Cake Monstah
Photo by Kristin Griffin Photography While some monsters conjure screams, Cake Monstah promises to make your mouth water. Since turning her lifelong passion for baking into a business in 2010, founder Michelle Scurio has picked up numerous awards and even appeared on the Food Network. For couples craving a bespoke, custom-made treat for their big event, Scurio can sculpt and paint to your specifications (checkout Instagram for some great examples, including gorgeous handpressed edible flowers). She’ll also manage delivery and setup on the big day to ensure the display is photo-ready. cakemonstah.com.
George Howell Coffee at the Godfrey Hotel
Before he sold it to Starbucks in the 1990s, George Howell’s local-born Coffee Connection chain helped pioneer the gourmet-coffee movement. Two decades later, the java guru’s eponymous flagship in Boston remains a bar-setter for its robust selection of espressos and pour-overs using full-flavored, single-origin brews—from chocolatey Costa Rican beans to jammy-tasting Yemen selections—that Howell now roasts in Acton. Oh, and Frappuccino fans? Allow us to direct you to a seasonally available creamy, sweet frozen drink–aptly named the Original. 505 Washington St., Boston, MA georgehowellcoffee.com/the-godfrey-hotel.
9Tailors
Founder Samantha Shih is out to prove that custom suits (not to mention shirts and blazers) are an attainable—and necessary!—luxury for men and women of all shapes and sizes. It all starts with a painless one-hour consultation at 9Tailors’ Leather District studio or via video chat, during which time you’ll choose design details and materials ranging from rich velvet to Glen plaid. By the time your made-to-measure masterpiece arrives five to seven weeks later, you’re guaranteed to have come up with more than a few places to wear it. 132 Lincoln St. , Boston, MA 02111, 9tailors.com.
Kaki Lima
Photograph by Jim Brueckner When she immigrated to North America, Jakarta native Retno Pratiwi was hard-pressed to find any Indonesian fare. So she took matters into her own hands. Alongside her husband, Peter Gelling, Pratiwi has become the harbinger of her home country’s aromatic street food, introducing bright and balanced sate lilit, shrimp dumplings, and lemongrass chicken skewers served over turmeric-tinted rice—all of which you’ll be able to enjoy with regularity when Kaki Lima opens its first brick and mortar later this year. kakilimaboston.com.
Scituate
With its harbor vistas and wide sidewalks, Front Street always had the potential to be a South Shore destination—all it needed was a little pep. This year, we're finally seeing that potential fulfilled, with brand-new hot spots (Galley Kitchen & Bar, Lucky Finn Café); neighborhood stalwarts (T.K. O'Malley's, Mill Wharf); and high-end restaurants (Oro, Riva) all playing nicely along the charming half-mile strip. Day-trippers and locals alike enjoy movies at the Mill Wharf Cinemas, ice cream at Nona's, and browsing at sweet shops like the Welch Company and the Roman Table. The best part? It's right on the water. MA
Doggieday
Need someone to look after your critters? While you're away, DoggieDay will walk Spot four times a day, clean Fifi's litter box, grab your mail, water your plants, inject your diabetic gerbil with insulin, and taxi Dirk the boa constrictor to the vet—all for a competitive fee. Unlike most services, DoggieDay covers almost all of Greater Boston, and is registered with Pet Sitters International. Future services in the works include dog training at home while you're at work and massage therapy (for your pets, not you). 295 Devonshire St., Boston, MA .
Framers' Workshop
The friendly folks at Framers' Workshop give you a choice. You can simply drop off your MFA poster/diploma/illuminated manuscript, and pick it up behind glass two weeks later. Or you can master the craft of framing it yourself—an economical, labor-intensive, yet strangely meditative process, on par with making your own bread. Choose the matte and molding of your choice (they cut it for you), then plant yourself at one of 10 workstations in the back, equipped with a vise, nails, glue, and all the other supplies you need. The background music is good, too. 64 Harvard St., Brookline Village, MA .
Warren Asnes, Peace of Mind
A couple of years ago, Warren Asnes was a bureaucrat in the state's Office of Human Services. But last year, he decided to become a full-time housewatcher—a move inspired by his musing whether he or the other occupant of a two-family home was responsible for filling the house's boiler. Today he'll tend to the care and feeding of your home while you're away by walking your dog, watering your plants, forwarding your mail, even stocking your refrigerator for your return—all for seven bucks a trip. He comes with references, is fully insured, and is not put off by large numbers of pets: he once baby-sat 34 cats. Newton, MA
KingFish Hall
We know it's in, yikes, Faneuil Hall Marketplace. And we know it's owned by, yawn, Todd English. Still, KingFish Hall blows all the other seafood joints in town right out of the water. The décor is kitschy but cool: overstuffed booths in the shape of monster scallop shells, shimmery fish mobiles hanging from the ceiling, and plenty of brightly colored sea glass adorning the walls and stairwell. The open kitchen—featuring a huge lobster cauldron—churns out delicious seafood dishes that boast a hint of Asian influence. Don't miss the Thai-spiced grilled squid or miso Chilean sea bass. South Market Building, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA .
James Hook & Co.
With more than 250 bubbling tanks of ocean water, and a staff that knows everything there is to know about lobsters, Hook is the oldest lobster dealer in the country (dating back to 1925). The staff will retrieve any size lobster you want—even a 15 pounder—and provide instructions on how to cook 'em perfectly. Hell, they'll even cook 'em for you. And if you have a landlocked friend in, say, Wisconsin, James Hook will ship them right out. At about seven bucks a succulent pound, how could you go anywhere else? 15-17 Northern Ave., Boston, MA .
Hungry Mother
Hungry Mother was formerly located at 233 Cardinal Medeiros in Cambridge. / Photo by Michelle Goldstein for Best of Boston 2013 It's hard to find a place in Boston that better exemplifies the national shift toward casual fine dining than this Kendall Square darling, which serves its inspired, refined take on southern cuisine on polished wooden tables topped with mason-jar water glasses. Here you'll find the impeccable service, top-notch cocktail and wine choices, and outrageously good desserts (chocolate-espresso chess pie, strawberry-shortcake trifle) that you'd expect from a first-rate restaurant—all in an atmosphere that welcomes elbows on the table. 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., Cambridge, MA hungrymothercambridge.com.
Local 149
The fried Brussels sprouts smothered in chipotle-lime sauce justify a trip to this one-and-a-half-year-old hot spot all by themselves. But as long as we're here, we'll also take the tater tots poutine and the pressed-duck club sandwich, and follow it all with a Delirium Tremens, just one great selection from the vast tap list. Chef Leah Dubois's playful dishes taste even better against Local 149's backdrop of rainbow-hued vintage seltzer bottles, chalkboard tables, and reclaimed wood floors. 149 P Street, South Boston, MA 2127, local149.com.
Centre Street Café
In a neighborhood brimming with worthy bistros (Ten Tables, Arbor) and watering holes (Milky Way, Doyle's), finding the best among them seems impossible. Until you've tasted brunch at Centre Street. No other place draws such a salad of local characters—yups, students, families, and artists. The food and art are local, too, and the tunes are just loud enough to inspire but not preclude conversation. The servers are so friendly, they feel like buddies who just happen to be fetching you fluffy banana pancakes with farm-fresh blueberries. And that's the best kind of friend there is. 669A Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA centrestreetcafejp.com.
Pigalle
The fourth member of our party was late. Family-emergency late. Should've-canceled late. An hour into our reservation, we approached GM (and co-owner) Kerri Foley: We didn't know how much longer our friend would be. Did we need to move? No, she said, smiling, it's fine. Meanwhile, our waiter refilled our water glasses, explained the wine list, poured some samples, and stood by politely until our dinner party was complete. Such moments test the true colors of a front-of-house team, and Foley's staffers—admirably polished and gracious—passed with theirs flying. 75 Charles St. South, Boston, MA 2114, pigalleboston.com.
Cosmo Macer Jr., <em>Boston Herald</em>
An old-fashioned newshound with a tattoo of two Colt 45s on his forearm and a penchant for chewing tobacco in the newsroom, Macero has been at the forefront of just about every major sports-business story in town. He spent weeks throwing cold water all over the Pats' threatened move to Hartford, then broke the story behind Kraft's return. He's also been all over the Fenway deal, breaking the news that the Sox have more in mind than building just a ballpark—think mallpark—and that they probably want as much as $200 million of our tax dollars to do it.