Frank's Steak House
This isn't the place where the suits go to celebrate closing a big deal, or the restaurant everybody talks about down at the club. It is, in fact, something much better: Boston's oldest steakhouse and a Porter Square institution. Locals arrive by 9 Wednesday through Saturday so they can listen to performers such as Preacher Jack on keyboard while digging into a New York sizzler—an unadorned 14-ounce sirloin that arrives at the table sizzling, as advertised, in a cast-iron skillet. The marinated steak tips, prime rib, and seafood are every bit as terrific. Oh, and forget about the wine list: Just order a beer. 2310 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA frankssteakhouse.com.
Christopher's
On the desertlike stretch of Mass. Ave. that cuts through Porter Square, Christopher's is a tiny oasis, its green umbrellas beckoning from the T station like palms in the sand. There are well-priced options like fish tacos and burgers with mushrooms and Swiss cheese, and a host of veggie choices that suit the less carnivorously inclined. And once you sample the selection of ice-cold beers, you'll know for sure that this retreat is anything but a mirage. 1920 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2140, christopherscambridge.com.
Giulia
This Porter Square gem won us over with its chewy, emmer-flour-based farro casarecce alone, tossed with red-wine-braised duck, sweet cherries, and foie-gras butter on the night we tried it. But in truth, any of chef Michael Pagliarini’s pastas—painstakingly crafted on a reclaimed-white-oak table at the back of the restaurant—are worth the trip. Cap off your pasta odyssey with a creamy scoop of pistachio gelato. 1682 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2138, giuliarestaurant.com.
Bagelsaurus
Photograph by Marian Siljeholm Baker Mary Ting Hyatt has grown her Bagelsaurus venture from a weekend-only side project at Cutty's to a full-fledged bagel revolution in Porter Square. Hyatt can barely keep up with demand thanks to the quality of her chewy, crackly rounds made from a decades-old sourdough starter. Her pretzel bagels and hot-smoked-salmon sandwiches (pictured) have become the toast of the city's carb hounds, who line up along the block early each morning and pray she hasn't sold out. 1796 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140, bagelsaurus.com.
History
This is vintage for the finicky. No wading through bins, no discarding racks' worth of garments for signs of age or questionable authenticity. Co-owner and former high school history teacher Rachel Hirsch works with suppliers from around the globe, and each piece that she pulls into her immaculate Porter Square shop is carefully inspected and arranged by decade. The finishing touch is a tag describing the occasion for which some stylish woman could have originally donned the garment. Reads the legend for a black velvet babydoll from the '60s: "This might actually be a fun New Year's Eve." Chances are, your night out in any History purchase will be equally memorable. 1693 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA historyboutique.com.
West Side Lounge
The stretch of Mass. Ave. between Harvard and Porter squares may teem with restaurants and bars, but it's the laid-back-yet-sophisticated West Side Lounge that draws the locals. The main reason: chef Alex Jenkins's dinner creations. Available at the bar or in a candlelit booth, Jenkins's menu includes such straight-ahead appetizers as house-cured olives or grilled pizzas , along with more complex, but still humble, main courses, including roasted chicken, sliced tenderloin of steak, and pan-seared tuna with eye-watering wasabi mashed potatoes and ponzu sauce. The bar provides a solid backbeat, with classic martinis and margaritas, and eyebrow-raising beverages like the "little Debbie," a thick, liquor-soaked chocolate drink that is definitely not for kids. 1680 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA westsidelounge.com.
Baron Baptiste, Baptiste Power Yoga Institute
Some argue that power yoga is not really yoga. But sweat and stretch your way through just one class with Baron Baptiste and you'll be a believer in his high-intensity, high-temperature workout. Just ask the dozens of devotees who pile into his tiny Porter Square studio for his first-come, first-serve classes—or any of the professional athletes and celebrities (including Elisabeth Shue and Helen Hunt) who are fans. Lest you assume that Baptiste's method forgoes the meditative properties of traditional yoga, be assured that classes are conducted in a soothingly quiet room where traditional breathing techniques and perfect form are stressed, though the room is heated to more than 90 degrees to keep the muscles loose. And at only $10 per session (a dollar extra for mat rentals), it's an indulgence that can easily be made a habit. 2000 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA baronbaptiste.com.
The West Side Lounge
Walk through the door of this swank eatery, and you can't help but feel 10 times cooler than you really are. Subtle lighting, high-backed leather booths, and R&B playing just above the gentle hum of conversation—they call it ambiance, and the West Side Lounge has it in spades. The food is equally hip. Inspired by the Kentucky roots of chef Alex Jenkins, the menu offers such comfort dishes as bourbon-marinated pork chops and homemade peanut butter ice cream. Even the martinis, complete with blue cheese-stuffed olives, have a style all their own. 1680 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA westsidelounge.com.
The Enormous Room
After centuries of sit-up-straight rigidity, it is now possible for Bostonians to lie back, sip on high-octane martinis, nibble on North African goodies, and maybe steal a kiss or two. Upstairs from his Central Square restaurant, Central Kitchen, E-Room's chef-owner Gary Strack has opened the most seductive grotto this side of Marrakesh: rug-covered tiers shrouded in darkness, lots of intoxicating music, couches soft as quicksand, shadows that dance on the brick walls. The food is sublime, the drinks are mixed by award-winners Joe McGuirk and Kristen Porter, and the music is spun by some of the city's hippest up-and-comers. Yes, finally, we stiff New Englanders can actually lounge. 567 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Cambridge Common
Cambridge Common It could be the fried pickles, or the sweet-potato fries, or the massive beer list with regular cask ales on tap, but there's something that keeps us finding safe harbor in this Mass. Ave. mainstay. What to Order: The grilled meatloaf with beer-battered onion rings. 1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA cambridgecommonrestaurant.com.
Christopher's
This place draws neighborhood dwellers in search of a midweek bite or a Saturday evening glass of wine with their pizza. Owners and sisters Carla and Christine Pallotta have created a welcoming atmosphere for locals (they know ? or make an effort to know ? everyone in the 'hood), and put out great food, too: tiny, tender gnocchi; small but zippy Neapolitan-style margherita pies. There's also a solid lineup of wines by the glass. 1920 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2140, christopherscambridge.com.
<em>48 Minutes</em>, by Bob Ryan and Terry Pluto
An insiders' look at the National Basketball Association.
Newbury Comics
Sure, there are comic books, and posters, and T-shirts, and even lava lamps. But mostly we hang at Newbury for the terrific selection of music at consistently better prices than its bigger competitors.