If that's not enough, she's a master at eyebrow shaping and waxing—which is why Kolokotronis is more than just an aesthetician, she's a miracle worker. Westin Copley/Copley Place, Boston, MA .
Bobby from Boston
For anyone who didn't have a crazy great-aunt who spent like a fiend, wore things once, and saved it all, owner Bobby Garnett has an unreal stockpile of immaculately kept vintage apparel and accessories. On a recent trip to the Oak Room-esque space, we found: train cases, military-issue messenger totes, college letter sweaters, marching band uniforms, '60s and '70s cocktail dresses, croc handbags, racks of denim jackets, and endless shelves of stadium hats—all at below-market prices. If by chance you don't find that thing you never knew you were looking for, Garnett also takes private appointments at his 5,000-square-foot storage warehouse in Lynn. 19 Thayer St., Boston, MA 2118, .
Daniela Corte
Somewhere between couture and casual wear, there is the striking work of Daniela Corte. First, there are her designs: wrap shirts that evoke Pucci's colors and Prada's lines; pants that run from pristine silk trousers to leopard-print capris; and vibrant halter dresses that would be at home on both Newbury Street and Cannes beach. Then there's her fit: each piece custom-cut to your exact measurements, and in the precise fabric, pattern, and color you want it. The pint-sized Corte, every inch a style doyenne, takes customers beyond mere label obsession and into the realm of real fashion: She fuses cuts from the best international designers, puts her own distinct stamp on the pastiche, and tailors it to perfectly flatter every customer—all from a tiny Back Bay studio. In a town that tends to be too buttoned-up in the clothing department, Corte is just the right fit. 271 Newbury St., Boston, MA danielacorte.com.
The Tannery
No more standing before a certain unnamed 'denim bar,' wondering where on earth to begin. No more searching specialty stores' stacks of wash-du-jour denim, wondering where they put all the stuff for guys who aren't pocket-sized indie rockers. Having expanded beyond its dingy, Birkenstock-filled basement space last year, the new and vastly improved 10,000-square-foot Tannery in Harvard Square devotes an entire well-organized wall to men's denim stars like William Rast, True Religion, and Genetic. Still can't make a pick? Brutally honest salespeople rush to the rescue, producing pairs that—miracle of miracles—actually fit. 39 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, thetannery.com.
Barneys New York
Whether in pursuit of the perfect burger or a potential mate, we men typically thrill to the chase. But hunting for just-right cuff links? Oh, no. No, no. The quickest way to kill off our inner Bond, in fact, is to trudge from store to store, questing after the highly specific accessories that live seemingly only in our imagination: the cool diver watch with grosgrain strap, aviators that don't evoke dissolute rock star. While certain things at other local stores quicken our pulse (e.g., the socks at Drinkwater's), for all-out adrenaline rush it's Barneys: walls full of man bags, rows upon rows of pocket squares, belt racks that go on for days. We're in, we're out, mission accomplished. 100 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 2116, barneys.com.
Clio
Big egos like big flavors, want big portions, and prefer big tables. Little wonder, then, that breakfast at Clio has reached utopian status among so many heavy hitters. Haggle over freshly baked pecan bread. Intimidate the enemy over creamy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, chives, and caviar. Impress your peers with the cool-but-elegant setting and finely tuned service that appears as if on cue. of all: The hotel, known for its personalized service, attracts out-of-towners for whom rolling out of bed and going downstairs for a convenient breakfast meeting is a big, big plus. It's helped to lure away the power crowd from Aujourd'hui at the Four Seasons, at least a few morning a week. Eliot Suite Hotel, 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA cliorestaurant.com.