Donuts with a Difference
Photograph by Keller + Keller. Styling by Catrine Kelty. Visit this delightfully retro storefront, and you’ll be rewarded with melt-in-your-mouth honey-dipped spheres, jumbo coffee rolls, and coconut cake rings with the perfect bite. Best of all: Each confection is affordable enough to justify buying a dozen any day of the week. 35 Riverside Ave., Medford, MA 2155, donutswith.com.
Steel & Rye
A restaurant is only as good as its service, and at this hot spot helmed by chef Chris Parsons, that service is impeccable, from the gratis valet parking to the warm waitstaff, who happily point diners to their favorite house-made pastas (don’t miss the bucatini with lobster and smoky pulled pork). 95 Eliot St., Milton, MA 2186, steelandrye.com.
SalonCapri
This white, bright Newton Highlands spot combines the look and feel of a sophisticated city salon with the soul of a warm, family-owned business. Owner and lead stylist Nicholas Penna Jr. will work quickly and methodically to create a hairstyle that frames your face in all the right places. 31 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA 2461, saloncapri.com.
Saks Fifth Avenue
Photograph by Bruce Peterson. Styling by Kara Butterfield. Shoe heaven is, in fact, a place on earth—and you can find it at this second-floor salon, where heels from Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and other stalwarts mingle with pairs from rising stars like Tabitha Simmons and Sophia Webster. In short: If your soles need saving, look no further than Saks. Prudential Center, Boston, MA 2199, saksfifthavenue.com.
Hudson
Interior designer Jill Goldberg’s expertly merchandized eight-year-old shop has all the rugs, furnishings, and knick-knacks that make a house a home. You’ll leave with an Assouline book, a Brahms Mount throw, and a whole new design perspective. 12 Union Park St., Boston, MA 2118, hudsonboston.com.
Flair
Flair's gorgeous new Newbury Street store has everything you need to effortlessly choose frocks for your 'maids: the latest designs from Jenny Yoo, Alfred Sung, and Lynn Lugo in a wide range of colors and styles, and a cozy, elegant environment that invites conversation—not conflict. 140 Newbury St., Boston, MA flairbridesmaid.com.
DePrisco Jewelers
This family-run business has helped grooms-to-be avoid the tyranny of the little blue box for 60 years. DePrisco's personable employees, wide-ranging stock of designer and in-house lines, and tendency to knock a few hundred bucks off the asking price can put the most nervous buyers at ease. 333 Washington St., Boston, MA deprisco.com.
Best Fit
The elegantly appointed changing areas and owner Lyudmila Sletkova's painstaking workmanship evoke a bygone era. They also ensure that, whether you've gone a touch brideorexic or decided to don Mom's '70s-era gown, Sletkova can nip your dress into shape without any skimpy-curtain indecency. 268 Newbury St., Boston, MA bestfitinc.com.
Scarlet Oak Tavern
Comfort food rules at this pub and restaurant, so it's no surprise that brunch here feels like a good, warm snuggle. The polished farmhouse décor adds to the experience, but it's the lemon-ricotta pancakes sprinkled with fresh wild Maine blueberries and the house-smoked brisket hash crowned with poached eggs that leave us truly content. 1217 Main St., Hingham, MA 2043, scarletoaktavern.com.
Café Chew
Warm, comfortable, and blessed with a private garden, Café Chew is the sort of place that makes newcomers feel like regulars. Many ingredients, including the coffee and honey, are locally sourced; the pastries are made fresh by the in-house pastry chef; and the fare itself is exceptionally satisfying, despite—or perhaps because of—its simplicity. 4 Merchants Rd., Sandwich, MA 2563, cafechew.com.
Alexander Westerhoff Antiques
French Empire furnishings in rustic Essex? Believe it. A tastefully renovated church houses Westerhoff's rare finds from the 17th to the 20th centuries (like a settee that reportedly belonged to Henry Clay Frick). There's no bric-a-brac here, just exceptionally well-chosen fine furniture, priced accordingly. 18 Eastern Ave., Essex, MA 1929, westerhoffantiques.com.
Julie Michaud
Michaud will travel to your home or hotel and make you look picture-perfect for the big day, if it's a natural glow you're after or something more dramatic. She'll also give you a care package including the right shade of lipstick, liner, and powder for touch-ups throughout the momentous event. 297 Newbury Street, Suite 21, Boston, MA prettyology.com.
Cakes to Remember
Visually and gastronomically gorgeous, Ellen Bartlett's cakes come in the classic tiered style or in any shape that piques your fancy. Choose from dozens of flavors and myriad fillings and frostings. The lemon-zest cake filled with fresh raspberry-butter cream is one of the best reasons we can think of to say I do. 248 Cypress St., Brookline, MA .
Brian Rose, Red Sox
The city's four major franchises didn't exactly harvest a bumper crop of new talent this season, but among the slim pickin's, rookie starting pitcher Brian Rose stands out, if only because he beat the damn Yankees his first two outings.
Drew Bledsoe
He has a running back who blew out his knee, an owner who likes to vamp it up in front of the fans, a head coach with the personality of a suburban recreation director, and a personnel director who lost four starts to free agency and came a cropper in the college draft. You think you've got problems?