Armadillo Cafe
Danny Wisel has found a new home and is once again cooking to his heart's content, which makes us very happy. 1314 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA .
Elizabeth Grady
So that's why everybody looks so good on Newbury Street. 39 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
From Here to Maternity
Good play and work clothes that don't look like cow covers. 1691 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Lucky, The Golden Banana
Looks like the Marlboro Man. Drips sweat all over me when we kiss. Peabody, MA
Adesso
Italian fashions for the home, including zany light fixtures and other accessories that give high tech an all-new look. The Mall at Chestnut Hill, .
Allen Furniture
Broad range, excellent value for money. Looks almost as good as owner/model Andrew Petkun. 250 First Ave., Needham, MA .
Cactus Ball
Cactus Ball, for the benefit of the ICA. Picture proper Bostonians wearing cowboy boots and two-stepping in the aisles of Filene's.
Fort Point Market
Deftly curated local booze is the market’s main draw, but organic specialty foods—many of them also sourced from New England—make this a place you can shop every day. fortpointmarket.com.
B&G Oysters
The accompanying paper towel is merely decorative, considering B&G's semolina-dusted Ipswich bellies shed virtually no grease from their crisp nooks and crannies (which justifies double-dunking them in the addictive house tartar sauce). 550 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2116, bandgoysters.com.
Malben's Gourmet
Both stores have an assortment of epicurean esoterica that would put the French Chef's pantry to shame. Definitely the place to go if you're looking for kiwi giblets or freeze-dried humming-birds' wings. 158 Massachusetts Ave. or 378 Boylston St., Brookline, MA .
Stel's
At Stel's, an edgy, unexpected collection of statement coats for men and women from Reyes, A.P.C, and Gary Graham makes winter something we can actually look forward to. 334 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2115, .
Salmagundi
Take full advantage of the optionssome vintage, some new, and all extremely hipat this J.P. haberdashery, and you wont risk looking like every other cat in the hat out there. 765 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA 2130, .
Machine Age
This downtown store features an extensive selection of midcentury modern and postmodern furniture from designers like Aero Saarinen, Mies van der Rohe, and Eames. It scours the country looking for original pieces, then has them reupholstered and refurbished. 354 Congress St., Boston, MA .
Riccardi Boutique
Look no further for the latest European street chic. Leather blazer for clubbing? Got it. Carol Christian Poell suit with the 90-degree-angle shoulder for strolling Newbury Street? Yep. You supply the fabulous physique and the fierce attitude. 116 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Calvin Klein
When the occasion calls for a blue suit but you want something more stylish than Brooks Brothers' fare, Calvin is the man for the job. Perfectly tailored, seriously sharp, yet unstuffy, too. Just like you. The Mall at Chestnut Hill, MA .