Radius
Yes, you'll want fries with—or without—that burger (Radius also took home the award for Best of Boston 2009 Burger). With one genius exception (minced fines herbes), chef Michael Schlow imposes none of his fancy French roots on these golden über-tubers. And thankfully, he's not stingy with the salt. 8 High St., Boston, MA 2110, radiusrestaurant.com.
New approaches of Channel 7
Boston, long a staid TV market, was transformed by new approaches of Channel 7. It de-emphasized the anchor and showed that a newscast is a total marketing package rather than two talking heads. It makes more people remember who was on Healthcast than who the anchor person is.
Blue Nami
A solid sushi bar, with seasonal specialties like soft-shell crab, and traditional Korean dishes like bulgoki, cooked at your table and served with eight separate side dishes, including three kimchis. And you're on a ship docked in Boston Harbor! 310 Congress St., Museum Wharf, Boston, MA .
Jonah's
Chowder, five salads, seven fish entrées, clams and oysters on the half shell, lobster, dessert—all for less than fifteen dollars. And after dinner, you might venture upstairs to the revolving Spinnaker lounge for a trip around the Boston skyline. Hyatt Regency, 575 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA .
The Oblate Fathers
Local real estate brokers were impressed with the $1.5 million the good fathers were able to get from the city of Boston for the modest 20-room Curley mansion, on the Jamaicaway. The shamrock shutters are neat, but $1.5 million?
The Purchase of USA Cinemas by Loews
The good news for local moviegoers is that the new owners are reportedly going to clean up the mucky floors and repair the torn screens of the Boston theater chain. In fact, the word is that Loews is too embarrassed to put its own name on local marquees until the theaters pass muster.
Winston Flowers
Winston has cornered the petal market west of Boston. Its bright blooms are consistently the freshest around, and whether you want rare lilies or timeless red roses, Winston always finds your flowers. Plus, its unique year-round arrangements and gourmet gift baskets make present-sending simple. 31 Central St., Wellesley, MA winstonflowers.com.
Former Republican Senate candidate John Lakian's.
Asked during a debate sponsored by the Boston Herald whether he intended to make an issue of his opponent's religious beliefs, Lakian insisted that he would have no comment on "Mr. Mormon...I have never in a debate brought up Mr. Romney's religion."
Machinery Hall
In May this magazine predicted that machinery Hall could be the "next monster rock group" from Boston. We stand by that assertion. Now with an eponymous CD under its belt Machinery Hall is ready to go out and be heard the world over.
Elizabeth Murray
The 10-year retrospective of New York artist Elizabeth Murray at MIT's List Visual Arts Center, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge. The paintings were there, the drawings at the MFA. Murray kicked off her career at the Whitney and has been represented in hundreds of important shows. But Boston gave her her first retrospective. MIT's List Visual Arts Center, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, MA .
The BMC Vaccine Dance
After a year spent working shifts at COVID patients’ bedsides, you could forgive healthcare workers for being in no mood to dance. But when vaccines finally arrived at Boston Medical Center in December, staffers there were ready to bust a move, performing a choreographed dance to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” as a cell phone captured the moment on video. Ultimately reaching millions of viewers online, it was a scene of jubilation that allowed many of us to feel hopeful about the future.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge
The Order: Chill out during a socially distant summer with the frozen whiskey smash ($12). It gets a hit of crème de cacao alongside the standard lemon and mint. The Cause: Two bucks per drink—made with booze from a Black-female-run Tennessee distillery named for Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels whiskey making in the 1850s—goes to Black Lives Matter Boston. blacklivesmatterboston.org. 3 Beacon St., Somerville, MA 02143, trinastarlitelounge.com.
Southern Proper
When chef Jason Cheek opened Southern Proper this year, he sought to bring a taste of his native North Carolina to Boston. Step inside the South End restaurant, and you’ll see he’s done just that: The eatery takes design cues from Cheek’s grandmother’s living room, serving up comfort food on mismatched plates. The kitchen, meanwhile, cranks out platters of tender fried chicken, not to mention flaky popovers and out-of-this-world homemade pickles. 600 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118, southernproperboston.com.
Mooncusser Fish House
The team behind Concord’s 80 Thoreau has splashed into Boston with dishes that combine gorgeous local catch and seasonal accompaniments in an elegant space. The rotating menu (smoked-scallop terrine, grilled tuna with chestnut spaetzle) hasn’t shown us a dud yet, and perceptive staffers excel at helping select wines from the intriguing list. 304 Stuart St., Boston, MA 02116, mooncusserfishhouse.com.
Celeste Ng
Even in a city as literary as Boston, Ng stands out. Her first book, Everything I Never Told You, was Amazon’s 2014 Book of the Year, while her latest, 2017’s Little Fires Everywhere, has spent more than 36 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The story of the impact an artist has on a small Ohio town, the novel has proved so enduringly popular with readers that Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington optioned it as a TV series for Hulu. MA celesteng.com.