Brown Sugar Café
The sheer size of Brown Sugar's menu and the sizzling tease of the plates that come flying out of its always-busy kitchen can turn the most decisive diners into covetous rubberneckers. Fortunately, it's hard to go wrong here, whatever the choice. Chili addicts swear by the Old Lady Spicy, a mélange of roasted Thai eggplant, peppers, green beans, and sweet basil; meeker palates shouldn't miss the beef macadamia on gingery watercress. Need further guidance? An advance look at the restaurant's comprehensive online menu is the smart way to winnow the possibilities. 1033 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 2215, brownsugarcafe.com.
KitchenArts
Caught between bare-bones restaurant-supply stores and overstyled kitchen emporiums, home cooks in search of a good sharp knife and a turkey baster are left with meager options. They'd do well to head to KitchenArts, where the basics (colanders, oven mitts) are blessedly abundant, and the array of gadgets (gnocchi paddles, avocado slicers) has a way of making even takeout devotees want to pick up the culinary hobby. As for those knives: KitchenArts' reasonably priced blades include Forschner, Messermeister, and Wüsthof—and the staffers, who are all avid gastronomes themselves, are happy to opine on their favorites.
Mahoney's
A garden plot or even a tiny flowerbox can provide welcome relief from pocked and pitted urban landscapes, a sense of having borrowed a bit of paradise. The tradeoff is that you have to do the dirty work to keep paradise looking pristine. Cue Mahoney's, a flourishing local chain whose Brighton location is dense with fertilizers, soils, tools, and possibly the most wide-ranging selection of planters around, including biodegradable models. For those who haven't yet started their own at-home oasis, the wealth of flora for sale—from fragile orchids to death-defying houseplants like pothos and dracaena—is sure to cultivate inspiration. 449 Western Ave., Brighton, MA 2135, .
Piari Luna
Browsers fast become buyers at this three-year-old décor outpost, which sees its stock of tony/whimsical antiques and home goods turn over so speedily that the idea of a gift registry is moot. One week you'll discover an arresting turn-of-the-century Chinese altar, the next a shipment of traditional picture frames in silver and gold leaf and burnished burlwood. There are a few constants—fine French lotions and soaps, glossy dupioni silk pillows—but the rest depends on owner Laura Rosenberger's tasteful caprices. "If it looks beautiful, feels beautiful, or smells beautiful, I'll buy it," she says. Funny, we know just what she means. 33 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, MA 1945, .
The Oak Room
Forget what you think you know about steak houses. The Oak Room, this year's dark horse candidate, puts the usual contenders to shame. Vaulted plaster ceilings and meticulously carved oak walls to form a regal setting, the capable waiters assist you with old-school formality but not a touch of stuffiness. The steaks are perfect— well marbled, cooked exactly to order, served with your choice of bearnaise sauce or a red wine glaze. For the less carnivorous, there's always the spectacular lobster bouillabaisse. The wine list is interesting and accessible to spenders big and small. 138 St. James Ave., Boston, MA .
Buzz
You could go to Buzz just for the bartenders—they're pure eye candy, completely unpretentious (nice, even), and they pour a stiff drink. Or, you could go for the DJs, who spin a hip-pulsing blend of pop, dance, and techno. You could even go for the shower of glitter, or the scores of cute boys on the prowl, donning muscle shirts and designer jeans. But we say go for all of the above on Saturday's gay night, when this Theater District hideaway becomes a two-story playground for dancers, gawkers, loungers, and anyone else looking for a fun night out. 67 Stuart St., Boston, MA .
Boston Rock Gym
A huge industrial loft in Woburn, the Boston Rock Gym is carpeted with 20 tons of chopped-up car tires, the walls are studded with tiny gargoyles, dinosaurs, and rocklike footholds, and the place looks like a preppy torture chamber. One of the best-equipped climbing gyms in all of New England, the rock gym has 30 different climbing routes of varying complexity, ranging from beginner to impossible. Check out Hades—a bouldering cave in which climbers hang upside down, suspended by their fingers and toes—as well as the Treadwall (imagine a treadmill that's a vertical wall). Patient instructors keep an eye out for your safety and offer group classes and individual instruction. 78G Olympia Ave., Woburn, MA .
White-Water Rafting on the Concord River
If you're looking for white water, who needs Maine? There's Class-4 rapids just 40 miles from Boston, in Lowell on the Concord River, and the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust has done a remarkable nature-conservancy job. Not exactly expected either, in the heart of deindustrialized mill country. The Lowell white-water course, fed by spring runoff, winds its way through Thoreau's Portage—the stretch of the Concord River that Henry David Thoreau never dared to take—and culminates in the Lower Locks at the Pawtucket Canal. Unfortunately, this year's season has already passed. Lowel Parks & Conservation Trust, Lowell, MA .
Bakers' Best
The increasingly popular sit-down service is good, too (especially for Saturday and Sunday brunch), but it's the takeout that sets this Newton Highlands institution apart. The friendly staff will wrap up anything to go, from a cup of coffee to a multicourse gourmet dinner for as many guests as you can gather. Big orders like those require one day's notice, but Baker's Best makes it easy with a quiet catering office and a convenient check-off menu. There are also freezers full of ready-to-cook meal components in the main store, from hors d'oeuvres to entrées. And that food—it really is the best. 27 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA bakersbestcatering.com.
Weston Nurseries
This 80-year-old Hopkinton nursery fills the horticultural needs of everyone from weekend enthusiasts to professional landscapers. The garden center stocks a vast selection of healthy, robust annuals and perennials—a scene that would be overwhelming were it not for the fact that plants are grouped according to what looks good together, taking much of the guesswork out of gardening. Shrub seekers can hop into one of the company's Land Rovers to scour the 650 acres of growing fields for the perfect specimen. There's plenty to choose from, since 80 percent of Weston's merchandise is grown on the premises. Don't have a green thumb? Take advantage of the nursery's landscaping services. 93 East Main St. (Route 135), Hopkinton, MA westonnurseries.com.
Dessert Works
Kristen Repa has seen (and made) a lot of wedding cakes: Before launching her own bakery more than a decade ago, she honed her sweet skills at local institutions like Konditor Meister and the Catered Affair, and even trained at the renowned Konditorei Gerstner, in Austria. Whether you want your cake to match your theme, your personality, or your gorgeous gown, Repa and her team of pastry chefs will turn out an exquisite confection that tastes as good as it looks (dulce de leche or lemon—summer berry, anyone?). 302 Providence Hwy., Westwood, MA 2090, dessertworks.net.
Midwest Grill
It's easy—and frankly quite enjoyable—to overstuff yourself at this all-you-can-eat churrascaria. Enthusiastic protein purveyors circle the dining rooms brandishing skewers with steak, kielbasa, smoky linguiça, and tender pork with crackly skin. They all but slap you on the back when you agree to another slice of meat (especially the chicken heart), and look rather downcast when you send them away. While you're keeping them happy, make sure to save room for the buffet of sweet plantains and prepared salads, which has just enough options to satisfy any vegetarian tagging along with you. 1124 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA midwestgrillrestaurant.com.
Angela's Café
Ángela Atenco López, the Puebla-born chef who brought the region’s cooking to two East Boston restaurants, passed away in 2020. But her namesake eateries are still doing right by her legacy — most notably with the mole poblano de Angela, which smothers pork or chicken with her signature version of the complex sauce. As for us? Whether for homecooked dinners or served-till-3 breakfasts of crispy chilaquiles, we’re visiting more than ever now, motivated by the bittersweet reminder to love our legends while we can. 131 Lexington St., East Boston, MA 02128, angelascafeboston.com.
Crystal Morgan, C.Spa
Even before the very talented Crystal Morgan gets you on the table at her immaculately clean Back Bay studio, she’s already working, sizing up the way you stand to see exactly where your tension lies. Once she begins the massage, her magic hands free up every knot and tension spot. Go ahead and glance in the mirror after your 60- to 90-minute treatment is over: Not only will you feel different, but your posture will actually look visibly different, too. 715 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116, cspaboston.com.
Row 34
Now a quartet thanks to the 2023 debut of its Cambridge outpost, Row 34 continues to be a quintessential New England seafood spot, equally adept at dressing down (beers and oysters at the bar) or dressing up (splurge-y seafood towers and lobster rolls). The oysters, in particular, are outstanding — especially the namesake Row 34 variety from the restaurant’s friends at Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, which are plump, crisp, and subtly briny. Looking to show an out-of-towner what’s special about Boston seafood? Take them here. Multiple locations, row34.com.