All Too Human
Maybe you’re searching for a piece you spotted on the runway. Maybe you’re just in need of a fabulous wardrobe refresh. Either way, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for at Jessica Knez’s sleek boutique, where such hard-to-find labels as Maison Kitsuné and Y/Project are displayed next to fan favorites like Chloé and Marni. After two years in the Back Bay, All Too Human is at the forefront of our city’s fashion renaissance. 236 Clarendon St., Boston, MA 02116, alltoohumanboston.com.
Design Within Reach
We’ve all become more interested in sprucing up our home offices over the past year, and Design Within Reach’s eye-catching and efficient workspace furnishings get the job done. Should you need a Nathan Yong filing cabinet, a posture-improving Eames chair, or a Herman Miller desk that makes you feel like the #boss you are, the store has flair (and options) to spare. 1045 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, dwr.com.
Café ArtScience
The past couple of years have been big for hybrids—see the grocer-meets-restaurant Commonwealth, the sandwich-shop-meets-restaurant Tavern Road, and the coffee-shop-meets-bar Ames Street Deli. But none match Café ArtScience's scope and ambition. Sure, it's a forward-thinking bar, product space, and classroom. But it's also one of our finer modern French restaurants. 650 E. Kendall St., Cambridge, MA 02142, cafeartscience.com.
Alden & Harlow
Whether we’re looking for a place to entertain out-of-towners or just an impromptu night out on the town, Alden & Harlow has become our default dining destination. Even after two years, classics like chicken-fried rabbit, roasted carrots over romesco sauce, and chef Michael Scelfo’s scandalously smoky burger continue to feel spry and innovative. Seth Freidus’s cocktail list is endlessly surprising. And service is seamless, gracefully toeing the line between casual and intuitive. 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 02138, aldenharlow.com.
Orly Khon Floral
Industrial chic. Richly bohemian. Romantic and fresh. Orly Khon, formerly of Tangerine Creations, can weave a floral theme for any romance—blooms springing from driftwood, succulents beneath glass cloches, blossom chains. She's also a weather watcher, keeping track of how our crazy climate affects flowers and making appropriate (read: calming) modifications. And with a retail store inside the Restoration Hardware flagship and a studio close to the Boston Flower Exchange, Khon has a garden of local inspiration at her fingertips. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, orlykhon.com.
The Proprietors Bar & Table
Hollandaise-drizzled eggs Benny and bloodies are always a welcome weekend indulgence, but there are times—especially on vacation—when we want more from our morning meal. Thankfully, the Proprietors' adventurous brunch menu rises to the challenge. Here, chef/co-owner Michael LaScola's lobster-and-mushroom pancakes are luxed up with crème fraîche and caviar; whipped-mortadella toast is finished with a soft-poached egg; and everything tastes better with a side of "Ranchero" tater tots, slathered with gooey cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs. 9 India St., Nantucket, MA 2554, proprietorsnantucket.com.
Gallery Naga
There's always something that catches our eye at this contemporary gallery inside the Back Bay's Church of the Covenant. Now celebrating its 40th year, Naga prefers to showcase work by locals, such as Peter Vanderwarker's stunning landscape photography and Gerry Bergstein's mixed-media agglomerations on panels. The other thing the artists all have in common? They hit the sweet spot of challenging the mind while creating images that you can immerse yourself in for years. 67 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, gallerynaga.com.
Leather World
A local stalwart for more than 40 years, Leather World helps us handle our hauls, supplying a polycarbonate spinner to withstand the perils of the TSA, a leather duffel perfect for that weekend jaunt down to the Cape, and a trim briefcase for the daily commute to and from the office. Plus, all of its locations offer one line of embossing at no additional cost. 30 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA shopleatherworld.com.
Lester Harry's
Spending time in the serene and lovely Lester Harry's is like entering a magical portal to a land where babies don't ever cry or spit up, and there are no finger-paint fiascos, tantrums, or time-outs. Okay, maybe that's just our sleep-deprived imaginations drifting again, but we blame the future-heirloom frocks from Makie, Flora and Henri, and Bleu Comme Gris for being so dreamy. 115 Newbury St., Boston, MA lesterharrys.com.
Salmagundi
Ladies in the market for a cloche, toque, or fascinator (though nothing quite on the scale of Princess Beatrice's) emerge just as satisfied as the brave men who venture in to procure fedoras, bucket hats, and Panamas. Sorry, Red Sox, but thanks to Salmagundi, we're temporarily putting all of our flat-brimmed baseball caps into storage—at least until playoff season. 765 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA salmagundiboston.com.
Dick's Sporting Goods
City Sports has dominated this category for years, and if you're trying to pull off athlete chic no matter the cost, it's still a fine choice. Weekend warriors as concerned with price and performance as stylishness, though, should make tracks for Dick's. Here you can score everything from sturdy Russell sweats to high-performance Under Armour tees to footballs, camping tents, and bows and arrows. Alas, the only thing we couldn't find was our long-missing jump shot. 1336 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 1760, .
Violet Skin Boutique
You don't have to worry about that,' says Shaw when we tell her we really need a therapeutic massage, not just a light shoulder rub. As she begins to press and knead, our concerns, and stress knots, melt away. Shaw's firm touch relaxes and revitalizes as she instinctively homes in on problem areas, leaving us free to daydream or doze. 257 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, violetskinboutique.com.
LuxLash
We can't quite put our finger on when brow shaping morphed from a quick rip of indifferently applied tape into an art form. But we do know that LuxLash has perfected the procedure. The specialty spa, so popular it moved to a larger location six months after opening, charges a reasonable $25 to $35 for a painless, expertly waxed and plucked arch. Owner Suzanne Cats has even developed her own brow-extension technology for those who believe more is more. 232 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, luxlash.com.
Centre St. Cafe
Visions of the Moosewood Cafe dance in our heads. This Jamaica Plain eatery isn't quite the famous haven that spawned all those veggie cookbooks, but it offers meatless dishes flavorful enough to satisfy a carnivore. In fact, a musrhoom-potato stew was so rich, we were convinced it had a beef-broth base. (It didn't.) We also loved the salads and the curried stir fry. You'll find an occasional fish or chicken dish, but this is veggie heaven, 1960s-style. 699 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA .
Mistral
Mistral has always been a cool place to eat, but in the past that was more to do with the scene than the food. This year, we're happy to report that chef Jamie Mammano's cuisine is worth getting dressed up for too. The menu is eclectic in the truest sense of the word; offerings span the globe, including dishes from Italy (homemade designer pizzas), France (a silken foie gras terrine), and our own soil (tenderloin of beef with horseradish potatoes). All are carefully executed, with special consideration given to presentation and plating. 223 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA mistralbistro.com.