Brent Kaufman
How does he remember me? I've only been here once before. But he's treating me like a queen, setting up a special table for me and my visiting in-laws. Then again, he did it the first time I was here, too. Hmmm. Maybe he's flirting with me. Hope. We've since heard that he does this for everyone. Kaufman either has a photogenic memory, is outrageously congenial, or can smell a special occasion a mile away. This restaurant may not be the fanciest place in town or serve the best food, but when you want to be treated well, it's nice to be remembered— or at least to think you are. Ciao Bella, 240A Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Organic Garden Cafe
With a reasonably priced menu that caters to a diverse range of eaters, the Organic Garden Cafe will leave you feeling full and healthy. It's something of a hole in the wall, but adventurous eaters are rewarded with yummy kale chips, vegetable and quinoa bowls, fresh-pressed juices, and oh-so-good vegan baked treats. 294 Cabot St., Beverly, MA organicgardencafe.com.
City Councilor Charles Yancey
The only person who wasn't in on the backroom maneuvering that made him council president. "You talkin' to me?"
Hardware Outlet
This hole-in-the-wall looks like a cross between Bob Vila's garage and a grungy New York apartment. With enough searching, you'll find anything from drill bits and thumb tacks to gas masks and paint thinner. In the words of employee Ed Vryla, "We got everything." 51 High St., Boston, MA .
Crossing Main for Shoes
Opened last fall, the Crossing Main spinoff has been drawing local style fiends with the kind of high they formerly got in Boston: killer heels by big names. Look beyond the shelves of neatly displayed Nanette Lepore peep-toes and Loeffler Randall stilettos, though, and find an equally jones-worthy array of handbags (led by Orla Kiely, an area exclusive), jewelry, belts, and other accessories. Crossing Main's recently added personal styling service, available in store or at home, can help make sure that finishing touches don't go over the top. 28 South St., Hingham, MA 2043, .
Charles Street Inn
In the comely Henry James room, a fresh orchid echoes earth tones and the arc of a tree depicted in the Hudson River School painting behind it. Such details are characteristic of the Charles Street Inn, built as a Victorian townhouse in 1860 and revived four years ago as a beautiful inn by proprietors Sally Deane and Louise Venden. Today's rooms call up prominent Bostonians—Emerson, Gardner, Holmes. The Henry James Room, for example, offers lovingly restored classic antiques along with a thoughtfully stocked mini-fridge. The personable staff operates on the rare and precious middle ground between friendliness and respect for guests' privacy. 94 Charles St., Boston, MA .
Salts
"Quaint," "romantic," and "personal" describe many a bistro around here. But underrated Salts takes those attributes to a new level, due partly to its inn-in-the-French-countryside polish, but owing mostly to chef Gabriel Bremer's exquisite seasonal plates—roasted halibut with heirloom-potato gnocchi and dill emulsion; bergamot-cured ocean trout with breakfast radishes and pea greens—all teeming with ingredients from Salts' own organic farm. Order the duck for two, and a hush falls over the dining room as it's presented whole at your table. 798 Main St., Cambridge, MA 2139, saltsrestaurant.com.
Larry O'Connor, Black Magic
O'Connor's men (he's got two crews) dress in the traditional top hats (tails optional in summer) to do your chimney. And now's the time to get an appointment: fully three quarters of the company's business is done between September and December—and we're talking about thousands of chimneys. O'Connor started in Stowe, Vermont, in 1973, and moved here five years later. He's good, and very neat, too. "We make sure we keep our customer's homes clean by taking along an industrial vacuum cleaner to every job." Ah, progress. Cambridge, MA
Bantam Cider Company Tasting Room
Here, genre-bending hard cider is finely crafted in gorgeous steel tanks or a phalanx of barrels. A visit to the tasting room ($6 per pour, or $10 for a flight of five tastes) is the best way to swirl and sip the vast spectrum of Bantam's oeuvre—from a lightly effervescent cider with hibiscus flowers and fresh mint to a sour, funky wild-yeast variety. Snack away on complimentary pretzel rods stylishly splayed in Mason jars, and once you've identified your new favorite cider, take home a bottle, a four-pack, or a growler for the perfect souvenir. 40 Merriam St., Somerville, MA 02143, bantamcider.com.
Metropolitan Cabinets & Countertops
From virtual schoolhouses to makeshift boardrooms, entertaining hubs to culinary fun zones, kitchens have become the most vital — and versatile — spaces in our homes. This design-savvy Norwood institution understands what we need from these hardworking rooms — and responds with locally crafted, customized-to-the-nines cabinetry that supports our every demand. Islands with hidden outlets to charge laptops? Check. Bar areas with built-in wine storage? Check. The innovative team even takes our furry friends into consideration, ginning up hiding spots with specially sized drawers for Fido’s kibble bin. Multiple locations, metcabinet.com.
SpeakEasy Stage
From their home at the Boston Center for the Arts, the folks at SpeakEasy manage to do it all, regularly hosting Boston and New England premieres, staging crowd-pleasing productions, and reaching out with socially conscious theater, including Allegiance, about a Japanese-American family held in a World War II internment camp. The upcoming season promises an even more engaging, eclectic lineup, with School Girls, a self-described "African Mean Girls play" about a boarding school in Ghana; The View UpStairs, a glam-rock musical set in a 1970s New Orleans gay bar; and a staging of the Tony-winning show Once. Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, speakeasystage.com.
KitchenArts
Caught between bare-bones restaurant-supply stores and overstyled kitchen emporiums, home cooks in search of a good sharp knife and a turkey baster are left with meager options. They'd do well to head to KitchenArts, where the basics (colanders, oven mitts) are blessedly abundant, and the array of gadgets (gnocchi paddles, avocado slicers) has a way of making even takeout devotees want to pick up the culinary hobby. As for those knives: KitchenArts' reasonably priced blades include Forschner, Messermeister, and Wüsthof—and the staffers, who are all avid gastronomes themselves, are happy to opine on their favorites.
Car Talk.com
This companion to the long-running National Public Radio show extends the lunacy that you hear on the air every Saturday. The centerpiece of Click and Clack's home page is "Time Kill Central," which includes features like the Hate Mail Generator (which can churn out letters to lousy mechanics) and the Daily Didactic Diversion, a trivia contest. You can also print out your own traffic tickets—like a "Blue Hair Offense" for people who can't see over the wheel and rive 35 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Dessert Works
Kristen Repa has seen (and made) a lot of wedding cakes: Before launching her own bakery more than a decade ago, she honed her sweet skills at local institutions like Konditor Meister and the Catered Affair, and even trained at the renowned Konditorei Gerstner, in Austria. Whether you want your cake to match your theme, your personality, or your gorgeous gown, Repa and her team of pastry chefs will turn out an exquisite confection that tastes as good as it looks (dulce de leche or lemon—summer berry, anyone?). 302 Providence Hwy., Westwood, MA 2090, dessertworks.net.
Eye Adore Threading
It’s been said that eyebrows should look like sisters: similar, but not identical. If yours look more like total strangers, spend some time with Eye Adore owner Akriti Shrestha Maes. Her skill in threading — an ancient hair-removal technique that uses thread to remove unwanted hair — was honed in her native Nepal. The result? Beautifully sculpted brows every time. And if you want to make the look last longer, Maes also offers brow lamination, which can keep your perfect shape for up to six weeks. Multiple locations, eyeadorethreading.com.