Cafe Fresh
Though we have many advantages as a city, Boston is not New York when it comes to bagels. Thank goodness for Cafe Fresh, a suburban outfit doing its best to raise everyone's favorite breakfast carb to a higher level. The bagels are suitably oversized, hard on the outside, and soft in the middle. If you don't live in the 'burbs, make a weekend pilgrimage and see what we mean. Take that, Eli Zabar. 374 Washington Street, Dedham, MA .
Winston Flowers
An orchid among daisies, Winston Flowers has all but cornered the market west of Boston. Whether you're after luscious greens, blazing blossoms, or aromatic herbs, the colors and intricate designs here are irresistible. And with the freshest stems in town, it's no wonder Winston's blossoms hold their perfect petals higher than your average posy. 31 Central St. at Rte. 9, Wellesley, Newton, MA winstonflowers.com.
197 East Main
After tenures at Sage and eat, chef Nick Speros has migrated north from Boston and opened 197 East Main. If you're smart, you'll follow him. Tuck into the rib-eye or native halibut, and you'll see what we mean. The seafood is fresh off the Gloucester day boats and the rich entrées come with tender vegetables that provide the perfect textural contrast. Speros wanders the dining room to get his guests' reactions firsthand. Our feedback? Keep up the good work. 197 East Main St., Gloucester, MA .
Bakers' Best
Takeout in the 'burbs isn't all soggy pizza and greasy Chinese. Bakers' Best has the food you'd make yourself, if only you had the time. Delicious choices—from chicken piccatta to chicken marsala, grilled salmon to beef brisket—are available at the counter of this nine-time Best of Boston winner. Don't overlook the frozen food, perfect for heating and eating. 27 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA bakersbestcatering.com.
Buff's Pub
It would be a shame if this unpretentious little bar near turnpike exit 17 got too trendy. The honey hot Buffalo wings are worth the few years off your life you risk by dipping them in bleu cheese for an unlikely taste sensation. But cholesterolically speaking, what's the difference? A satisfying supply of about 10 wings goes for $2.75 (less at lunch). Buff's Pale Ale, made by Boston Beer Works, is a nice accompaniment. 317 Washington St., Newton Corner, MA .
Bella Luna
Sunday brunch should be a relaxing way to stretch out the end of the weekend and ease into the coming week. Bella Luna is a mellow, funky setting for Full Moon pancakes, French toast, or a Lost in Space breakfast pizza, to the tune of good live jazz that's present and audible without being overly intrusive. And brunch in JP is not only less hectic in Boston proper...it's half the price. 405 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA .
China Pearl
Hands down, the best dim sum in Boston. Get there before 10:30 a.m. on Sunday or be prepared to wait for cart-delivered delicacies that include shrimp chow foon, sticky rice wrapped in grape leaves, and chicken feet—if you dare. The bill usually averages around $12 a person, and then you need not think about food again until dinner. 9 Tyler St., Boston, MA .
Harvard Book Store
In addition to bringing the authors to Boston, the Harvard Book Store also provides the most diverse and frequent reading series. HBS increases its breadth by teaming up with the Hasty Pudding Institute, the BPL, and the Harvard Film Archive for many events. It also makes an effort to reach beyond the literary by inviting writers of nonfiction and even business gurus to speak. The business breakfast series is among the store's most popular. 126 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Globe Spotlight Team
The Boston Globe Spotlight Team, whose Pulitzer Prize-worthy coverage of the archdiocesan sex scandal was earth-shattering journalism at its and a return to the kind of aggressive investigative reporting that is badly needed in this town after years of newspaper "exposés" about such easy targets as crooked small-town building inspectors and ticket scalpers outside Fenway Park (no, really?)
Ted Kennedy
Whether it's delivering the pork, hiking the minimum wage, extending health care benefits to the poor, or working behind the scenes on the Fleet-BankBoston merger and the Patriots stadium deal, our hyperactive senior senator hasn't stopped running for reelection since 1994. Which is why, come next year, his Republican challenger-whoever the poor fool may be—will be wearing a blindfold, smoking a cigarette, and saying his last words.
There were so many of them, right? But if we had to choose, it was the night a grinch at the Globe scratched a mustache on a news photo of Governor Dukakis. Either that, or when Globe reporter Bella English wrote a heart-tugger about Boston tenants who were being victimized by condo spectators, only to learn later from a column by the Herald's Norma Nathan that the tenants in the Globe story resided in a building owned by Globe star reporter Ben Bradlee, Jr., and his wife, Martha, Channel 5's chief correspondent.
Coelho Contracting
In slightly less than a decade in business, Emanuel Coelho's firm has painted hundreds of houses around Boston. The secret of its success boils down to that magical combination rarely seen in contractors: top-quality workmanship—backed by a five-year, no-chip warranty—and a rate that leaves clients with a little extra cash for other home-improvement projects. 14 William St., Medford, MA 2155, .
Ann Romney, aka Mrs. Mitt Romney
During an up-close and personal interview with the Boston Globe, Romney attempted to strike a chord of cloth-coat, log-cabin Republicanism while recalling the family's lean years in Belmont, when her husband was attending Harvard Law. "We had no income except the stock we were chipping away at," she confessed. "We were living on the edge, not entertaining." Imagine.
Tiffany Von
No one encapsulates the “fine art” photography style of atmospheric, painterly perfection better than Tiffany Von Noronha. Although she’s been cultivating national clientele with weddings in far-off destinations and appearances in Martha Stewart Weddings, the Boston-based virtuoso is still right at home in the Hub’s finest indoor and outdoor venues — effortlessly capturing moments and details in romantic, unposed shots you’ll want to hang on your wall forever. tiffanyvon.com.
Revelry
Looking for a party? Follow chef Brian Ledet’s food truck — covered in harle- quin diamonds in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold, and green — when it pops up at Boston-area breweries or city parks. One taste of the New Orleans transplant’s spicy jambalaya, red beans and rice with fried chicken, andouille sausage gumbo, or barbecue-shrimp po’ boys, and you’ll swear you can suddenly hear Bourbon Street jazz bands all the way from the Greenway. Boston, MA revelryboston.com.