Eye Adore Threading
Got 15 minutes to spare? Then you have enough time for a stunning eyebrow makeover courtesy of the pros at Eye Adore, who specialize in the ancient process of threading (a.k.a. removing hair using nothing but string). We experienced the magic firsthand at the spotless Beacon Hill location, where our technician’s gentle technique produced subtly shaped brows that accentuated our peepers rather than detracting from them. And at just over $20 with tip, it’s the cheapest facelift stand-in we can think of. Beacon Hill and South End, MA eyeadorethreading.com.
Keytar Bear
Photograph by Alex Lau Boston has a long, rapturous history of genius buskers, from Susan Dietrich Schneider, the infamous "Space Lady" of the ’80s, to such future stars as Tracy Chapman, Mary Lou Lord, and Amanda Palmer. But none has so captured the soul of the city as Keytar Bear, our unofficial musical mascot. Yes, our funky spirit animal—the furry king of costume-core—has been twice attacked by thugs. But he's now back in action, appearing with Guster in January and welcoming the Fenway faithful with slinky grooves on Opening Day.
Grill 23 & Bar
It’s notoriously difficult to unseat an incumbent. Such is the case with the city’s standard-bearer steakhouse, a Best of Boston winner year after year (after year, after … ). Look, we’d love an excuse to vary our endorsement, but — straight talk, people — nobody throws red meat to the voters (i.e., our stomachs) like this chief-executive-courting chop shop with a world-class wine program and hand-rolled cigars. And besides, as those famous 100-day-aged rib-eyes make clear, some things only get better with time. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, grill23.com.
Skoah
Having endured all kinds of spa mumbo-jumbo and dubious beauty-boosting therapies ("And the final step is a blast of air from our oxygen machine...."), we began to wonder: Since when did facials become more about the experience than the result? Thank goodness Skoah has its priorities straight: At this Vancouver-based mini chain's first U.S. outpost, the service menu lists facial and only facial treatments. We like that the extractions are virtually painless and the treatment tables feature fluffy down comforters—but we love our crystal-clear and glowing skin. 641A Tremont St., Boston, MA 2118, skoah.com.
Neiman Marcus
When we want to mindlessly browse shadows and powders, we hit Sephora. When we need to self-medicate with new lip gloss, we stop by Beauty and Main. But when we get serious—as in, restock-our-entire-makeup-bag serious—we hightail it over to Neiman Marcus's Copley Place outpost. Its selection of top brands (Chantecaille, Dior, Nars) and less ubiquitous lines (Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, Jemma Kidd) makes it a grown woman's playground. What's more, the sales professionals are themselves impeccably made-up, so we feel completely comfortable putting our face in their hands. Copley Place, Natick Collection, Boston, Natick, MA 02116, 01760, neimanmarcus.com.
Out of Town News
We here at Boston appreciate every newsstand—especially the ones that give our issues prime real estate. But our highest esteem is reserved for the venerable Out of Town News, which makes its home in an old subway kiosk at the sk8er-boi-and-grrrl heart of Harvard Square. The newsstand carries more than 450 titles—spanning Granta to German GQ—plus at least 15 international newspapers. And even though the staff doesn't hustle browsers out, we recommend buying several extra copies of the issue you're reading right now. Go ahead. Do it. The register's right over there. Zero Harvard Sq., Cambridge, MA 2138, .
Grand Opening
A sex boutique, without the emphasis on booty, tucked like a Venus charm inside Brookline's kosher bosom. Owner Kim Airs gets a lot of press (see our profile of her in the June issue) since she also offers fun instructional classes ("Spanky and Our Gang," "Bi Bi Love, Bi Bi Happiness"), yet her shop feels as threatening as Bloomingdale's. For breadth of porn, try what's left of the Combat Zone. For choice literary erotica, lubes, "body treats," and the city's perkiest wall of stand-ins for the male member, this is the place. 318 Harvard St., Suite 32, Brookline, MA .
Dok Bua
A confession: We're still working our way through Dok Bua's marathon menu. (This is partly because we're compelled to order the sublime mango curry and the miang cum appetizer—betel nut leaf filled with ginger and shallots—at least every other visit.) But any questions about whether an unassuming storefront in Brookline can whip up more than 100 authentic Thai dishes—employing everything from catfish to duck to a veritable garden of vegetables—with consistent aplomb are answered by the scraped-clean plates that we always spy on the tables of our fellow contented diners. 411 Harvard St., Brookline, MA dokbuathai.com.
Tweeter CE Playground Store
Never mind our underutilized brains: Experts say most of us tap only 10 percent of the capability of the whiz-bang high-def TVs, sound systems, and talking refrigerators we use to decorate our homes. Tweeter's solution is its adult-playground stores—there's just one in New England—where the latest technology is set up in replica kitchens, dens, and bedrooms. The chain's hyperinformed tech-heads walk buyers from room to pretend room, demonstrating features meant to keep them entertained in space-age style. One Wheeler Rd., Burlington, MA .
L.A. Burdick
The first retail outlet for the New Hampshire-based artisan who makes bonbons for New York's most chichi restaurants, this is an adult chocoholic's nirvana. Our first addiction was the Hot Chocolate, basically a full-size chocolate bar lovingly melted, then served in a birdbath-size white china cup and saucer. We progressed on to the handmade chocolates, which remind you that cocoa beans, not sugar, are the most important ingredient. These indulgences pack a long-lasting taste wallop; the Baton with cinnamon—a dark ganache of chopped hazelnut, cinnamon, and lavender—is our personal favorite. 52 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA .
Tom Brady Leaves the Patriots
Did the GOAT jump the fence out of the Patriots’ pasture, or did Farmer Bill kick him out the gate? We probably won’t know until the best quarterback ever and the best NFL coach ever are long retired and finally start giving candid interviews. Either way, this much is undeniable: Our former Number 12 now looks hideously off-putting in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ red, orange, and pewter jersey, but we’re starting to get over our old flame thanks to the savvy signing of 31-year-old QB Cam Newton. While we wish nothing but goodwill and success to the football legend for the decades of glory he gave us, and we all knew the six-ring Super Bowl era had to end some day, it’s still too bad it had to be like this.
Waban Shoe Repair
Cobblestones are charming. Replacing a $900 pair of limited-edition size 11 Louboutins because a heel snapped off in that picturesque paving material—again—is not. We scoured the city for a place that could doctor our ripped soles and scratched leather, and refasten the aforementioned broken heel, plus replace stray straps and buckles and refurbish unusual materials in unusual colors, but it wasn't until we looked west that we found our fix, some 20 minutes away in Waban. The reverse commute is worth it: The walls of the tiny shop are lined with boxes of rehabbed Ferragamos, Chanels, and Pradas, all mended expertly within a week. Going anywhere else would be like sending the Rolls to a Jiffy Lube. 1637A Beacon St., Waban, MA 2468, .
The Barking Crab
We're suckers for any patch of down-home coastal life dropped smack in the heart of downtown Boston. But, even if we weren't, the Barking Crab would still be the best catch in its category. Cheap, straightforward seafood—fragrant steamers, crab legs so big they're architectural structures, and cod that flakes in moist, white chunks—is the draw. Don't expect to write home about the service: This place is on island time. But, somehow, the meal, the kitschy breeze-blown fishing nets on the walls, the salty air, the creaky wooden floorboards, and the ice-cold beer evoke the kind of sunburned day that loosens our standards—and our belts—a little. And isn't that, after all, the very definition of clam shack chic? 88 Sleeper St., Boston, MA barkingcrab.com.
Brookline Booksmith
Well into the Kindle era, Boston still hits out of its weight class when it comes to bookselling, and we treat big-name authors like visiting royalty. The Booksmith is where our memoirists, like Andre Dubus III and Gail Caldwell, and our suspense gurus, from Hank Phillipi Ryan to Joseph Finder, come to tell their tales. It’s where Atlantic columnist James Parker throws a celebration of his literary magazine the Pilgrim—the one produced 10 times per year by the city’s homeless population. And it’s where Barney Frank turns up to talk baseball. In sum, it’s the kind of place you keep going back to, because you never know what they’re going to think of next. 279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 2446, brooklinebooksmith.com.
Bank of Boston
A controversial choice, no matter how you cite it, considering the bank's relatively recent troubles with the law. Happily, Bank of Boston has since then kept its nose clean and its books in order. Despite some shaky Latin American paper on its ledgers, the bank reported a bracing 34 percent rise in profits this year. Moreover, our cockles were warmed by a number of neighborly gestures: those full-page Globe ads congratulating the coaches of our suddenly successful sports franchises, for instance. And the bank's sponsorship of M. L> Carr's "Say No to Drugs" campaign in area schools. Some would dismiss these as mere public relations gestures. Bleeding hearts that we are, however, we were moved. After all, second chances are what America is all about.