Katrina Hess
Over the years, hundreds of women have watched natural beauty they never knew they had emerge from under Katrina Hess's skilled brushstrokes. Weddings are a specialty, but, as Hess puts it, a woman should feel like a million bucks whether she's going to the office or going to the altar. Hess is a well of beauty tips and tricks (from how to avoid getting lipstick on your teeth to giving lashes that elusive perfect curl). Equally impressive is her product knowledge: While she's worked for many of the best (Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy, Chanel, Christian Dior), Hess now works only for her clients and has the luxury of culling every label's standout cosmetics into a dream palette. Combine that with her meticulously honed technique, and you've got a beautiful thing indeed. 105 Newbury St., 3rd floor, Boston, MA .
Pho Republique
It's not often you can slink up to a hostess with 15 of your closest friends and expect that you'll be quickly seated—let alone get a drink and some nibblies without a side of attitude. Pho Republique may in fact be the only restaurant in town where the more really is the merrier: This Washington Street hot spot graciously handles large groups with ease—hell, even with verve. The inventive drink menu (beware the potent sake martinis and house sangria) and an affordably priced pan-Asian menu with options to please everyone (from shrimp rangoon spring rolls to steaming, aromatic bowls of pho) add up to a place where even the pickiest diners will be pleased. Best of all, the accommodating staff's unusual make-yourself-at-home attitude means a group can linger until the last drop of sangria is gone. 1415 Washington St., Boston, MA .
North End Fabrics
<p>It's hard to find a decent fabric store these days. The dwindling number of people who sew their own clothes has caused many textile shops to close, and most of those that remain are either large chains with uninspired inventories or discounters selling remnants, irregular goods, and closeouts.</p> <p>In this wasteland, North End Fabrics, at 31 Harrison Avenue, is an oasis for the home sewer. The small shop on the edge of Chinatown stocks a sumptuous and well-edited assortment of high-fashion textiles including Liberty of London cottons, the beautiful silklike polyester of John Kaldor, handerchief linens, wool suiting, silk jacquards, and tropical-weight wool challises. It even has the dubious honor of carrying New England's largest inventory of fake furs. All these goodies are tucked into barebones quarters, which on Saturday afternoons can set off an epidemic of claustrophobia among the customers. But the hard-core home sewers who flock there don't seem to mind. "I have this theory about fabric stores," says owner Ellen Bick. "It seems as if a kind of reverse ambience is best. Not that you want it to be grungy, but the more it looks like a mill store or a factory, the better the serious sewer likes it."</p> <p>Just how popular North End Fabrics is with serious sewers is demonstrated by its clientele, which includes aspiring fashion designers (Boston designer David Josef shopped there during his start-up years), photo stylists, costume designer, and well-dressed professional women who want couture-quality material for the outfits they sew. October brings a colorful crowd of gay men buying sequins and gold lamé for costumes they'll wear on Halloween at the annual gay ball.</p> <p>Many shops that operated during the heyday of Boston's Garment District (during the early 1900s) are now gone—victims of rising rents, changing times, and chichi real estate developments. But North End Fabrics has stood its ground there for 30 years. If that doesn't mean it's doing something right, nothing does.</p>
Things We Can’t Wait to Eat Again
The Kobe cap steak at Grill 23: We’re jonesing for the primal pleasures of a deep-charred steak crust that doesn’t involve sweating bullets over a home grill. The charred avocado nigiri at Café Sushi: Precise applications of lemon, salt, truffle oil, and fire-breathing blowtorch yield a showstopper too delicate for takeout travel. The quail kebobs at at Oleana: Ana Sortun’s elegantly boned-out game-bird skewers taste best in the urban paradise of Oleana’s gorgeous garden. The double-pork ramen at Yume Wo Katare: We miss waiting for hot bowlfuls of garlicky, pork-fat-drenched noodle soup at this intimate eatery, where the camaraderie in line is part of the fun. The “Royal Chocolate Cake for Two, Kween” at Orfano: The indulgence is available in sensible slices for the social-distancing era, but you can’t top the hedonistic joy of double-teaming an entire cake with a close friend.
Dante deMagistris, blu
When blu opened at Sports Club/LA last winter, many eyed the restaurant with suspicion. Would the brightly colored, Cali-inspired glass-walled dining room work in Boston? Would the menu be filled with bland, flavorless health club fare? The answers: yes and no—in that order. And it's all thanks to Dante deMagistris, the 27-year-old Belmont native who has won the hearts and stomachs of Bostonians with his culinary style (honed under Michael Schlow during their stint together at Café Louis and flourishing under blu co-owner and culinary legend Michela Larson). Even fitness-phobes clamor over deMagistris's fresh seasonal dishes. His "Out of the blu" appetizer, a presentation of assorted sashimis served on brightly colored glass plates, is a work of art, while entrées like steamed wild striped bass or potato gnocchi (made from deMagistris's grandmother's recipe) show the promise of a chef on the rise. Sports Club/LA, 4 Avery St., Boston, MA blurestaurant.com.
L’Espalier
Chef Frank McClelland bristles when L’Espalier gets pigeonholed as French—and it is more haute New England meets Paris, when you think about it. Check the beef from Maine. The gooey Vermont fromages. The scrappy Yankee self-reliance of plating foie gras with fruit from your own organic farm! The duck-for-two stunner, presented whole, comes with sides and a beguiling slice of American large-format je ne sais quoi. Whatever you call it, this gastronomic tour de force blasts into its 40th year rocking A-game sparkle. Tomato, tomate. 774 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02199, lespalier.com.
Grettacole
Not quite ready to rock a smock at your favorite salon just yet? You don’t have to thanks to Grettacole, whose root touchup kits quickly became a quarantine sensation. Here, Natalie Salerno, a senior stylist at the salon, demonstrates how to pull off a successful DIY dye job at home. 1. Remove the touchup color and professional application brush from the kit. Be sure to put on the included disposable gloves before getting started—you’re not dying your hands, after all. 2. Always begin at your center part and follow the hairline, slowly moving from ear to ear as you apply the dye in small, quarter-inch sections. 3. Once the dye is applied, wait the full processing time—35 minutes—to ensure the color develops properly (unless you want orange hair!). Then shampoo twice: The first wash is to remove the color and prevent it from irritating your scalp or making your roots oily. The second is to eliminate any residue so you don’t stain pillowcases and towels. 10 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116, grettastyle.com.