Redbones
Trust us: Don't take your Redbones carryout on the T. At best, your bag of slow-smoked, spice-rubbed, damn-tasty barbecue will have fellow passengers growling like wild beasts; at worst, you've got a mob scene on your hands. Better to get delivery, or just pull up a seat at this noisy, vibrant wannabe roadhouse and dig right into the succulent meats (standouts: pulled pork, all four styles of ribs) and can-I-get-a-witness versions of corn pudding, potato salad, and other southern trimmings. 55 Chester St., Somerville, MA 2144, redbones.com.
Season to Taste
This full-service company can handle everything from bar mitzvahs to barbecues to prepared dinners for families of four. And while the menus have plenty to swoon over—passed apps like mini latkes with smoked salmon and chive crema, or entrées like fig-glazed lamb sirloin—it's what goes on behind the scenes that captured our heart. Started by East Coast Grill and Evoo alum Robert Harris, Season to Taste is one of the greenest companies around, delivering drop-off meals by bike, sourcing primo ingredients from New England farms and stores, and composting to reduce waste. If anyone can make a feast for 100 feel virtuous, it's them. 2447 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2140, seasontotastecatering.com.
LuxeBeautique
Paying someone just to hand you towels (Mariah) or perfume your path with gardenia (J.Lo) is a bit whoa!crazy. Still, Hollywood divas, with their creamy complexion and velvety skin, are testament to the very real benefits of an aesthetics entourage. Rent your own at Luxe-Beautique: Intimate at a mere 1,000 square feet, it's packed with both swag-bag exclusives (Becca and Jelly Pong Pong makeup, Malie Kauai skin care) and expertise in using them. Can't choose among facials, massages, body bronzing, and makeup? Accede to your inner A-lister and go for all four, in—what else?—the signature Red Carpet Treatment. 222 Humphrey St., Swampscott, MA 1907, .
West Newton Cinema
There are three key criteria that elevate a cinema to superior status: the caliber of the screenings, the comfort of the seats, and perhaps most importantly, the quality of the concession stand. West Newton Cinema's management mixes art house releases with a few mainstream flicks and serves popcorn that's decidedly above average. And while four of the six auditoriums have been updated with Star Trek-style seating (renovations of the remaining two are under way), the exterior and the foyer still retain their old-fashioned character. With Lumière right across the street, it's a recipe for the perfect date. 1296 Washington St., Newton, MA westnewtoncinema.com.
Brown Sugar Café
Spicy, sour, salty, and sweet: In Thailand, the perfect meal offers all four tastes. And with its extensive menu, Brown Sugar Café furnishes plenty of options for creating the consummate Thai dinner. Now that a second, larger location on Commonwealth Avenue has joined the charming original spot in the Fenway, the options have doubled. Specialties are all over the map, from comforting dishes for fire-averse tongues (such as the pineapple fried rice, flaky and aromatic steamed ginger bass, and sweet tamarind duck) to more incendiary plates of chili scallops with bamboo shoots and scallions. Try the stir-fried beer with macadamia nuts, and wash it down with a Singha beer. 1033 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA brownsugarcafe.com.
Bia Bistro
That contented sigh that comes with shucking off the 9-to-5 suit in favor of jeans and a tee? It's the same one you might hear any night at this four-year-old bistro, as diners relax into its placid charms. Dusky red walls and buttery candlelight set the scene for chef Brian Houlihan's contemporary versions of European comfort-food classics, like duck confit with poached figs, steak au poivre, and tarte Tatin. Figure in a modest but irreproachable wine list, and a night at Bia goes down easy in every sense. 25 N. Main St., Cohasset Village, MA 2025, biabistro.com.
Perfect 10 Unisex Salon
The name says it all: Catering to all hair types and textures, this small but mighty team of stylists score the highest marks for their gorgeous weaves, silk presses, locs, and braids. And that’s not the only way in which they’re giving Bostonians a boost: The salon was recently the only small business in Massachusetts to be awarded a HartBeat of Main Street grant from Main Street America, thanks in part to owner (and mother of four) Kanessa Alexander’s efforts to give back to the community. Now that’s what we call beautiful. 1896 Centre St., West Roxbury, MA 02132, perfect10hairsalon.com.
Mirbeau Inn & Spa
Provence touches down in Plymouth at Mirbeau, a resort inspired by French country manors just a short putt away from where the Mayflower met shore. Boasting 34 lavishly appointed guest rooms, the turreted main house overlooks elegant grounds with Monet-worthy ponds and gardens and a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course. The transportive ambiance extends to the stone-walled spa and Four Diamond–rated restaurant, which hosts farm-to-table dinners right in the middle of a local cranberry bog. Continental class, imported to the South Shore. 35 Landmark Dr., Plymouth, MA 02360, plymouth.mirbeau.com.
Galley Diner
After enduring Whitey’s old neighborhood badly rendered in countless movies and reality shows over the years, it’s comforting to find a place that is perfectly, authentically, and effortlessly Southie. This describes the Galley Diner, with its 12-stool counter and four tables, to a T. The joint has all the diner classics, of course—the corned-beef hash is even better stuffed inside the "Southie" omelet with cheese—but if anything deserves to be featured in a movie, it’s the handcarved ham, sliced fresh in front of your eyes, heated on the griddle, and smothered in eggs and hash browns. Now that, we’d argue, deserves top billing. 11 P St., South Boston, MA 2127, thegalleydiner.com.
Emerge Spa
When was the last time you pulled up to a spa, threw your keys to the valet, and were led into a private VIP suite? The answer, obviously: never. But now you can do just that at the four-story Emerge, Boston's new grande dame of day spas, which boasts a host of standard and medical services for both genders (men get their own area), two in-house doctors, a juice bar, and locker rooms stocked with posh Kerstin Florian products. Spend an afternoon here, and you needn't exit as discreetly as you arrived. 275 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, emergespasalon.com.
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 .
XV Beacon
Paul Roiff's much-hyped Beacon Hill hostelry actually qualifies as a boutique hotel, with only 61 rooms and the hushed luxury of a truly exclusive property. But the attention to detail, from fresh orchids placed in the bathrooms daily and specially packaged Kiehl's bath products, to the stately but comfy four-post beds, makes this hotel the in the city. Nowhere else can you sleep in style and have the calling cards to prove it; the hotel specially provides "in residence" business cards for each guest to make sure that every high-powered deal or clandestine affair goes off without a hitch. 15 Beacon St., Boston, MA xvbeacon.com.
Yankee Clipper Inn
There are surprisingly few seaside inns within an hour of Boston. But when you've found this one— and can afford the upper-end price tag— who needs others? Many of the 26 rooms located in four diverse buildings of the inn's compound overlook the ocean. Many have fabulous sun decks or glassed-in porches with a view of waves directly below. Thick lawns and colorful gardens roll down to the water's edge. There's no sandy shore, but there is a pool and a gazebo. Plan ahead: The dining room is strictly BYOB, as Rockport is a dry town. 96 Granite St., Rockport, CT .
Toro
A truly great brunch must hit four marks: a tasty and varied menu, a strong bar, a relaxed atmosphere, and outdoor seating. Over the past year, South End tapas joint Toro boosted its performance on the food-and-beverage front (it had already aced the chill mood and the patio), adding a selection of tapas and pinchos—tortilla Espanola, yellowfin crudo, etc.—to its regular lineup of vanilla-bourbon-banana French toast and huevos rancheros. It also hired bar manager Courtney Bissonnette (hubby is chef Jamie) to jazz up the cocktails. By so doing, Toro has cracked, poached, and scrambled its more conventional challengers. 1704 Washington St., Boston, MA 2118, toro-restaurant.com.
Rubin's
There's a reason places like the Harvard Club and the Four Seasons Hotel send out to Rubin's when their guests want kosher meals. This is homemade food the way your bubbie used to make it. Sure, the prices are a little steep, but the brisket melts in your mouth and the knishes are to die for, even since the deli changed hands for the first time in its 70-year history. And the guys behind the counter have that distracted "Hurry-up-and-order, I've-got-a-county-to-run" attitude that can make the hardiest New Yorker homesick. 500 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .