Blue Star Lounge
A honky-tonk, but as close to the real thing as you'll get around here. Rte. 1, Saugus, MA .
Jason's
Lots of glitz, tuxedos, and loud music. 131 Clarendon St., Boston, MA .
Montage
At some point, modern Europhiles have to make a choice: either move to Milan or buy furniture from Montage. Showcasing factory-direct B&B Italia and Moroso pieces (along with molto other imports ending in vowels), this Back Bay retailer corners the market on continental cool. Don't have an interior designer? Montage staffers will evaluate your pad and make savvy recommendations. Be warned, though: With the euro kicking the dollar's butt, Italian style doesn't come cheap, so you'll need to leave your budget at the door. 75 Arlington St., Boston, MA 2116, montageweb.com.
13-Up
State of the art, with imaginative programming by Joe Verange. 13 Lansdowne St., Boston, MA .
SoWa Winter Festival
Returning this holiday season, this event is the ideal winter one-stop shop: Get all of your gifts from local arts and craft vendors while enjoying food and cocktails, all graced by the glow of ice sculptures. 500 Harrison Ave., South End, MA 02118, sowaboston.com/sowa-winter-festival.
International Poster Gallery
Why? Because no one else can hook you up with an original art-nouveau Mucha on silk, or a first-edition movie poster from Stanley Kubrick's Lolita. Lolita, 205 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Art dealer Nina Nielsen's attempt to place a major collection of Jackson Pollock drawings in Boston permanently by offering a 25 percent discount to collectors who agreed to donate their purchases to the MFA.
Fox & the Knife
Our nonnas could argue for hours about what defines the perfect pasta. One thing they would all agree on, though, is the distinctive precision and vision at work in Karen Akunowicz’s kitchen, from the just-so suppleness of her raviolo carbonara to the tortelli, cooked a tiny bit al dente in a buttery green bath of wild nettles, English peas, and garlic. On your way out, scoop up fresh-made styles sold by the bagged pound for your own cooking adventures — and get excited for the in-house pasta shop planned for Bar Volpe, Akunowicz’s upcoming second Southie restaurant. 28 W. Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127, foxandtheknife.com.
Bambini Design
Just because you're bringing home a bambino doesn't mean you have to turn the place into a romper room. This modern furniture store offers colorful French and Italian items that can make a nursery seem as hip as a South End loft. The goods aren't cheap, but they're long-lasting, and many pieces are designed to grow along with your kids. The DucDuc Dylan set, for example, begins as a crib and changing table, transforms into a toddler bed and dresser, and ends up a coffee table and bar your little nipper can take off to college. 82 Boylston St., Brookline, MA .
Flat of the Hill
After perusing the wares at Flat of the Hill, you'll either wish you had more people to buy gifts for or you'll break down and buy something for yourself. From girlfriend-appropriate books to the Soular Therapy line of soaps and candles, the items on offer here are great for all who need their spirits lifted, though equally tempting are the Jane Fox bags, preppy ribbon belts, and old-fashioned signs. For formal occasions, choose from silver spreader sets or Caldrea lavender water. A few minutes in this bustling Charles Street boutique and there's no way you'll walk out empty-handed. 60 Charles St., Boston, MA flatofthehill.com.
The Boston Shaker
Most men appreciate a stiff one (we're talking drinks, people). And most men enjoy impressing others with their knowledge of crafting a good stiff one (please). Adam Lantheaume's recently expanded cocktail-supply shop, in a new Davis Square location, is like a candy store for mixology connoisseurs. Books about cocktails, handstitched ice-crushing bags, shaker tins, glasses of all shapes and eras, and a vast selection of garnishes help stock every man's dream bar. And hard-to-find ingredients like gum syrup and maple bitters will have him drunk with joy. 69 Holland St., Somerville, MA 2144, thebostonshaker.com.
Sushi Island
Those who make frequent worshipful visits to this midsize sushi joint know it doesn't take much to coax chef-owner Junji Aoki out of his seemingly forbidding silence behind the bar. Just ask (and you might well have to ask, as specialties like firefly squid and monkfish liver aren't often glimpsed in suburban environments), and Aoki will tell you how a particular delicacy is prepared, and how long it'll be in season. Your taste buds, meanwhile, will tell you it's simply dynamite. 397 Main St., Wakefield, MA 1880, .
Tree House Brewing Company
Okay, so it’s not technically a bar, but with tickets required for entry (and sometimes selling out), this brewery’s new Sandwich outpost is certainly the most coveted spot around to sip suds at a picnic table overlooking Cape Cod Bay or inside an airy, whitewashed taproom. That’s thanks to Tree House’s IPAs, imperial stouts and porters, and more, which beer aficionados have traveled from far and wide to sample since the brewery opened its first location in western Massachusetts 11 years ago. We’ll let you in on a little secret: They taste even better on vacation. Sandwich, MA treehousebrew.com/visiting-sandwich.
Boston Harbor Distillery
With a vibe that distillery founder Rhonda Kallman calls “refined grittiness,” this 1800s-era Dorchester mill building can be dressed up or down. For one event, that translated to candles and white tablecloths in the tasting room, outfitted with 40-foot Douglas fir post-and-beam ceilings and brick walls. For another, more-casual gathering, it meant comfy couches and whiskey-barrel tables. Then there are the bar offerings to take advantage of: From signature cocktails with BHD’s Putnam whiskey to a full-on tasting table, your guests will have the chance to sample all the goods. 12R Ericsson St., Boston, MA 02122, bostonharbordistillery.com.