Fenton Hollander, Who's Responsible for Both Water Music and the Jazz at the Copley Series
He brought the Modern Jazz Quartet back to Boston.
La Poloma
It's tough to find decent Mexican food in Boston. 195 Newport Ave., Quincy, MA .
The Centrum
It's not in Greater Boston? Quick, aren't you? 50 Foster St., Worcester, MA .
Jaffe's Pick-A-Chick
Why is that the best Boston bagel is always found out of town? 285 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .
Game Room Amusements
Where the Minnesota Fats of Boston go to play snooker and billiards and pool. 333 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
Milton Nacimiento
Brazilian singer and guitarist Milton Nacimiento's sizzling Boston performance. Bravo!
Creatures of Prometheus, performed by the Boston Premiere Ensemble with choreography by Martha Armstrong Gray.
Grill 23 & Bar
You can gripe until the cows come home about Boston's relative lack of great steakhouses, but until you've bitten into a richly marbled, truly succulent Delmonico at G23, you'll get little sympathy from us. Sure, it boasts all the requisite amenities of its genre—informed and prompt service, an exemplary wine list, sharp-as-a-tack martinis, and the scent of power wafting from table to table. But what elevates Grill 23 is its willingness to move beyond the hackneyed old boys' club formula. (With their overly wrought, stereotypically masculine décor, one has to wonder whether other steakhouses around town aren't compensating for something.) And the menu, while focused on the classics, dares to administer a creative twerk. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA grill23.com.
Jeannie Rogers, Il Capriccio
Jeannie Rogers is a soft-spoken woman, but when it comes to wine she sure knows her stuff. After 20 years of building the incredible cellar in Waltham at Il Capriccio, Rogers knows her customers and works hard to give them what they want. Sometimes, that means a little education: No wonder Rogers is on the founding advisory board of the Boston University Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource center. Through her feet are deeply planted in the Boston area, Rogers' head and palate look toward the vineyard-dotted, rolling hills of Italy. Her interest in Italian varietals is duly noted on her hand-picked wine list (90 percent of selections are Italian), but not at the expense of some great varietals from Austria, Germany, France, and even Santa Barbara. Don't miss the grappa selection on the dessert wine list. 888 Main Street, Waltham, MA ilcapricciowaltham.com.
Big Wheel Recreation
Most of the music getting airtime on commercial radio these days may be pop-driven drivel, but no one has told that to the folks at Big Wheel. The new-wavy garage rockers in their stable actually care about melody, and they aren't afraid to put on a real rock show. This year alone, Big Wheel has released CDs by two of Boston's most buzzworthy bands: We Are the Only Friends We Have by Piebald and Standing Still in the USA by the Damn Personals. Plus, they've put out music by Swedish darlings the Hives and MTV stars Jimmy Eat World. All told, Big Wheel makes the local scene cooler than it has been since Evan Dando was in town. 325 Huntington Ave., No. 24, Boston, MA .
The San Fransisco Mime Troupe's <em>Steel Town</em>
We wish they'd move to Boston. The Massachusetts College of Art, .