Les Zygomates Wine Bar & Bistro
Even if the food wasn't great (which it is), Les Zyg would lure diners with its low-key atmosphere: light jazz playing background to friendly conversation, exposed-brick walls hung with vintage posters—all in the tradition of a bistro. Now add great food—pan-seared monkfish, crab cakes with avocado, king salmon Napoleon with clams au vermouth, steak au poivre—and a $19 prix-fixe menu Monday through Thursday, and flavor with a constantly revolving wine list that features some excellent choices from California as well as France. 129 South St., Boston, MA .
The Farmer's Market on Cohasset Common
Held only once a week (every Thursday afternoon), this farmstand is worth the wait. Some of the South Shore's freshest produce is found here from early June through mid-October. Local growers trot out terrific stuff, from vine-ripened tomatoes and hefty cucumbers, to more greens than you'll find in all the big chain superstores combined. In addition to local growers (who, as one farmer put it, strive to "shorten the distance from land to mouth"), there are potters, bakers, and craftspeople selling quilts, stools, soaps, and such. Cohasset Common, Cohasset, MA .
Beacon Hill Books & Café
How do you get a supermodel, an Olympian, and a U.S.senator all in the same room? With the lure of Beacon Hill Books & Café, a five-story townhouse converted in to one of the most charming spaces in the city. The bookstore is truly its own universe, offering author conversations, poetry readings, children’s activities (don’t miss the working toy train), and even speed-dating events. 71 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, bhbooks.com.
Boston Book Festival
Who said the Internet would bring the death of print? Clearly no one at the 2014 Boston Book Festival, where traditional media and information-age innovation collided. While crowds converged on Copley Square to attend panels and keynotes with such international luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Norman Foster, last year also saw the unveiling of the "Books Come Alive" series, which connected readers and writers through streaming chats. Authors signed hard copies of their works, while the "One City One Story" selection, Jennifer Haigh's "Sublimation," was distributed as a free download through the BBF website. There's no longer any need to oppose the Kindle. We can all live together. Happily. bostonbookfest.org.
Kate's Mystery Books
What a mystery fan really wants is lots of everything. Kate has it all covered, from true crime to cozy domestics. 2211 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA .
Brattle Book Shop
A veritable institution. We hope that it can maintain its position following the death of George Gloss in June. 9 West St., Boston, MA .
WordsWorth Books
Finally, someone has figured out that all writers are frustrated actors. This Harvard Square institution has always been a writers' haven, even for the obscure and esoteric. But now, having expanded its reading room and hired events guru Jim Behrle (formerly of Brookline Booksmith), WordsWorth has gone Hollywood. Before a wall of windows overlooking Brattle Street and with enough seats to daunt even bestselling authors, readings feel more like the Today show than Masterpiece Theatre (although without the inane chatter). There's an equally impressive A-list of literary guests—Ethan Hawke (on the 8th), for example, and Alain De Botton (on the 9th) this month alone. 30 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA .
Harvard Book Store Cafe
Lots of flavor. Little kick. 190 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
WordsWorth Books
Much more than best-sellers and self-help, this complex two-store shrine to the written word stocks and discounts almost everything from Aristotle to Zagat's. Books are displayed in a way that makes bibliophiles quiver— it's kind of a cocktail party for readers, with quirky reads scattered throughout the stacks. Bonus: Great people-watching, especially if you're studying, say, the sociology of the attempted literary pickup scene. 30 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA .
Grolier Poetry Book Shop
Despite its clutter, since 1927 this small hole-in-the-wall bookstore off Mass Ave in Harvard Square has been the place to buy poetry books of many countries and genres. 6 Plympton St., Cambridge, MA .
Select Oyster Bar
Photograph by Jared Kuzia After seven years spent manning the tiny kitchen at Neptune Oyster, chef Michael Serpa stepped out on his own with another petite seafood spot. This one's a passion project, with Serpa's hands in everything from the quirky beverage selection (funky whites, Basque-style ciders) to the décor (posters featuring Jacques Cousteau and The Life Aquatic). The menu strays from clam-shack tropes in favor of creations like fried rice with cuttlefish, cuttlefish ink, and uni, which is even more delightful when enjoyed on the heated enclosed patio. 50 Gloucester St., Boston, MA 02115, selectboston.com.
Loews Theatres Boston Common
From the moment you walk into this new multiplex, everything seems larger than life—just like the movies. With blown-up black-and-white posters of The Graduate and Butch Cassidy covering the walls, and vaulted entryways straight out of Aladdin's palace, the setting feels right right from the get-go. The theaters themselves follow suit, with cushy, plush chairs arranged stadium-style and huge screens. Sure, $10 is a lot of money to spend on a flick, and $4.75 is a ridiculous price for a bag of popcorn. But for big-event movies, trust us: You don't want to go anywhere else. 175 Tremont Ave., Boston, MA amctheatres.com.
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 .
Looney Tunes
The reduced production costs of the digital age and the concurrent scouring of record-company vaults have given fledgling artists new opportunities and unearthed many a treasure. But they have also left the shelves of used-CD stores flooded with old Hammer CDs. Not the bins at Looney Tunes. What this store lacks in quantity it makes up for with a collection that could only have been assembled by cognoscenti. The prices are great, and the store holds onto just the right degree of funkiness—old vinyl, posters, and cassettes are everywhere—to make sure you'll find a gem. 1106 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Harvard Book Store
Forget scrambling to get into a hot new watering hole: There's something delightfully Cantabrigian about waiting in line for a big-name author reading on a Friday night. Everyone from tweedy academics to former Supreme Court justices fills this institution's eclectically brainy events calendar, a virtual reading list for anyone invested in staying on top of the year's biggest and most important book releases. 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, harvard.com.