Eastern Standard
Step one (sufficiently difficult): Coordinate 15 schedules to pick a date for your birthday/ anniversary/coming-out party. Step two (near impossible): Find a place that will seat everyone. The private dining room at Eastern Standard—a plush, chandeliered alcove off the main dining area—will accommodate parties of up to 18 with ease. The waiter assigned solely to your group means you won't ever feel neglected; the fully enclosed space means you won't have to struggle to hear what your pals are discussing at the other end of the table. Hotel Commonwealth, 528 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA easternstandardboston.com.
The Williamsville Inn
Set in bucolic West Stockbridge, the Williamsville Inn boasts everything a home away from home should: superb service, snowy linens, and cut flowers. Husband-and-wife team Erhard and Kandy Wendt have transformed this once dilapidated 18th-century inn into a modern country guesthouse complete with blond hardwood floors and quaint touches. Erhard also acts as the inn's chief chef, and his German-inspired fare is some of the finest in the county. 286 Great Barrington Rd. (Rte. 41), West Stockbridge, MA williamsvilleinn.com.
Barneys New York
Every well-shod woman has the closet to prove it—sensible pumps for work, streamlined flats for weekends, sky-high Christian Louboutins just because—and chances are, there's a Barneys shoebox on her shelves. The department store's cavernous shoe salon proffers the red-soled attention getters, of course, but also more-unique and unexpected styles—caged Alaïa sandals, sinewy canvas heels from Walter Steiger, paint-splattered Maison Martin Margiela low-tops, studded cowboy boots by Isabel Marant—always keeping you one step ahead of the fashionable masses. Copley Place, Boston, MA barneys.com.
Maggie Kessler, The Sports Club/LA
Touch is one of those mysterious forces science hasn't even begun to understand. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Maggie Kessler has the most sensitive, soothing, and magical touch of any masseuse in town. Trust us; we put her to the test, asking her to work the kinks out of sore muscles, strained backs, stressed-out shoulders, and beat-up soles. We requested everything from delicate pressure and medium kneading to iron-tight body punches, and Kessler excelled at them all without so much as breaking a sweat. 4 Avery St., Boston, MA boston.sportsclubla.com.
Mahoney's Garden Centers
In our search for the holy grail of garden centers, we were pleasantly tempted by the personalized attention and quaint urban setting of Ricky's Flower Market in Somerville. But Mahoney's has the edge when it comes to one-stop garden shopping. Where else near the city can you find starter grapevines, elephant-shaped watering cans, large ceramic urns, and a barn filled with landscaping tools, not to mention the obligatory greenhouses brimming with flowers and herbs? The vast and varied selection makes it worth the extra work it sometimes takes to find a salesperson to answer your questions. 889 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA mahoneysgarden.com.
Lanoue Fine Art
Local masterpiece-mongers tend to deal in one of two extremes: jejune still-lifes geared to designers who spruce up Back Bay sunrooms, or sprawling esoterica that cause poseurs to start lusting for home-display space. Hewing a noble path between pear paintings and "environments," Lanoue focuses on established artists who tackle traditional genres—portraits, landscapes, even floral studies—with modern flair. Though varied in style, the monthly exhibitions all balance craftsmanship with conceptual edge, requiring neither advanced degree nor audio tour to blow you away. 125 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, lanouefineart.com.
Nuggets
One of the last survivors of Kenmore Square’s sterilizing overhaul, Nuggets gets you back in touch with old weird Boston and encourages you to bring that history home. Since 1978, obsessed musicologists have explored its wide range of rock, R & B, folk, jazz, and classical box sets, then dug through shelves of books and other tuneful memorabilia. If you’re looking for an old 12-inch dance single or an LP by a long-neglected local band like Heretix or the Real Kids, check out the racks in front and keep an eye on the store’s Facebook updates. 486 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA nuggetsrecords.com.
Common Vines
Here’s one of those whip-smart, why-didn’t-someone-think-of-it-sooner concepts: a wine bar and shop that work together to help you discover your next favorite pour. From Croatian plavac mali to Monterey-grown malvasia, all of the by-the-glass selections at Jennifer Scott and Chris Hsi’s Taste Wine Bar & Kitchen are also available to tote home by the bottle at Common Vines, their vino boutique right across the street. Not enough time for a full pour? Pop into the shop for a free tasting; themes—such as "Wines with a Long Finish" on Marathon Monday—change by the day. 100 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110, commonvines.com.
Whole Heart Provisions
If you don’t think vegetarian cuisine can be decadent, then you’ve never tried Whole Heart’s falafel dog: two golden-fried chickpea-and-parsley patties “dragged through the garden” with tahini, tomato, and Grillo’s pickles. Resounding proof that meat-free dining doesn’t have to be an exercise in self-flagellation, chef Rebecca Arnold and Roxy’s Grilled Cheese owner James DiSabatino go next-level with their salads and street-food-inspired small bites: One forkful of the Sichuan-dukkah-laced Mission bowl should charm even the most ardent carnivore. 487 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02135, wholeheartprovisions.com.
Tiffani Faison, Big Heart Hospitality
Photo by Christopher Churchill The one-person machine that is Tiffani Faison was firing on every cylinder this year: She was a James Beard finalist for Orfano, took home the largest cash prize in Food Network history by winning Guy Fieri’s famous-chef-filled Tournament of Champions, and opened three totally different casual restaurants inside downtown’s highly anticipated High Street Place. In other words: A decade since she launched her New England barbecue landmark Sweet Cheeks Q, the Chopped judge keeps showing the grit and growth that made her a household name in Boston and beyond. bighearthospitality.com.
Ceraldi
A seven-course chef’s tasting — in Wellfleet, you say? Yes, it’s here, and yes, it’s 100 percent worth springing for. Chef Michael Ceraldi’s menu changes daily based on what’s available from the food purveyors surrounding him: That means one night you might find black-licorice ravioli with P-town diver lobster; another night monk-liver torchon with seaweed bagna cauda. Ceraldi, meanwhile, holds court at the center of this nightly dinner party, explaining each dish to diners at two seatings per evening as the consummate host. 15 Kendrick Ave., Wellfleet, MA 02667, ceraldicapecod.com.
Mamaleh's
We'd love to tell you how tasty the hot house-smoked pastrami and creamy blintzes are at Mamaleh's, but oy vey, we're stuffed like a kishka and can barely finish writing this. For years the area has been short on real-deal Jewish delicatessens, and now we finally have one that satisfies all of our cravings, right down to the cherry phosphates and crisp, golden latkes just like Mom used to make. Bring the experience home with you via the takeout counter, generously stocked with all manner of smoked fish and cold cuts. One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA 02139, mamalehs.com.
Tremendous Maid
Few things are more intimate than hiring someone to clean your home. Tremendous Maid, thankfully, is all business: Fill out an Internet request form with your square footage and home layout, and you'll quickly hear back about scheduling options. The actual cleaning was both impressive and a bit guilt-inducing, as the team scrubbed items we willfully ignore: baseboards, toaster oven, mini blinds. By the time they were done, our house was as pristine as the day it was built. 270 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA tremendousmaid.com.
Trish McEvoy
New from New York, the McEvoy line offers hip, practical palettes for lips, eyes, and cheeks, and even has a zippered filofax-style case that you can fill with customized inserts (for all those important little daily appointments to powder your nose). The trained crew at Neiman's invites you to try before you buy. Educating rather than arm-twisting, patiently demonstrating special techniques like "push and wiggle" so you can line your lids like the pros—even after you get home—they do one side of your face, then it's your turn. Neiman Marcus, 5 Copley Place, Boston, MA .
Jumbo Seafood
It stands to reason that seafood is the speciality of the house at this bright little spot near the Chinatown gate. To wit: The restaurant is decorated with tanks of live fish, lobsters, eels, crabs, and shrimp. The atmosphere itself is delightful, including a huge mural of Hong Kong adorning one wall, and the constant chatter of both Chinese and English filling the air. Favorite dishes: crispy orange shrimp and calamari with mixed green vegetables; lobster sauteed with ginger and scallions; Hunan-style crispy whole fish. All meals finish with chocolate-dipped fortune cookies. Jumbo Seafood is open seven days a week until 2 am. 5-9 Hudson Street, Boston, MA newjumboseafoodrestaurant.com.