JJ Gonson, Cuisine en Locale
So you're a little lazy. Or overworked. Or simply a really, really bad cook. No one has to know—not with Gonson around cover your tracks. Armed with fresh ingredients culled from local growers and farmers' markets, the Cambridge-based chef swoops into homes throughout the Hub, leaving a week's worth of healthy meals in her wake. And she's not afraid to share her tricks, offering kitchen and pantry organization and private gourmet-grocery shopping, too.
Rosaline's Skin Care Clinic
Rarely have we seen as devoted a clientele as Rosaline's customers, who laud her quality, service, product line, and commitment to teaching clients about skincare. They love the shoulder massage that comes as part of her facials, and the fact that she's low-key about pushing products, not to mention the results they see in their skin. "In lean, mean times I give up everything but my facial," says one long-time fan. 1426 Beacon St., Brookline, MA .
Picco
All too often, pleasing kids' palates means sacrificing a small part of their souls to mass-produced chicken fingers. Thankfully, the charred yet chewy wood-fired pizzas (not to mention the decadent brownie sundae) at this eatery will thrill the pickiest pint-size diners, and keep you happy, as well. In fact, adults have the most fun—while the minors down black-and-white frappes, the grownups are slurping floats anchored by a pint of just-boozy-enough raspberry lambic. 513 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2116, piccorestaurant.com.
L'Espalier
For a modern Boston tea party, head to L'Espalier on a Saturday afternoon, when the Back Bay brownstone is filled with elegant ladies nibbling on pastries and canapés. We recommend Red Riding Hood's Basket: savory tea sandwiches, melt-in-your-mouth scones with crème fraîche, and chocolate-dipped strawberries or Valrhona milk chocolate mousse tarts. The tea, delivered with a graceful flourish, is brewed just so and punctually refilled. You won't want to spill a drop. 744 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2199, lespalier.com.
Sandrine's Bistro
The ambiance seems a touch suburban. But no matter: At Sandrine's, all eyes are on chef Raymond Ost's accessible French classics. Follow a salmon crepe starter with seared sea scallops and mashed potatoes piqued with sauerkraut or the house speciality, an Alsatian tarte flambé. Even the (quelle blaspheme!) meatless options (eggplant and cheese ravioli, stuffed artichoke) are fantastic. 8 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA 2138, sandrines.com.
No Name Restaurant
The décor is worn; the waiters, crusty. The low-priced seafood, on the other hand, couldn't be fresher, and the kitchen knows what to do with it, displaying considerable finesse with battered fried clams, seared scallops, and buttery chowder made with leftovers from the catches of the day. While some people may be put off by the No Name's unfussy shtick—the restaurant famously serves water by the pitcher in tiny paper cups—regulars know it's part of what amounts to one of the tastiest bargains in Boston. 15 1/2 Fish Pier, Boston, MA nonamerestaurant.com.
Flat Patties
For those of us who've longbelieved that a burger's quality is directly proportional to its heft, it defies logic that one of the beefiest, juiciest, tastiest (and cheapest) burgers in town is, in fact, flat as a pancake. Well seasoned and slathered in a sweet mayonnaise sauce, Flat Patties' freshly ground patties are tender and packed with flavor. The nicest part? The quarter-pounder rings in at just $3.95. 33 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, flatpatties.com.
Douzo
Where to go when you're craving fantastic raw creations on a burned-out budget: Douzo, near Back Bay Station, which serves up little sushi treasures that are every bit as pristine (if a tad less transcendent) as those at the city's big-price bars. The loungey space is hopping on weekends, but don't let that distract from the kitchen's deft flavor-texture balancing act, as displayed in the torched toro maki wrapped with asparagus and paper-thin raw jalapeño. 131 Dartmouth St., Boston, MA 2116, douzosushi.com.
Fin
The romance started with a rich local-oyster-and-bacon chowder with chive and truffle oil. Then came the scallops with oyster mushrooms, asparagus, pancetta, pea shoots, and chive béarnaise, and then the organic beef special with ramps and shiitakes. By the time the heavenly macademia-nut-and-coconut tart showed up, we knew for certain that this homey new spot from Brewster Fish House alum Martha Kane would be more than just a one-night stand. 800 Main St., Dennis, MA 2638, fincapecod.com.
French Memories
As if life on picturesque Duxbury Harbor wasn't sweet enough, French Memories steps in with a cadre of top-notch carbs to up the ante. On hand are tiny petits fours and crunchy baguettes that would hold their own anywhere along the Seine. But the standouts are the truly irresistible almond croissants. Their crispy, buttery layers and dense, nutty filling condense into one cakelike bite. 459 Washington St., Duxbury, MA frenchmemories.com.
Flat Top Johnny's
We have a limited selection of pool halls in the area, which means that come the weekend, Flat Top Johnny's can get absolutely overwhelmed. Weeknights are a better bet: It's easy to grab a table with a few friends, order some craft beers, and shoot pool all night long. Bored of billiards? Switch to darts or pinball. One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA flattopjohnnys.com.
Celeste Oliva
Name a major motion picture filmed in the Hub in the past decade, and chances are you saw Celeste Oliva in it. But she's also a stage veteran who this year shone in the Lyric Stage's production of David Henry Hwang's satirical play, Chinglish. Acting with a graceful mix of strength and poignant vulnerability, Oliva stole every scene in her role as the provincial bureaucrat Xi Yan.
Esperia Grill
Building the perfect gyro is a Herculean task. The pita must be warm and soft. The meat must be flavorful and tender. But the real key is the sauce holding it all together, the tzatziki. This is where so many good gyros go bad. At Esperia, the classic Greek cucumber-yogurt sauce is just the right combination of creamy and tart, making it the perfect complement to the juicy chicken or pork. 344 Washington St., Brighton, MA 2135, esperiagrill.com.
Brian Mercury, Harvest
We tend to approach modernist desserts with caution—though striking, can an elaborate plate of gel, fruit leather, and crumble actually taste good? In the hands of Harvest’s Brian Mercury, the answer is yes. That’s because his confections are built around something satisfying—like the zingy Key-lime tart anchoring passion-fruit gel and pickled kumquats, or the rich Taza-chocolate crémeux garnished with brown-sugar granola and sea salt that the chef harvests himself on the New England coastline. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, harvestcambridge.com.
Henrietta's Table
The Goldilocks Principle is perfectly apt when applied to early-morning eats: Go too big and you’re ready for a nap before 10 a.m., go too small and you’ll be hungry within the hour. Henrietta’s gets it just right, balancing out hearty staples like red flannel hash with lighter fare like smoothies and fresh-baked pumpkin bread. One Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 2138, henriettastable.com.