KM Hudson
An ill-fitting bra can ruin your outfit and your mood. Thankfully, the experienced staffers at KM Hudson understand shape and comfort, sizing clients up with just a look before taking precise measurements. Of course, proper sizing is only one part of the equation: After measuring, they’ll happily sift through their enviable stock of 6,000 bras to find the perfect undergarment for your shape. 125 Charles St., Boston, 02114, kmhudsonltd.com.
Wally’s Cafe
Photograph by Jared Kuzia From the outside, Wally’s looks like your average anonymous dive. But the drab exterior belies its storied history: This place has put live jazz acts on stage 365 days a year since 1947. Squeeze in among the regulars, order a beer, and get ready for top-notch jazz, funk, or Latin jazz salsa right up until the joint shuts down at 2 a.m. 427 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02118, wallyscafe.com.
M. Lekkakos
A recent overhaul left the North Shore's friendliest salon even better than before, with an interior facelift and a menu of new spa offerings. Come here with soccer-mom hair, and walk away with something stylish but not overly trendy, executed by experienced city stylists at suburban prices. Maybe you're looking for that perfect lob or bangs that take away 10 years? Or maybe you just want the best blowout around (in which case, ask for Jessica). 154 Main St., Wenham, MA 1984, mlekkakos.com.
Orly Khon Floral Boutique
Boston has its fair share of both floral shops and high-end designers, but Orly Khon Floral Boutique gives us the best of both worlds. Khon's portfolio—which includes everything from holiday bashes to corporate events—is packed with installations and decorations that have us pining to plan a party, stat. But if you're just looking for a few blooms for your home or desk, her inviting boutique inside Restoration Hardware is worth the trip. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, orlykhon.com.
Lauren Genatossio, Sarra
Whether she's beautifying a model for a photo shoot or touching up a client for a special occasion, Lauren Genatossio isn't covering flaws—she's enhancing features. She's the queen of natural beauty, with an uncanny ability to blend makeup so flawlessly, it almost appears invisible. Pay her a visit before a swanky soiree, a big board meeting, or any old Tuesday, and leave looking like your best self. 840 Summer St., Boston, MA 02127, sarrastudios.com.
Lash L'Amour
Full lashes and brows are having a moment, and no salon has embraced the trend with quite as much gusto as Lash L'Amour. Here, rigorously trained aestheticians meticulously apply your choice of synthetic or natural mink fibers to existing hairs, adding length and volume to scant lashes and brows with equal aplomb. They can also hook you up with other hard-to-find specialty services, including lash- and brow-tinting. 129 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, lashlamour.com.
Fresh Pond Seafood
It's not much to look at from the outside, and the décor inside isn't much of a confidence builder, either. But who cares? The giant 500-gallon tanks hold oceans of fresh-caught lobsters in a range of weights from manageable one-pound chickens to gargantuan granddaddies. The assortment of fresh shellfish is neatly and temptingly displayed on beds of ice. From sushi-grade tuna to cod fillets, the salty dogs at Fresh Pond catch the best. 355 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge, MA freshpondseafood.com.
Brian Rand, Trephin
There are stylists whose names are plastered on salon windows. There are stylists who charge $400 a cut. And then there's the quietly brilliant Rand, who takes a good, long look at your face, runs his fingers through your tresses, and begins coaxing your hair into the shape it's always wanted to be. After an hour of snipping and razor-cutting, curly-haired lasses walk out with tamed, bouncy 'dos; straight-haired ladies marvel at the life in their locks. 25 Temple Place, Boston, MA 2111, trephin.com.
Shanti
The services brochure is more richly designed than most wedding invitations. The décor is a balance of industrial details, chocolate leather, and walls soaked in cool blue-green. Everything about this six-year-old salon, renovated and renamed last year, suggests a keen attention to how things look—which bodes extremely well for your hair. The pros here will quiz you closely on cut and color, and may keep you in the chair longer than you're used to, but the results are unimpeachable. 50 Water St., Newburyport, MA 1950, .
David Magone
It's annoying when a toned yogi informs you, as you struggle with a simple pose, that soon you'll be balancing on your chin. But under David Magone, that's not only possible, but likely—just look at the limber loyalists in the front row. The 29-year-old has created his own dynamic blend of yoga called PranaVayu, and he gives easy-to-follow instructions that are both practical and inspirational. You'll be all twisted up in no time. Insideyoga.com;yogasquare.com.
Bombay Club
Shikha and Vinod Kapoor have been wowing the Cambridge crowd with their Indian delicacies for more than 10 years. It's Indian food that's stylish and sophisticated, with elegant rather than enormous portions. Shikha's experimental recipes—like the Tangri curry-marinated chicken legs cooked in a tandoor oven with curry sauce flavored with mustard and poppy seeds, jalapeno peppers, coconut milk, and fresh yogurt—change daily. 57 J.F.K. Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA bombayclub.com.
Grill 23
Photo by Alex Lau A truly great steakhouse has exactly four essential elements: a bustling dining room, a fresh raw bar, top-notch sides, and—most important—expertly cooked beef. With all of these boxes easily checked off, this Back Bay institution takes it a step further with prime dry-aged cuts and a range of other entrees both comforting (meatloaf with pimiento cheese grits) and refined (soft-shell crab with peas, favas, and pickled ramps). 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA grill23.com.
Kristen Kish, Menton
Kish's friendly yet badass demeanor (not to mention model good looks) earned her a legion of fans the nation over when she won Top Chef Seattle this year. But it's her devotion to a refined, elegant culinary aesthetic—first at Barbara Lynch's always-packed demonstration kitchen, Stir, and now as chef de cuisine at Menton—that makes her a major talent to watch. 354 Congress St., Boston, MA mentonboston.com.
Rialto
The city's Italian-dining scene skews either reasonably authentic (yet undistinguished), or posh (but not quite legit). Rialto bridges the gap with seasonal, from-scratch cooking (strands of bucatini with lobster and saffron; salumi with house-made ricotta) and attentive, special-occasion-worthy service. Chef Jody Adams's regional menus, which spotlight a different part of Italy every two months, are delightful, especially when paired with the suggested wines. 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 2138, rialto-restaurant.com.
Franklin Southie
The problem with comfort food is that you often must make sacrifices to get it ? ambiance, booze selection, etc. Not so at Franklin Café's Southie outpost, which features a menu of food-coma-inducing items like steak frites and pork ribs beside a list of well-priced wines. And yes, the waitstaff will let you linger at your patio table. And linger you should: The kitchen stays open till 1:30 a.m. 152 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, MA 2127, franklincafe.com.