Siena Farms
Other CSAs (community-supported agriculture, or farm-shares) have more-convenient pickup spots or more-varied plans. But for produce quality, there's no beating Chris Kurth's Siena Farms in Sudbury, where he grows the most beautiful tomatoes and the tenderest greens you'll find anywhere. Kurth's wife, Ana Sortun, is one of Boston's best chefs (at Oleana) and weighs in on what to plant. And now that Kurth offers both a membership-style deal that gets you a discount at the farmers' markets and the traditional weekly box of produce, he's beginning to close the gap on convenience, too. 113 Haynes Rd., Sudbury, MA 1776, sienafarms.com.
Herrell's Renaissance Café
So many flavors, so little Dexatrim. First there are the standards: chocolate, malted vanilla, strawberry. Then come the more esoteric mixes, such as amaretto, carob, and Dutch orange chocolate. They're each the base for Boston's zenith of all things sweet, cold, and frothy: the Herrell's frappe. (A little schooling for confused out-of-towners: In New England, a milk shake is milk and syrup, without ice cream. A frappe is a blend of all three.) And what texture, dense enough to make you work at drawing the first sip through the straw, hit with just the right ice-cream-to-milk ratio, and icy enough to hold up on the hottest day. What else did you expect from local ice cream bodhisattva Steve Herrell? 155 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA herrells.com.
Sophia's
We like our dance clubs sexy, and nothing's sexier than beautiful, sweaty couples twisting to Latin-flavored conga beats. Sophia's, which has that and more, is a sure-fire fun night on the town. Diners clamor for tables to sample tapas and sangria; on the dance floor, after the free beginner salsa and merengue lessons, the Saturday-night crowds burst into full-fledged dance marathons. The multilevel club also offers a choice of music, with live bands playing endless salsa on the first floor and DJs on the second and third floors spinning the hottest Latin hip-hop. For mellower folk, the roof deck provides an incredible—and romantic—view of Boston's skyline. Looking to meet someone? Come solo and you will. 1270 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club
There are legends, and there are legends. Wally’s Café Jazz Club is the latter — a 77-year-old family-run italicized legend. Billie Holiday performed there. So did fellow American jazz greats Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. One of the first racially integrated venues in the region, the South End spot was the first New England nightclub owned by a Black man, Joseph "Wally" Walcott, a Barbadian immigrant and first Black recipient of aliquor license in Boston. More recently, Grammy-winning vocalist Esperanza Spalding and Mark Kelley, bassist for the Roots, cut their chops on Wally’s stage. As the trumpeter Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah told Boston in 2021, “Wally’s is a monument.” Continue reading ... 427 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02118, wallyscafe.com.
Café Louis
This pizza is not unlike many of the customers of the female persuasion who dine in the café at Louis Boston itself: high-maintenance, but, frankly, divine. To put a finer point on it, there's only a small handful of predetermined choices, they're expensive, and they don't reheat well. But after one bite of the fresh, free-form pies, you'll understand why we're hooked. The grilled calamari pizza is the standout, with its spicy sauce and tender rings of battered squid. But the arugula pizza, with its rich crust, tangy cheese, and peppery greens, will have you looking at salad in a whole new light. Being high-maintenance has its privileges. What else do you expect from Louis Boston? 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA .
Fenton Hollander, Who's Responsible for Both Water Music and the Jazz at the Copley Series
He brought the Modern Jazz Quartet back to Boston.
La Poloma
It's tough to find decent Mexican food in Boston. 195 Newport Ave., Quincy, MA .
The Centrum
It's not in Greater Boston? Quick, aren't you? 50 Foster St., Worcester, MA .
Jaffe's Pick-A-Chick
Why is that the best Boston bagel is always found out of town? 285 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .
Game Room Amusements
Where the Minnesota Fats of Boston go to play snooker and billiards and pool. 333 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
Milton Nacimiento
Brazilian singer and guitarist Milton Nacimiento's sizzling Boston performance. Bravo!