Frank Roop
If, like us, you've made the rounds of showrooms and emerged empty-handed, stop next at Frank Roop. The interior designer creates pieces with your tastes and dimensions in mind. His French-inspired lounges, beds, and side tables have a vintage feel and are all 100 percent unique. Ideal for those who despair our country's Crate & Barrel-ization. 224 Clarendon St., Suite 31, Boston, MA 2116, frankroop.com.
Newton South High School
Tennis may be the ultimate country-club sport, but there are still plenty of places to practice your backhand while you linger on waiting lists. Our favorites are the courts at Newton South, which feature recently updated surfaces and a sun shelter for spectators. With 12 courts to choose from, wait times are low, and overhead lights let you play well past sundown. 140 Brandeis Rd., Newton Centre, MA 02459, .
Democracy Brewing
Several employees here seemed giddy when we ordered birria tacos; they’re a staff favorite, with good reason. As we wiped the savory broth off our hands and perused the style-hopping beer list — Sours! Radlers! Double IPAs! — we remembered why this worker-owned brewpub is such a fantastic neighborhood spot. The food and beer are great, the vibe is family-friendly and welcoming, but most of all, everyone just seems happy. 35 Temple Pl., Downtown, MA 02111, democracybrewing.com.
Au Soleil Catering
Turning out memorable meals in private homes—which often means tight quarters and picky palates—is a task that could sap any chef's muse. No surprise the catering arm of the vaunted L'Espalier/Sel de la Terre group is more than up to the challenge. Planning a small fete, we laid out the hurdles: seafood allergies, vegan diets, decorating don'ts. Au Soleil fired back with scads of ideas, including using petits fours as favors and dressing the table with bouquets of our favorite blooms. From intimate dinners to 600-person galas, this event-maker handles every gathering with aplomb. 148 Hampden St., Boston, MA 2119, ausoleilcatering.com.
T. T. the Bear's Place
With so many excellent options—Great Scott, the Lizard Lounge, Middlesex—identifying the city's best live-music venue isn't easy. But T. T.'s tops our list thanks to the variety of acts (local pop stars the Pills and farther-reaching talent like Canadian crooner Ron Sexsmith) and the superior amenities (two bars, pool tables, and plenty of room by the stage). Plus, great acoustics mean you can actually hear the music, making it the ideal spot to discover your new favorite band. 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, MA 2139, ttthebears.com.
Upstairs Downstairs
It has the air of a country roadside antiques store, with friendly prices and unexpected treasures (a satin-wood inlaid floor-length dressing mirror, with marble-topped side tables, 1927, $1,650). If you want to go totally rustic, consider a painted jelly cabinet from New Hampshire (33"x57," $325), or if solid, functional stuff is more in line with the decor, how about a Sheraton chest in mahogany and pine, with turned columns ($895), or a bowback Windsor chair for $145? A year ago, we found four lovely caned chairs a la Napoleon, for $240. Take your time, look carefully, and you're bound to find something you love and need—and can afford. 93 Charlest Street, Boston, MA .
L'Espalier
The maitre d' at L'Espalier is so accustomed to proposals among his customers, he'll happily dispense advice about where to conceal the ring. It's all part of the superb and attentive service at this Back Bay institution, which just so happens to serve equally superb food. Chef Frank McClelland's delectable courses, which start with a dainty amuse bouche, are cosseted with luxury ingredients and inevitably end with tiered trays of precious petits fours—the fabled backdrop to more than a few passion plays. And if all that doesn't whet your appetite for love, consider the surroundings: a dimly lit and tastefully sumptuous townhouse that even includes one chamber known as the Seduction Room. 30 Gloucester St., Boston, MA lespalier.com.
Pho Republique
It's not often you can slink up to a hostess with 15 of your closest friends and expect that you'll be quickly seated—let alone get a drink and some nibblies without a side of attitude. Pho Republique may in fact be the only restaurant in town where the more really is the merrier: This Washington Street hot spot graciously handles large groups with ease—hell, even with verve. The inventive drink menu (beware the potent sake martinis and house sangria) and an affordably priced pan-Asian menu with options to please everyone (from shrimp rangoon spring rolls to steaming, aromatic bowls of pho) add up to a place where even the pickiest diners will be pleased. Best of all, the accommodating staff's unusual make-yourself-at-home attitude means a group can linger until the last drop of sangria is gone. 1415 Washington St., Boston, MA .
Truly Jörg's
Who would expect to find the recherché charm of an exquisite Champs-Elysées café in Chelsea? Anyone who knows Truly Jörg's—the tiny European-style patisserie crammed with utter delicacies—that's who. Co-owner Jörg Amsler has created desserts for Dubya's dad in Kennebunkport and was trained as a pastry chef and chocolatier in Switzerland, and it shows in every crumb. His chocolate croissants are a perfect blend of bittersweet satisfaction. The tantalizing cakes on sale here range from decadent coffee buttercream and mocha genoise torte to deeply tart-sweet raspberry swirl cheesecake. The dainty petit fours, bite-sized treats that melt on your tongue, will have the most discriminately sweet tooth addicted at first bite. 131 Arlington St., Chelsea, MA trulyjorgs.com.
Watch City Brewing Company
In trying to determine a bar's worthiness, here's a helpful question: If in the company of the most fantastically annoying people imaginable (say, the combined casts of A Shot at Love and A Shot at Love 2), could you still have a good time? Signs point to yes at this beer hall situated on Waltham's restaurant row, where the master-crafted suds and a merry vibe take the edge off in a big way. Locals mix with Brandeis types and code crunchers from the 128 tech corridor at the U-shaped bar or in the large open seating area, downing nachos and buffalo popcorn shrimp and, naturally, pint after pint of house brews. Though signature recipes like the Hops Explosion IPA dominate the taps, look for the seasonal, uber-strong Oktolager—a few rounds of which could make any yammering nincompoop at your elbow sound like an alum of the Algonquin Round Table. 256 Moody St., Waltham, MA 2453, watchcitybrew.com.
Stars
Push through the porthole-windowed door, and you'll swear you've walked into the design equivalent of that old "Sprockets" routine from Saturday Night Live. Everything here is in ridiculous conflict: Stately black tiles cover the floor and lower half of the walls, while bright and modernistic yellow paint finishes the job. The mirror above the starkly modern circular water basin (it really is a basin) is wedged into the corner, breaking your reflection into a surreal, fun-house. And the aural struggle between the television in the corner and the radio speaker in the ceiling is kind of funny: imagine Marvin Gaye doing play-by-play for a Red Sox game. But as men's rooms go, this one wins for being as conversation-inducing as that aforementioned German talk-show skit. 393 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
Mr. Sid
When you finally get to strut your stuff down the aisle, you want guests to remember the smile on your face—not the ill-fitting suit on your back. With locations in Newton and now the Seaport, Mr. Sid offers private consultations for made-to-measure bespoke tuxes (plus high-end lines such as Brioni) that will make even the most reluctant shopper feel—and look—special. A fortifying cocktail before or after a fitting doesn’t hurt, either. 49 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210, mr.sid.com.
KM Hudson
An ill-fitting bra can ruin your outfit and your mood. Thankfully, the experienced staffers at KM Hudson understand shape and comfort, sizing clients up with just a look before taking precise measurements. Of course, proper sizing is only one part of the equation: After measuring, they’ll happily sift through their enviable stock of 6,000 bras to find the perfect undergarment for your shape. 125 Charles St., Boston, 02114, kmhudsonltd.com.
Cru
Already an island go-to for its waterfront location and killer raw bar, Cru wins our vote this year for its stacked beverage program. Pick your poison from a seat at the quartzite-topped bar or the scenic open-air deck: Both are prime perches for indulging in any number of boozy concoctions, from the restaurant's signature Crucomber—a refreshing blend of Bison Grass vodka, lemon, cucumber, and toasted sesame—to the shareable Garden of Elyx, a fruity libation of Absolut, Applejack, green tea, and raspberry. Oh, and did we mention the wide-ranging wine list, with bottles sourced from Alsace to Santorini? You'll want to check that out, too. One Straight Wharf, Nantucket, MA 2554, crunantucket.com.