Baran Home
Re-create the looks from interior designer Gina Baran’s most coveted projects with curated items from her Newbury boutique, Baran Home. The brand’s recent refresh is all about delivering the firm’s aesthetic without having to pay the design fee that comes with it, the pro says. Shopping Baran’s offerings, such as organic cotton blankets from Turkey and handmade terra cotta bowls, just might be the easiest way to decorate. 49 Pleasant St., Newburyport, MA 1950, shopbaranhome.com.
Revelry
Looking for a party? Follow chef Brian Ledet’s food truck — covered in harle- quin diamonds in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold, and green — when it pops up at Boston-area breweries or city parks. One taste of the New Orleans transplant’s spicy jambalaya, red beans and rice with fried chicken, andouille sausage gumbo, or barbecue-shrimp po’ boys, and you’ll swear you can suddenly hear Bourbon Street jazz bands all the way from the Greenway. Boston, MA revelryboston.com.
Ma Maison
Chef-owner Jacky Robert spent nearly two decades as a sort of Jeannot Appleseed, spreading Gallic cooking locally through his Petit Robert restaurants. Beacon Hill’s Ma Maison feels like a fitting capstone to his career: a homey corner bistro with white linen on the tables and escargot, frogs’ legs Provençales, and duck à l’orange on the menu. A wine list hiding treasures like a 1952 Burgundy completes the thoroughly Francophilic experience. 272 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, mamaisonboston.com.
Marie Galvin Millinery
Photo by Mona Miri If you didn’t wear a Marie Galvin number to this hat-dotted luncheon to benefit the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, were you even there? Now that Party in the Park is officially back after a COVID hiatus, so too are the Boston milliner’s whimsical hats and fascinators, adorned with delicate orchids, sculptural bows, and other look-at-me accents. 450 Harrison Ave. #1, Boston, MA 02118, mariegalvin.com.
The Fish & Bone
Courtesy of Canada Pooch Admit it: If your pets don’t feel — and look — good, you don’t either. So whether you’re in the market for a gold glitter collar for your cool cat, some freeze-dried pig snouts for Fido to obsess over, or fresh toys, outfits, and blankets, this shop has you covered. Having a hard time deciding? Let the knowledgeable and friendly staffers throw you a bone. thefishandbone.com.
Garden Remedies
Photo by Michelle Newman You can find candy-colored cannabis fruit chews pretty much anywhere. But for some THC made with TLC, you’ll want to stop by this Newton shop. Its seed-to-sale chocolates are made in-house with Belgian Callebaut, in mouth-watering varieties like Campfire (with graham crackers and mini marshmallows) and Wake & Bake (crafted using coffee and doughnuts from a local bakery). Not a chocoholic? Come Halloween, look for the devilishly hot Spooky Spicy Gummy, made with ghost-pepper extract, and take the #spicygummychallenge. Multiple locations, gardenremedies.com.
Q Restaurant
Photo courtesy of Q Restaurant Chinatown is a cross-roads of cultures, and Q clearly understands the assignment: In one place, it offers people-pleasing Chinese classics like kung pao shrimp and scallops, a great Japanese sushi bar, and Mongolian-style hot-pot cooking. When we’re not around tables bubbling our own veggies, meats, and noodles in the peanut-y Malaysian satay broth, though, you’ll find us grabbing a lychee or ginger “Q-tini” at the bar, the perfect perch for a pre-theater cocktail. 660 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, thequsa.com.
Fish & Bone
Adopted a dog from out of state during the pandemic? This shop’s Red Sox jerseys and lobster rope toys will have Fido looking and feeling like a local in no time. You’ll find plenty of stylish accessories for citified cats and dogs, too, from catnip-scented cactus toys to colorful striped dog beds by Pendleton. 217 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, thefishandbone.com.
Chuck Bass, Pini Swissa Salon
There are two types of hairstylists in the world: listeners and dictators. Bass is very much the former, taking into account a client’s aspirations and lifestyle to craft the ideal look. That doesn’t mean there’s not a method to his precision cuts: The stylist also examines face proportions and hair type before getting to work, and is a big proponent of living with a new style for a few days, then making adjustments as needed. No wonder so many local notables — including TV anchors — count on him to maintain their magnificent manes. 18 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, chuckbass.com.
MKS Design
Courtesy Photo A former pastry chef, MKS Design owner Adam Simha deftly marries form and function with his steely treasures, crafted from scratch for novice home cooks and local celebrity chefs like Jody Adams. Just tell him your culinary aspirations and material preferences, and he’ll deliver your one-of-a-kind gyuto, petty, boning, steak, or cimeter knives in six to eight months. mksknife.com.
Casa Design Group
Casa Design Group’s pared-down, modernist furnishings make outdoor gatherings tempting even on the cloudiest days. Of note: cozy, cocoon-like high-back lounge chairs from Roda, creamy Tuuci umbrellas fit for Miami Beach, sculptural Extremis picnic tables, and a new collaboration with audio innovators Bang & Olufsen that ensures your patio parties will sound as good as they look. 460 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118, casadesigngroup.com.
Moonshine 152
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE: A burger. WHAT IT REALLY IS: A patty of wild mushrooms and local silken tofu blended with a secret eight-spice blend and fresh thyme, all topped with sharp cheddar. WHY TO GET IT: Chef-owner Asia Mei draws on her experience at the late, great Hamersley’s Bistro to create an inimitable umami-bomb of unctuous flavor. 152 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, MA 02127, moonshine152.com.
Nomans
With live music, fire pits, and lawn games like Jenga and cornhole, the restaurant formerly known as Lola’s is the perfect place to whittle away an island Sunday Funday. Oh, and there are plenty of eye-opening eats, too, from light and fresh poke and a&_ccedil;a&_iacute; bowls to burgers and dogs cooked just the way we like ’em. The in-house rums, meanwhile, will have you saying, “Yo-ho-ho” as you swashbuckle out the door. 15 Island Inn Rd., Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, nomansmv.com.
French + Italian
Just because your couch is now your office doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. The well-curated selection of soft, wearable tops at this Beacon Hill boutique includes colorful knit tees from Marni, flowy organic-cotton blouses from Apiece Apart, and collared button-downs from Acne Studios that look just as good on your Monday-morning Slack call as they do on your favorite restaurant patio come the weekend. 119 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, frenchitalian.com.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge
The Order: Chill out during a socially distant summer with the frozen whiskey smash ($12). It gets a hit of crème de cacao alongside the standard lemon and mint. The Cause: Two bucks per drink—made with booze from a Black-female-run Tennessee distillery named for Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels whiskey making in the 1850s—goes to Black Lives Matter Boston. blacklivesmatterboston.org. 3 Beacon St., Somerville, MA 02143, trinastarlitelounge.com.