Ski Haus
When you're looking for the deals on gear, the most helpful staff, and the widest array of clothes, you have to go a few miles out of town. That's because Ski Haus, on Route 129, is the black diamond of ski shops. Its package deals of skis and bindings beat all the better-known ski shops in the area, and staffers don't try to push the newest (read: most expensive) equipment. In fact, they volunteer last year's cheaper model if the design is basically the same. Plus, the hospitality while you wait for your new bindings to be mounted is first-rate. 320 Lowell St., Wilmington, MA .
Durty Harry's
Sorry to disappoint Clint Eastwood fans, but this much-loved dog spa and shop is named for owner Michelle Fournier's Lab-retriever mix. Pooches are the stars here as groomers lovingly shampoo, trim, and clip. There's even pickup and drop-off service for Charlestown residents so your pup can greet you at the door, clean and styled, when you arrive home from work. Fournier and her team also dole out advice on toys and training, deliver food free of charge, and host gratis Ruff Week parties in Charlestown's Paul Revere Park. 287 Main St., Charlestown, MA durtyharry.com.
Saltbox Kitchen
Chef-owner Ben Elliott, whose grandparents started the family farm in the 1940s, grows garden staples and lesser-known heirloom veggies and raises sheep for meat, chickens for eggs, and bees for honey, which translates to the freshest ingredients possible on your wedding plate. His stint as chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park, meanwhile, translates to creative, beautifully plated dishes—from wild striped bass with tomato agrodolce in the summer to handmade tagliatelle with white-wine-braised rabbit and charred baby onions in the fall. 84 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, MA saltboxkitchen.com.
Alan Bilzerian
Ready to move beyond the little LVs and Gs? Pay a visit to Alan Bilzerian’s Newbury Street storefront. Together with his daughter Harley, the sophisticated shop owner has curated a collection of handbags and accessories you won’t find anywhere else, whether you’re in the market for a high-end classic (Lanvin ostrich-leather purses), an ultramod design (geometric wallets from esteemed Japanese designer Issey Miyake), or a statement piece (Emmanuelle Khanh’s fish-shaped purses). For something with a local angle, check out the in-house line of crocodile- and python-leather hobo bags and backpacks. 34 Newbury St., Boston, MA alanbilzerian.com.
Akris
This Swiss fashion house does many things well, but it’s the ultra-contemporary everyday women’s wear that really shines, pushing boundaries with funky patterns and unusual details (think brightly colored tulip-field prints and daring clusters of cutouts). The streamlined trench coats, tunics, and tailored pants are the stuff dream closets are made of. Correction, June 28, 2016, 4:30 p.m.: The address for Akris has been updated. It is located at 29 Newbury Street, not 16 Newbury Street. We regret the error. 29 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, akris.ch.
Wequassett Resort and Golf Club
Here it's all about hospitality, from thoughtful kids' offerings like mini beach chairs and cabanas to a program that tracks repeat guests' preferences. Want a rare book delivered to your room? They thought so. Planning to propose—but need a violinist? She'll be right over. It doesn't hurt that Wequassett's on-site restaurant, Twenty-Eight Atlantic, is helmed by L'Espalier alum James Hackney, or that a roving Good Humor truck doles out post-swim snacks. At sunset, a newly expanded veranda with fire pits offers serene views of Pleasant Bay. 2173 Route 28, Harwich, MA 02645, wequassett.com.
Speedy Ortiz
The commonwealth's next great rock ’n’ roll band? That'd be Speedy Ortiz, a quartet secretly amped on pop but swinging its guitars with a raw, righteous roar. The new Speedy album, Foil Deer, gives the same goosebumps you got back in college when you first heard Pavement and Helium. At the front: Sadie Dupuis, a former UMass Amherst poetry MFA who was raised on Top 40 R & B, sang in a children's choir that toured internationally, and has admitted to asking herself, when writing a verse, "What would Fiona Apple do?" The bandwagon is boarding...now.
Branch Line
You don’t create the buzziest beer list around with ye olde faithfuls. Staying on top of the freshest stouts and saisons requires the kind of grunt work Magellan Casto puts in at Branch Line, where she racks up frequent flyer miles tracking down next year’s bucket-list brews. Sours from Swedish import Omnipollo, nouveau-Euro styles from New Hampshire’s beloved Schilling Beer Co., full-bodied ales from Finback—the former Bukowski Tavern manager seeks out the most coveted producers and gifts them to the suburbs. 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472, branchlinearsenal.com.
Cha Yen Thai Cookery
With a degree from Johnson & Wales and training under Todd English, Manita Bunnagitkarn could very well have gravitated toward fine dining. Lucky for us, the skilled chef set up shop in a former Watertown wing spot to concentrate on MSG-free, made-to-order Thai food. Start with an order of coconut-marinated satay and tom kha gai, move on to the pleasantly peppery panang duck curry, and leave room for dense house-made ice creams in unique flavors like spicy chocolate and Thai iced tea. 613 Mount Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02472, chayenthaicookery.com.
Tiffani Faison, Tiger Mama and Sweet Cheeks
From left: Karen Akunowicz, Katie Gilarde, Todd Maul, Meghan Thompson, and Tiffani Faison. / Photograph by Jason Grow, styling by Laura Dillon/Team Despite stints under legends Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse and three tours of duty on Top Chef, it feels like Tiffani Faison is just getting started. A culinary chameleon who’s excelled at sushi (O Ya), Italian (Rocca Kitchen & Bar), and even Texas-style barbecue, Faison recently unveiled her most electrifying venture to date: Tiger Mama, a verdant wellspring of Southeast Asian cuisine. And that’s not all for 2016, as come fall, the chef will introduce her latest Fenway project—a luxe cocktail bar modeled after Ernest Hemingway’s old hangout, Minetta Tavern. Sweet Cheeks, 1381 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, sweetcheeksq.com.
Meghan Thompson, Townsman
From left: Karen Akunowicz, Katie Gilarde, Todd Maul, Meghan Thompson, and Tiffani Faison. / Photograph by Jason Grow, styling by Laura Dillon/Team Meghan Thompson’s seasonal desserts aren’t merely a source of Instagram envy—there’s nostalgia and accessibility beneath the aesthetic. Take her frozen yuzu soufflé with poached quince, wild-bay-leaf ice cream, and toasted meringue shards, scattered like a broken robin’s egg. It looks like a late-era Metzinger, but swipe your fork through each element and take a bite. Yep, tastes like lemon meringue pie. This avant-garde ingenuity is everywhere on her menu, from the jerk-spiced bagels at brunch to the complimentary brown bread augmented by Korean doenjang. 120 Kingston St., Boston, MA 02111, townsmanboston.com.
Fuller Craft Museum
Don't let the name fool you: This Brockton institution isn't a musty warehouse of old quilts and wooden shoes. It's instead a showcase for contemporary handmade objets d'art, a place where sublime ceramics made at East Cambridge's Clay Dragon Studios sit beside burnished-aluminum mobiles inspired by the myth of Icarus. Later this year, the museum will unveil an intricate, kaleidoscopic survey of enamel art from the 1920s to the present day, and, most eye-catching of all, artist Stan Munro's massive replicas of such architectural wonders as the Taj Mahal and the White House—rendered entirely in toothpicks. 455 Oak St., Brockton, MA 02301, fullercraft.org.
Steel & Rye
Photograph by Adam Detour All of Milton (and a good chunk of Boston) flock to chef Chris Parsons's sprawling fiefdom in a former car showroom and ambulance garage. They come for creative craft cocktails and local beer on draft. They come for the rustic-meets-sophisticated ambiance. Most of all, they come for Parsons's whimsical, honest-to-goodness American fare—spaghetti with green garlic, broccoli rabe, bacon, and a poached egg; grilled smoked-chicken flatbread with homemade ricotta; and a juicy Niman Ranch burger on brioche, presented with a side of house pickles and potato chips in an adorable metal box. 95 Eliot St., Milton, MA 02186, steelandrye.com.
Paul Niski, Good
Photograph by Webb Chappell Niski—with his calming aura and purring voice—is the rare store owner, along with partner Kate Brizius, who isn't about the sale; instead, he aims to make his Beacon Hill gift store approachable for budgeters and spendier shoppers alike. Years spent as a creative director in retail soured him on the mechanical "Can I help you?" approach. Instead, he lets guests browse; never, ever talks a shopper into an impulse buy; and intuitively appears at a customer's side when they seem lost. Good, indeed. 133 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, shopatgood.com.
Pressed
Photograph by Toan Trinh The menu at Pressed was partially created by acclaimed New York-based chef Joya Carlton, known as a wizard of vegan cuisine. The mostly locally sourced and organic offerings—made entirely in-house—include cold-pressed juices, of course; paletas (gourmet popsicles); sandwiches like the "Smoked ELT" (smoky marinated-eggplant "bacon," tomato, mixed greens, and basil mayo on seven-grain bread); and smoothies (called "superfood shakes"). Try the "Charge," a concoction made with raw cacao, almond butter, cold-brewed coffee, and almond milk. It's so good, we ordered two. 120 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, pressedboston.com.