Ski Market
Year after year, we find new winter gear we can't live without. So year after year, we revisit Ski Market. The store caters to everyone from bunny slopers to the black-diamond crowd with snowboards, snowshoes, and skis from A-list manufacturers like Salomon and Rossignol. It also carries sleek wear from the North Face, Burton, and Nordica that will keep enthusiasts looking cool—no matter how often or hard they fall. 860 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 2213, skimarket.com.
Alpha Omega Jewelers
Whether you're looking for a diamond-studded Rolex, a sporty TAG Heuer, or a sleek Bulgari, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more diverse selection of timepieces. There are more than 35 brands of watches including Movado, Raymond Weil, and Omega. As a bonus, you actually get salespeople who know their merchandise and can translate complicated operating instructions. The store also offers an excellent watch repair service. 57 JFK St., Cambridge, MA .
Sandy Poirier, Shag
Some say you should never trust a bald barber, but there's an exception to every rule. Poirier, the tonsured and tattooed owner of this year-old salon in South Boston, is ours. He uses a straight razor and skills acquired during a two-decade tour on Newbury Street to create the kind of just-got-outta-bed looks that hipsters know can only be crafted by expert hands. 840 Summer St., South Boston, MA shagboston.com.
Anderson Andrade
Some polishing jobs are so ineffective, they just seem like an excuse to take a load off for a few minutes. Not polishes by Anderson Andrade, who works his craft (in the lobby of 2 International Place) with all the prestidigitation of a fast-talking magician. Regulars say they won't go to anyone else, no matter how dirty their shoes get. The man gets in every last nook and cranny, gives glossy new life to years-old leather, and polishes up with a spit shine that would put the military version to shame. 2 International Place, Boston, MA .
Julie Michaud
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, do yourself a favor and let brow virtuoso Julie Michaud hold the tweezers. Her sense of shape and color are perfect on every brow, and her insistence on a clean line is nothing short of exacting. Don't come looking for a harsh, surprised expression; Michaud's watchwords are flattering, subtle, and pretty. With such attention to detail, the petite and affable artist doesn't just do natural: She is one. 297 Newbury St., Boston, MA prettyology.com.
Images & Frames
The unusually warm welcome is your first clue to this store's stellar service. The patient and skilled staff takes the necessary time (a good half hour) to discuss how to achieve the exact look you want, or will hang back when you'd rather make your own decisions. That, along with the store's good lighting, selection of diverse and colorful prints, and meticulously finished end products, all add up to one thing: a picture-perfect experience. 1089 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Healthworks
Can you imagine actually looking forward to working out? We couldn't either, until Healthworks came along. This minichain of made-for-women gyms has a solid philosophy. The gym shave state-of-the-art equipment, plus cushy additional features like saunas, whirlpools, personalized training programs, towel service, and cutting-edge classes (they were the first places in town to offer spinning). 441 Stuart Street, Boston, MA healthworksfitness.com.
Mobile Auto Repair Service
They say the proof is in the pudding, or, in this case, the carburetor: Paul Levin is the guy to fix your car. With a vast knowledge of foreign and domestic autos, plus a wicked sense of humor, Levin puts you to task with a thorough Q&A session while narrowing down a diagnosis for your ailing vehicle. Sensitive to tight budgets, he won't take you for a ride. Levin is also completely accommodating. He even offered to look through our car receipts to check the quality and pricing of repair work done in the past. 90 Windom Street, Allston, MA .
The Whittemore Wood Floor Company
Your apartment may not be a palace, but at least it has gorgeous wood floors—or did, in 1920. Now it squeaks with every step and looks all too natural, with splinters lying in wait as your bare feet shuffle to the coffee pot at dawn. Wood floors are a luxury, but they are worth the expense of refinishing, especially if you get Whittemore to patch, sand, stain, and finish those tired planks back to their former glory. 122 Jason St., Arlington, MA .
blu
Posh as they are, the folks behind the Downtown Crossing eatery Blu recognize that a bar menu just ain't a bar menu without fries, wings, and mozzarella sticks. Except here, of course, the fries are made from polenta and served with truffled cheese. The duck wings are cooked to a crisp, then tossed with charred jalapenos and honey. And the fried cheese? House-made smoked mozzarella slathered in spicy tomato crema and basil pesto. No nachos yet, possibly because they're still fine-tuning the artisanal guac. 4 Avery St., Boston, MA 2111, blurestaurant.com.
Restaurant L
If you're old enough, you'll remember the scene in the movie Gigi where the ingénue steps into Maxim's and tout society looks up to gawk. It's instant replay every weekday afternoon at Restaurant L, which fills up early with power brokers who swear by the Kobe beef burger with cinnamon pickles; ladies who lunch on palm sugar-glazed salmon; and the media elite who are always grateful for an excuse to indulge in anything chef Pino Maffeo dreams up. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 2116, louisboston.com.
Pho 2000
Most pho joints excel at pho and only pho. But at Pho 2000, a kitschy, gingham-clothed joint in Dorchester, everything that comes out of the kitchen is superlativ—and a bargain to boot. Try the Bo 7 Mon, seven courses of beef, priced at just $29.95 for two. Or, if you just can't resist ordering the namesake, opt for the pho ga, a clove-infused chicken noodle soup that outclasses any in town. 198 Adams St., Dorchester, MA 2122, pho2000boston.com.
Barking Crab
With its red-and-yellow-striped tent and picnic tables, the Barking Crab looks like a German beer garden, but instead of sausage and pretzels, this year-round clam shack serves up buckets of crab claws and peel-and-eat shrimp along with plates of fried clams, calamari, and boiled lobster. The beer flows like water, making every night feel like Oktoberfest. 88 Sleeper St., Boston, MA barkingcrab.com.
Akris
The praise doesn't get any higher: The late Liz Tilberis, editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar, once commented at a charity event in Boston on how elegant the women looked in their Akris suits. The suits are exquisitely crafted in fabrics like double-faced wool, cashmere, silk chiffon, linen, and cotton voile; even those of us who have to work for a living can appreciate that. 16 Newbury Street, Boston, MA akris.ch.
Repertoire
If you visited Fifteen Beacon in th past few months and wondered how to replicate the sleek look at home, go no further than Repertoire. Showcasing the best of contemporary design and technology, this showroom designed by Fifteen Beacon interior guru Celeste Cooper features lines by Agape, Antoine Proulx, Ceccotti, and bulthaup kitchens—furniture and accessories that prove function actually follows form. 114 Boylston Street, Boston, MA .