Salts
Salts is a great little bistro, the kind of place you want to have in your neighborhood. It says welcome, have a seat, relax, and —most of all— have some great food. We love a smoked-salmon sausage serves with fiddleheads and marinated onions, and a very crisp grilled chicken. The bread is homemade, the wines are affordable, and the service couldn't be more pleasant. 798 Main St., Cambridge, MA .
Fresh City
These avowed wrapmasters hone in on a few select points: even distribution of ingredients; made-to-taste variety; and overall freshness, heftiness, and yumminess. They succeed. For those finicky wrapsters among us— you know who you are— there's no overabundance of rice here, or goopy sludge of extra sauce to soak up your roll. Living up to such standards of wrapsody, Fresh City in Brookline blazes the way toward the future of fast food. 1335 Beacon St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA .
Buff's Pub
It would be a shame if this unpretentious little bar near turnpike exit 17 got too trendy. The honey hot Buffalo wings are worth the few years off your life you risk by dipping them in bleu cheese for an unlikely taste sensation. But cholesterolically speaking, what's the difference? A satisfying supply of about 10 wings goes for $2.75 (less at lunch). Buff's Pale Ale, made by Boston Beer Works, is a nice accompaniment. 317 Washington St., Newton Corner, MA .
Uva
The wine list changes frequently, but its hallmark remains affordability. Consider this: old-vine 1996 Pernand-Vergelesses from Delarche for a mere $26; a fabulous Sauternes, the 1988 premier cru Chateux. La Tour Blanche, for $36; and, for a splurge, a simply great 1983 Hermitage "La Chapelle" for $89. Fetch me my reading glasses! Prices like these have got to be wrong. (But they're not.) 1418 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Maris and Ricardo's Tortilla Factory
If you've eaten south of the border, or anywhere near it, chances are your tortilla sights are set a little higher than those Wonder Bread gringo wafers found at most markets. Take corazon! Maria and Ricardo's produces some of the tastiest, and muy autentico tortillas anywhere. Whole wheat, spinach, tomato, chile, and blue corn varieties round out the standard white flour and corn far. We love 'em all. Also available at Bread & Circus, Savenor's, and select Star Market stores. 30 Germania St., Jamaica Plain, MA .
Bristol Lounge
Life should always pause around 4 p.m. so people can revive themselves with a cup of tea. Besides this genteel refreshment (or coffee, if you must), the Four Seasons Hotel serves the traditional three-tiered silver trays of dainty crustless-cucumber-and-smoked-salmon sandwiches, scones with lemon-curd and Devonshire-cream, miniature fruit tarts, and tea bread. A pampering staff and exquisite views of the Public Garden provide almost more afternoon comfort than kindergarten naptime. Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Harvest Cooperative Supermarket
With close to 200 herbs and spices to choose from, Harvest remains the wise shopper's best bet. Planning a romantic dinner? In one stop you'll find the cardamom, tumeric, and cilantro for your seductive Chicken Pasanda, and some Damiana herb to help keep the— uh— mood up. Bulk dispensers allow you to buy as much or as little as you need, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. 581 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Kettle Cafe
The variety may not be the most extensive, but Kettle Cafe wins the taste test by a mile. In addition to muffins, croissants, and biscotti at the Kettle, there are only five sandwiches, but each of them is guaranteed to get you back for a return visit. Proscuitto with arugula, shaved Reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, cracked pepper, and a smear of horseradish on herbed foccacia tries to win your tastebuds over from others such as Black Forest ham with aged sharp cheddar, mango chutney, and grainy mustard on harvest bread. 2888 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA .
Wilson Farms
This farm's tomatoes are the best summer heat antidote— fleshy and cool, never mealy. The papayas are huge, and the corn— well, teens say it's worth biting into, braces be damned. Wilson Farms has every fruit and veggie you need for your Labor Day cookout, and many you don't. Although some of the exotic produce is shipped in from foreign climes, the rest is farm-stand fresh. 10 Pleasant St., Lexington, MA .
Capone Foods
Italian on demand: Stuff the freezer with an assortment of Capone's gnocchi, ravioli, and tortellini, and toss in a couple of containers of vivid pesto and cardiac-crisis Alfredo sauce. Guaranteed, your guests will bicker over the last square of ravioli stuffed with lobster and crab, the last crescent of aged Gouda tortelloni. The three varieties of fresh gnocchi are addictive— black pepper, chive and sweet potato— and all plump up like miniature footballs when you cook them. 14 Bow St., Somerville, MA .
Cabot's Ice Cream & Restaurant
This family-owned ice cream parlor is a flashback to the '50s, but what better era to find a real New England ice cream frappe? Here they've perfected the art, with three straw-bending scoops of ice cream blended in a tall frosty frappe glass (five scoops for the extra-thick variety). Your choice of nine flavors, including mocha, black raspberry, mint, and cherry, or mixed with strawberries, banana, or pineapple. 743 Washington St., Newtonville, MA .
Polcari's Coffee
Of course the coffee at this quaint North End shop is excellent. It comes from the Excellent Company in Rhode Island. There was a day when the Polcari family (merchants here since 1932) roasted the coffee beans themselves, but you won't miss a thing in their current stock— particularly when you're wired on their Italian roast (truly black, terrifically pungent, and tremendously oily). Ralph and Marie Polcari can make any mix to suit your needs— or buy the raw beans to mix and roast yourself. 105 Salem St., Boston, MA .
Tremont India Pale Ale
Used to be this hophead's delight was available only on the occasional tap at, say, F.J.Doyle's in Jamaica Plan. As of April, though, the good people at the Tremont Brewery, way over in Charlestown, started running product through their million-dollar bottling line. The ale is alty, extremely well-hopped and just the right shade of light copper. By now, it should be flying off the shelves at your neighborhood's finest packy.
Redbones
The name of the place means barbecue, and you'd have to be a fool or a vegetarian not to sink your teeth into a few of the ribs here. This Davis Square favorite also serves up the tastiest soul food in town. Start the gut-stuffing with fried okra and hushpuppies, jump to lip-smackin' cornbread and catfish, and cap it with rich pecan pie or the infamous "White Trash Sundae". Too sloppy for a first date, but a great test of soul on the second. 55 Chester St., Somerville, MA .
The Helmand
This Afghan restaurant packs a tapestry of spice into every dish, from the marinated meat on the seekh kabab to the delicate baby pumpkin. The broad dining room's flaming bread oven, extensive wine list, and exotic decor transport you from everyday Cambridge to distant Kabul. Soothe your surging palate afterward with full-bodied Turkish coffee. 143 First St., East Cambridge, MA .