American Seasons
Nantucket is where billionaires get away from it all, where they can pretend nothing satisfies more than a simple plate of baked scrod. When reality (and highly exacting tastes) sets back in, there's American Seasons, where chef Michael LaScola serves southwestern-inspired summer squash bisque topped with marinated Gulf shrimp, tomatillo relish, and chipotle crema; local farm greens done up with sherry-pecan vinaigrette; and other distinctive dishes—and the low-lit interior promotes cozy intimacy for every tax bracket. 80 Centre St., Nantucket Island, MA 2554, americanseasons.com.
Craigie On Main
Few food-world darlings have gotten more love of late than chef Tony Maws; everyone from Martha Stewart to James Beard has gushed. But for all the highfalutin accolades Maws has received for his inventive dinner menu, we can't help gravitating to Craigie's always-packed bar for his more-casual fare. There you can sup on food that qualifies as both hearty and succulent—and that never fails to satisfy: crispy fried pig tails, roasted bone marrow, and the grass-fed burger that's become as famous as Maws's other, more-studied creations. 853 Main St., Cambridge, MA 2139, craigieonmain.com.
White-Water Rafting on the Concord River
If you're looking for white water, who needs Maine? There's Class-4 rapids just 40 miles from Boston, in Lowell on the Concord River, and the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust has done a remarkable nature-conservancy job. Not exactly expected either, in the heart of deindustrialized mill country. The Lowell white-water course, fed by spring runoff, winds its way through Thoreau's Portage—the stretch of the Concord River that Henry David Thoreau never dared to take—and culminates in the Lower Locks at the Pawtucket Canal. Unfortunately, this year's season has already passed. Lowel Parks & Conservation Trust, Lowell, MA .
Polka Dog Bakery
Puffy's not the best shopping companion: drooling on merchandise, constantly demanding attention, invading strangers' personal space. Any place that overlooks —welcomes, even—such unseemly habits scores big with us. This year Polka Dog expanded to accommodate its lines of animal gear with voluminous bins of squeaky cupcakes and rubber telephones, walls of collars, piles of beds, and accessories for literal clothes hounds. As if all that weren't enough, there's the popular buffet of inventive edibles, for when your guests' shoes are no longer an option: liver chips, salmon coins, and catnip "pawbreakers" for delicate breeds; cow thigh bones for those with heartier appetites. 256 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA polkadog.com.
Empower Beauty Co.
Photo by Mark Weiss/Getty Images In a landscape rife with snooty salons, Empower Beauty Co. feels like a warm hug — a nurturing environment where all women, from college students to new moms to grandmothers, can feel comfortable and beautiful. Case in point: When we called about fixing a color job botched by another salon, vivacious stylist Susan Lostimolo immediately set us at ease, sizing up the problem, intuiting the right hue to tone down brassiness, and (most important) not passing judgment. Best of all, she emailed us when our voicemail was full, just to check in. We’ve never felt more empowered. 283B Cabot St., Beverly, MA 1915, empowerbeautyco.com.
Crystal Morgan, C.Spa
Even before the very talented Crystal Morgan gets you on the table at her immaculately clean Back Bay studio, she’s already working, sizing up the way you stand to see exactly where your tension lies. Once she begins the massage, her magic hands free up every knot and tension spot. Go ahead and glance in the mirror after your 60- to 90-minute treatment is over: Not only will you feel different, but your posture will actually look visibly different, too. 715 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116, cspaboston.com.
Oak Room
The real meat of a truly great steakhouse is just that: its meat. And while the opulent Oak Room may look too delicate to deliver on such a carnivorous front, this year it left the competition begging for scraps. Witness the splendidly marbled bone-in rib-eye, juicy to its sweet core. And the pliant slab of aged New York strip under a voluptuous horseradish sauce. Sides and seafood, too, are much more than standard: thick spears of tender asparagus, chilled artichokes with thick and fresh lobster tail, and sharp-flavored calamari salad. Service is thoughtful, informed, and perfectly timed, and the epic wine list is packed with impressive (mostly French and American) choices. Why haven't we mentioned the room's flat-out stunning décor by now? Because with credentials like this, it shouldn't matter. Saying the Oak Room isn't a real steakhouse is as silly as saying a beautiful woman can't be smart. Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Ave., Boston, MA .
Clio
After four years of flirting with bestowing this award on Clio, we're finally at the swooning point. What makes Clio the best? To begin with, there's chef Ken Oringer's cuisine, marked by provocative flavors and Franco-Asian techniques. Then there's the smart-yet-casual little dining room, the topnotch service, and general manager Christian Touche's French sensibilities that keep the place humming with symphonic cadence. The menu may raise eyebrows with offering such as scallop ceviche with watermelon and a petite "rack of rabbit," but the results are a refreshing culinary free-fall well worth a leap of faith. The tasting menu is the ultimate lesson in creativity, balance, and timing, offering anywhere from 12 to 15 ounces of bite-sized creations in a progression of tastes and textures that run the gamut (hot to cold, raw to cooked, fish to fowl) without once running astray. Eliot Suite Hotel, 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA cliorestaurant.com.
Rialto
Like a Verdian lothario, this town's upscale Italian has a knack for breaking hearts. Leave a place transported by its pillowy gnocchi, and you can bet your Bolognese it'll be dense as lead when you go back for more. Spending more while testing this category than for French and Steakhouse combined, we mourned the fall of every contender, with consistency issues (Bina), new-project distraction (Dante), service glitches (Sorellina), and failure to inspire (everyone else). Sorry for the lame valentine, Rialto, but we've got baggage. Just say your roast duck will remain tender and your stellar pastas will stay true, and we'll break this serial-monogamy habit once and for all. 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 2138, rialto-restaurant.com.
Blue Ginger
Though, as it happens, lots of perfectly useful words rhyme with his name, we decided against opening this item with an ode to Ming Tsai. Not that he hasn't earned it: Over the past 10 years, while hosting a TV show and writing books and designing cookware, this superchef has never let his attention stray from the Wellesley restaurant that first put him on the map. A dinner at Blue Ginger today is as dynamic as it was a decade ago; the trademark East-West flavor fusion as fresh and revelatory as ever. The only changes here are the kind we applaud, as Blue Ginger completed a gorgeous renovation this spring that nearly doubled its space and added private dining rooms, a walk-in lounge, and a (bargain-priced!) bar menu. 583 Washington St., 583 Washington St., MA 02482-6411, ming.com/blueginger.
The Flaherty Enterprise
Here's state representative Michael Flaherty and his partner Robert Kenney, putting in the winning (though by now means lowest) bid on a city-owned vacant lot in Sothie, where the two plan to put up many pricey condo townhouses. There's Kenney, former Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) director, and another partner, John Flaherty, Michael's brother, submitting the winning bid on another city-owned vacant lot nearby, where they plan on putting up more pricey condo townhouses. There's Joseph Santa Fe, Michael's cousin, doing likewise on another city-owned vacant lot. There's James Flaherty, Michael's cousin and campaign manager, sitting on the BRA board that votes on the new zoning plan for the area—he doesn't vote on Flaherty-related business. South Boston, MA
@AnnaHorford
Celtics center Al Horford has plenty of fans, but it’s hard to think of a more entertaining booster than the five-time NBA All-Star’s younger sister, Anna. Her sharp, take-no-prisoners Twitter feed offers a buffet of highlight reels, detailed thoughts on team strategy, and, most important, a bone-deep optimism that the Celts can still come back and win when they’re down. When they don’t? She’s an amusing commiserator. “Disappointed, but life goes on,” she lamented after the C’s season-ending loss to the Miami Heat. “Gonna go get stoned.” Besides, where else can you get a grainy gif of college-age Al Horford doing a shoulder shimmy? twitter.com/annahorford.
Hong Kong
If you’ve never had a night out end with a hazily remembered jaunt to this Faneuil Hall spot, you haven’t done after-hours in Boston right. Amid the bustle of the seven-night-a-week party—a blend of college kids, off-the-clock restaurant staff, and coworkers from downtown office buildings—the generously spiked scorpion bowls offer liquid courage in no short supply. The $1 chicken-teriyaki-on-a-stick, served (how else?) from a tin-foil-wrapped bucket, is tastier than you’d think. Sure, you may have to wait hours for your turn at the mike, but if you’re in the mood to get "Born to Run" off your chest, there’s no better place than the Kong. 65 Chatham St., Boston, MA 02109, hongkongboston.com.
Bondir Concord
You could be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back to Thoreau’s time upon sitting down to dinner inside chef Jason Bond’s cozy Concord outpost, with its roaring hearth, cream and pink tablecloths, and elegant bud vases. The kitchen’s wholehearted commitment to celebrating New England’s bounty, however, is utterly timeless. The menu changes every day, giving Bond the freedom to play with the best the season has to offer. Case in point: alate-winter lineup featuring delicate rye-flour agnolotti with favas, foraged mushrooms, and Lemon Gem marigold ricotta; decadent gnocchi gratinée with spring nettles; and perfectly done roasted beef bavette with einkorn and horseradish crème fraîche. 24 Walden St., Concord, MA 1742, bondirconcord.com.
Trove
In the overflowing box marked 'Good Idea at the Time,' you'll find, along with DIY plumbing and getting bangs, plenty of gift-buying impulses gone wrong. Pewter-starfish-napkin-holder wrong. What you won't find is anything bought at the rigorously tasteful Trove. A visit could begin and end with the Czech-inspired Artel glassware and John Derian collage creations, but that would leave out Sonya Ooten's crocheted gold earrings and other handcrafted jewelry; décor gems like vintage shagreen lamps and carved jade bowls; and objets d'art sufficiently eclectic (as in, antique Chinese silk earmuffs) to appeal to virtually any recipient. No matter what you choose, it'll be unforgettable—and unregrettable. 542 Boston Post Rd., Weston, MA 2493, .