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 .
Giblees
Occupying the better part of a nondescript strip mall on Route 114, Giblees has attire for every manly occasion: golf, work, weekends, and formal affairs—plus a pool table and coffee bar for gents who need a break from the dressing room. Assistance is available but never forced—our inquiry about a birthday bow tie for a super-stylish pal yielded a drawer full of dapper options. 85 Massachusetts 114, Danvers, MA 1923, giblees.com.
Lanes & Games
Bowling is enjoying an indubitable renaissance as of late, with funky alleys attracting a quasi-hipster bar crowd. But as much as we enjoy our fancy drinks, bowling is at heart a sport of beer in plastic cups and no-glam atmosphere. Lanes & Games in Cambridge has never had an identity crisis about what it is: a legitimately retro bowling alley (note the circa-1947 interior) with 54 lanes of candlepin and tenpin, a pro shop, and lots of leagues. From the "Grip it and Rip It" stickers to the bowling bag-sized lockers in the restrooms, this is the real deal. 195 Concord Tpke. (Rte. 2 East), Cambridge, MA lanesgames.com.
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.
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Fountains
Anyone with kids knows the word “more.” So why visit just one splash pad when you can visit any of the seven fountains along the Rose Kennedy Greenway? Our suggested itinerary moves from south to north: Enjoy the waterfall and rock features of the Chinatown Stream, the cool mist of the Harbor Fog Sculpture, and end up at the Rings Fountain when night falls to take in the colorful light show accompanying the spouting jets of water. What more could they ask for on a hot day? Boston, MA rosekennedygreenway.org.
Melina Cortes-Nmili, Lalla Bee
When it comes to her ultra-chic women’s clothing line, local designer Melina Cortes-Nmili has two inspirations: Carolina Herrera and her grandmother. “Carolina’s dresses never go out of style,” she explains. As for the second influence? “My grandmother was a self-taught seamstress, and she designed and made all of our party dresses.” Continue reading here. lallabee.com.
Porchfest Somerville
There’s no better way to spend a sunny day than weaving back and forth across Highland Avenue and its various side streets, listening to hundreds of very talented Somervillians rocking out on their porches, balconies, and driveways. The city has this tune-filled May fest down to a science, and other communities have taken note — including, for the first time this year, Dorchester, which launched its aptly named Dorchfest in June. Now that’s music to our ears. Multiple Locations, somervilleartscouncil.org.
Q Restaurant
Chinatown is a cross-roads of cultures, and Q clearly understands the assignment: In one place, it offers people-pleasing Chinese classics like kung pao shrimp and scallops, a great Japanese sushi bar, and Mongolian-style hot-pot cooking. When we’re not around tables bubbling our own veggies, meats, and noodles in the peanut-y Malaysian satay broth, though, you’ll find us grabbing a lychee or ginger “Q-tini” at the bar, the perfect perch for a pre-theater cocktail. 660 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, thequsa.com.
Annalouise Rusk, Green Tangerine Spa & Salon
Even if you didn’t know that colorist Annalouise Rusk is the direct descendent of hair-care royalty—her parents, Irvine and Louise, created the globally recognized Rusk prouct line—you’d probably guess that her talent for effortlessly prescribing and executing spot-on color treatments lies deep within her DNA. See: our head-turning balayage highlights in all the right places. 39 Dalton St., Boston, MA greentangerinespa.com.
The Smoke Shop
With the pandemic-time addition of a fourth Smoke Shop location — this one in Harvard Square — we’re now never more than a fork’s distance away from Andy Husbands’s tender pulled chicken or best-in-class burnt ends. The chef recently released his sixth cookbook, The Smoke Shop’s Backyard BBQ, but we’ll still leave our smoked-meat cravings to the pitmaster as often as possible. Multiple locations, thesmokeshopbbq.com.
Ánh Hồng
Fields Corner has, well, cornered the market on top-tier Vietnamese, especially the magical half-mile stretch of Dot. Ave. dotted with a dozen joints serving exemplary banh mi and pho. Our current crush? Nearby Ánh Hồng, where the caramel-sauce catfish is a salty-sweet dream, licorice-laced broths gurgle with musky complexity, and the seven-course beef feast is priced right for Tuesday night. 291 Adams St., Dorchester, MA 02122, anhhongboston.com.
Harvest
With the doors at UpStairs at the Pudding closed, we've turned to another gem for outside dining. Just sitting in Harvest's enclosed, shaded garden patio off Brattle Street provokes daydreams—and offers the evidence that this Harvard Square institution has entered the millennium with style and good service. Chef Josh Foley's everchanging menu is burgeoning with New England ingredients (if there are scallops on the menu, order them) that are as fresh as the patio's air, and make us happy the management extends our unreliable warm seasons with powerful gas heaters. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA harvestcambridge.com.
Dairy Fresh Candies
It's hard to decide whether Dairy Fresh deserves our vote more for its nonpareil assortment of confections or for its friendly and informative staff. Its two narrow rooms are packed to the rafters with such imported and domestic treats as Italian baci (kisses), Turkish pistachio nuts, Lake Champlain chocolates, and Dancing Deer cookies. Around the holidays, the little shop kicks into an overdrive that would wear out even an Oompah-Loompah. 57 Salem St., Boston, MA .
Taqueria La Mexicana
Don't let the hairnets scare you: This Union Square joint is the closest you'll find to authentic Tex-Mex in Boston. It even saved one of our friends from moving back to the land of the Rio Grande. The red peppers and zucchini used for the veggie burros are grilled to a juicy crispness while you watch. Don't miss the fabulous homemade corn tortillas! 247 Washington Street, Somerville, MA cantinalamexicana.com.
Antico Forno
Dining at a lively North End restaurant doesn't have to mean slurping spaghetti in tight quarters. In fact, Antico Forno is spacious enough to accommodate a weeknight impulse visit, family in tow. The thin-crusted pizzas from the brick oven are divine (our favorite is topped with artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and white truffle oil), as are hearty pasta dishes like linguine baked in parchment with tomato sauce and a generous serving of shellfish. 93 Salem St., Boston, MA 2113, anticofornoboston.com.