Schumacher Landscaping
Schumacher has been the grad Poo-Bah of flora for the past 31 years, and is largely responsible for bringing a healthy dose of green to Boston's asphalt avenues. Its creative ingenuity can be appreciated throughout the city at the Fraser Courtyard in the Museum of Fine Arts, the Snell Library Plaza at Northeastern University, and Post Office Square Par. But don't be intimidated if your yard is more like a foot. These doctors of the green thumb are equally adept at smaller residential projects— say, planting pansies around the porch, installing sod over that crabgrass, or mowing your lawn when you just don't feel like it. 17 Electric Ave., Brighton, MA .
Stella
Three years after its feverishly hyped opening, the South End's Stella draws a dinner crowd that's more Newton-Wellesley than bright-young-thing. After those diners have retreated is when the insider action at this stylish modern Italian restaurant gets under way. Until 1:30 a.m., Boston's movers and shakers perch on the tall bar chairs and inhale mushroom and white truffle oil thin-crust pizza and fantastic (and only available late-night) burgers—welcome tidbits for those who would otherwise be scarfing greasy New York-style slices on their stumbles home. 1525 Washington St., Boston, MA 2118, bostonstella.com.
Ole
Don't write off Olé for its unremarkable exterior. Inside you'll find a peppy atmosphere and Boston's most bona fide Mexican fare: In place of sloppy enchiladas, chef Erwin Ramos serves up inventive plates including tacos de cangrejo, crabmeat tacos with crème fraîche and baby spinach, and costillas de puerco, pork ribs cooked in banana leaves with a chili ancho peanut glaze, which go down even better when accompanied by pitchers of the potent house sangria and bowls of fresh guacamole prepared tableside by friendly waiters. 11 Springfield St., Cambridge, MA 2139, olegrill.com.
Sunset Grill & Tap
Given all the sterling pubs in Boston, a city that's become a destination for the beer-drinking world, you'd think Sunset would see stiffer competition in this category. Yet there's no arguing with the math: Over 100 beers on tap plus 380 microbrews equals 10 Best of Boston nods in the past decade. From the Hazed & Infused American pale ale to a host of obscure but lip-smacking Belgians, there's always something new and intriguing on offer. More important: The staff is as astute about beer as sommeliers are about wine, minus the superciliousness. 130 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA 2134, allstonsfinest.com.
Designed by Delsie
Requiring serious organization skills, fine-tuned attention to detail, and unbridled creativity when it comes to design, modern-day wedding planning is not for the faint of heart. Yet somehow, Pearl “Delsie” Farquharson — the mastermind behind Boston- and Rhode Island–based Designed by Delsie — makes the whole thing look easy. Past collaborators rave about the expert’s poise under pressure, on-point vendor suggestions, and proactivity, while her smoothly executed (and highly personalized) events at posh venues including the Boston Harbor Hotel speak to her unwavering commitment to her clients’ visions. Consider us impressed. designedbydelsie.com.
Yu-Wen Wu
This Taipei-born and Boston-raised artist found her widest audience to date with Lantern Stories, a breathtaking collection of 31 illuminated orbs that hung outside Chinatown this year, each decorated to tell stories of the immigrant experience. It was a stunning exemplar of Wu’s work with abstract drawings and video installations, whose depictions of climate-change and economic data are beautiful from a distance and thought-provoking up close. Boston awaits the story she’ll decide to tell next, and how. yuwenwu.com.
Tavi de la Rosa
Rare is the makeup artist who can shake you out of your routine with a single application of blush and eyeshadow. Tavi de la Rosa, who mans the Sisley counter at Neiman Marcus part-time and preps Boston's style icons, can suss out your look in minutes. For us, that meant smoky eyes, flawless foundation, and near-nude lips, plus a few false-eyelash applications for extra zing.
Dbar
Dorchester has become a hub for Boston's gay scene, with Dbar at the center of it all. From Showtunes Tuesdays to Magnum Saturdays (you'll have to see for yourself), there's always something happening at this Dot. Ave. hot spot. The Christopher Coombs-inspired menu and deftly crafted cocktail list are all the fuel you need to dance into the wee hours when the restaurant transitions into a nightclub. 1236 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125, dbarboston.com.
Bodega
This Back Bay boutique is famous for stocking Boston's most fashionable array of kicks. Choose from the latest lines of Nike, Converse, Reebok, and Vans, plus plenty of special-edition hats and graphic tees. The shopping experience, like the inventory, defines what it means to be hip in the Hub: Bodega is pet-friendly and regularly showcases paintings by local artists. 6 Clearway St., Boston, MA 2115, shop.bdgastore.com.
Eastern Bakers Supply
Need a springform pan for a mile-high cheesecake? Eastern Bakers has Boston's broadest, deepest, and widest inventory for baking, pastry-making, and all breeds of professional supplies. This is the place that the professionals turn to, from pots and pans to doo-dads like pastry nozzels, pastry brushes, brioche molds, rolling pins, and paring knives. It ain't pretty in there, but the place works. Ask for Al. His manner seems gruff, but it's a put-on. 145 North Washington St., Boston, MA .
Jim Horgan
Front Street's bar (260 Berkeley St., Boston) is a quiet, secure haven, protected by Horgan. A five-year veteran of the bartending wars of Boston and Cape Cod, Horgan knows his regulars and what they drink, and he protects their privacy. "This isn't a pickup bar," Horgan says. "People come here to relax. Single women come in by themselves and trust me to see they're left alone. People know that no one will bother them here." Front Street, 260 Berkely St., Boston, MA .
Tremont IPA
Enough with the fruit-and-berry recipes made by all those microbreweries that are (not coincidentally) going out of business left and right. Enough, too, with the endless seasonal brews—even the ones from Tremont. It's time to get back to basics, and the finest basic Boston beer is this one, with its malty, hoppy goodness and light copper hue, now on draft year round in the best Boston-area bars and available in bottles in and around town. MA
Duckworth's Bistrot
Before setting up shop in Gloucester, star chef Ken Duckworth gained invaluable training turning out classics like creamy wild mushroom soup and succulent Dover sole in Paris and at Boston's famed Maison Robert. The American desserts, such as peanut butter pie and cheesecake, are the vision of Duckworth's wife, Nicole, a self-trained pastry chef. Each dish, expertly executed and oozing with flavor, is testimony to the couple's passion for perfection. 197 E. Main St., Gloucester, MA 1930, duckworthsbistrot.com.
Nick Speros, Soma
Speros has run his own restaurant (Gloucester's 197 East Main) and hopped around Boston's top kitchens (Radius and Armani Café) but it wasn't until Soma that he developed a distinctive personal style. Encouraged by fellow Grecian and owner Nik Paras, Speros has embraced his roots, turning out dishes like beet and bean salad with ;skordalia, a Greek garlic sauce, and rare steak salad tossed with yellow wax beans. It's all Greek to us—and it all makes delicious sense. 256 Cabot St., Beverly, MA 1915, somabeverly.com.
Bill Rodgers's
Last December, the Boston Marathoner went to the Globe with a sob story about how evil Bank of Boston was foreclosing on his happy Dover home to settle a bank loan to Rodgers's running-goods store. Lo and behold, four months later, Rodgers announced that the bank had given him a fair price on his home and had signed him to a personal-services contract. Hmmm.