Italian Design
Outshining the competition is serious business at Italian Design, where high-wattage style emanates from futuristic floor lamps, funky ceiling fixtures, and warm, colorful bedside sconces. Everything on display is a modern work of art. Don't fret if you're unfamiliar with lighting science; the knowledgeable staff can help you with projects of all sizes. 82 Boylston St., Brookline, MA italian-design.net.
Kitchenwares by Blackstones
When Kitchen Arts closed last year, homechefs lost a good friend—a hardware-store-like shop stocked with culinary tools. Thankfully, Jennifer Hill (co-owner of Blackstone's of Beacon Hill) revived the place, enhancing it with great gift ideas for hosts and hostesses of all stripes. With a focus on locally sourced wares, she offers handmade knives by LamsonSharp and cheerful aprons by Lynne's Whim, as well as any cook's gadget you can think of. 215 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, kitchenwaresboston.com.
Serenella
Owner Leslee Shupe Korff believes in reviving the lost art of feminine dressing—tailored skirt, statement coat, and well-paired heels (always heels)—and her immaculately edited shop follows suit. The best looks from upscale labels like Narciso Rodriguez, Versace, and Bottega Veneta mingle with obscurer gems, most recently from shoemaker Joey McMakin and French dress designer Sophie Theallet. 134 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 2116, serenella.com.
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline Booksmith is dedicated to the art of browsing. This cozy store allows book lovers to curl up on the wood floor and thumb through their favorite tomes. Friendly staffers are eager to make suggestions—unlike the aloof or harried help you find in some of the superchains. Booksmith's Writer and Readers series brings the community face-to-face with authors, who've included Grace Paley, Alice Hoffman, and other literary luminaries. The store also encourages bibliophiles to get their noses out of their books and support local charities. 279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .
The Frame Gallery
Who better to create a home for your beloved artwork than the team that’s framed masterpieces for the MFA and the Gardner Museum? For almost four decades, the Frame Gallery has been putting paintings, photographs, and even sports memorabilia in everything from shadow boxes to custom gold-leafed masterpieces that are works of art in their own right. Plus, they can give that antique Victorian frame passed down through your family for generations a little TLC, too. 357 Boylston St., Brookline, MA 02445, theframegalleryboston.com.
Umami Omakase
At this relative newcomer in North Cambridge, the presentation is so artful that you almost feel guilty (almost!) for polishing off the expertly cut and dressed Japanese sea bass, isaki, and kasago. Guess what? You’ll get over it. After all, chef Gary Lei, an Uni alum, highlights the freshest and most flavorful fish around, and mercifully, his multicourse experiences don’t come with the eye-popping prices attached to most omakase. See? Guilt vanquished. 2372 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140, umamiomakase.com.
Tsurumen
This revelatory restaurant treats ramen-making as autobiographical performance art: Self-taught chef Masuo Onishi will operate Tsurumen for only 1,000 days, and reveals a new bowl of springy noodles inspired by a chapter of life every 200 days—such as the Formula 1995, a richly glistening miso ramen with wrinkly wontons that represents early adulthood. Savor every precious slurp. 420 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA .
Sam Kane, Blackroom
All too often, long-haired gals find themselves at the mercy of scissors-happy stylists with their own agenda. Not at this new South End salon. Owner Sam Kane approaches each cut as if it’s art in the making, shaping her canvas by listening carefully and never passing judgment. Case in point: She declined to scold us for waiting 10 months between cuts—and left our revitalized locks at just the right length. 61 Berkeley St., Boston, MA blackroomsalon.com.
Kelly Horan, Jack Rodolico, and Stephen Kurkjian, Last Seen
Mobsters, drugs, priceless art, and an unsolved mystery: This riveting capsule podcast about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist has it all. Meticulously crafted by WBUR’s Horan and Rodolico and the now-retired longtime Globe staffer Kurkjian, Last Seen’s twists, turns, and revelations are something you have to hear to believe. wbur.org/lastseen. wbur.org/lastseen.
Kelly Gardner, Moxie Salon
Kelly Gardner has an eye for contrast, tone, and depth, with a particular fluency in the art of foiling—super up-close and personal with the root, mind you. Trend-seekers, fret not: Gardner will fearlessly dive into those edgy, ultramodern looks, too. For us, it was a bold white-platinum with an inch of blended root. Her second forte is of-the-moment, sun-kissed balayage. Talk about cutting-edge. 691 Belmont St., Belmont, MA 02478, moxiebelmont.com.
CinemaSalem
This indie movie theater has been a community favorite for years, with live music, film festivals, and art shows bolstering its new and classic big-screen offerings. While it's homegrown, it's hardly old-fashioned, with a coffee bar on offer from the beloved Atomic Café. Meanwhile, four screens mean a flick for (virtually) everyone—go ahead and put the kids in something animated while you hit the latest action movie. One East India Sq., Salem, MA 1970, cinemasalem.com.
The Catered Affair
Partnering with some of the area's most exclusive venues, this catering company turns out artfully plated fare that would be at home in the city's finest restaurants: chorizo beignets with romesco, espresso-roasted lamb sirloin. Maybe that's because executive chef Shane O'Neill, a L'Espalier alum, is the culinary genius behind the seasonally inspired menus. 70 Ledgewood Place, Rockland, MA 02370, thecateredaffair.com.
Joséphine
At Joséphine, executive chef Alex Falconer crafts Gallic works of art: seared scallops with crispy pork belly and a tuft of enoki mushrooms; duck confit nestled over a blood-orange gastrique and tuiles of lotus root; and tuna tartare crowned with a plume of foam. Owner Samuel Gosselin’s doting service adds to the opulence. Correction, July 1, 9 a.m.: An earlier version of this post referred to chef Stefano Quaresima. He is no longer the chef at Joséphine, the chef is Alex Falconer. We regret the error. 468 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, josephineboston.com.
Shōjō
Shōjō’s “Shadowless” fries combine handcut Russets double-fried in duck fat, mapo tofu tinged with spicy chili, and nacho-cheese sauce built from a gochujang-kimchi base. The clincher? A splash of sriracha aioli. Chef Mark O’Leary says the moniker for this poutine-by-way-of-Chinatown masterpiece comes from a martial-arts term for “peerless.” We won’t disagree. 9A Tyler St., Boston, MA 02111, shojoboston.com.
Hudson
You might say Hudson has New England roots and California tips. That's the product of the decor vision of owner-designer Jill Goldberg, whose store is an ecumenical palette of vintage, modern, romantic, and tribal. There are soft, sweet sofas by Shabby Chic; stately Oly chairs and ottomans; and art deco-accented lamps from Worlds Away. It's an aesthetic that can make any Boston home kinder, gentler, and full-on cozier. 312 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA hudsonboston.com.