Tu y Yo
The frills are few at the humble but festively colorful Tu y Yo, but none of that matters once you experience the authenticity of the expertly prepared food. Traditional family recipes are executed to perfection, from the shredded chicken breast slow cooked in chipotle peppers and tomatoes to the jumbo shrimp grilled in bay leaves, garlic, oranges, and chipotle sweet-sour sauce. The friendly staff tries hard to make every visitor here feel at home (a quality we're sure, like the recipes, has been passed down for generations) and is adept at guiding diners through the almost shamefully inexpensive entrées (all well under $20) and intriguing wine selection. 858 Broadway, Somerville, MA tuyyo2.com.
Coolidge Corner Clubhouse
A moment of silence, please, for the newly shuttered Sports Depot in Allston, at one time the only true sports bar (thanks to its 70 TVs and $9.99 Sunday brunch) this town could claim. Left to fill its shoes are several bars near Fenway and the FleetCenter, but only the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse offers the requisite coziness and camaraderie every sports bar needs. Trivia Night on Mondays draws a packed house, while 22 TVs and 36 microbrews to choose from keep the energy high. Now if it could just lose the annoying 90-minute table limit. 309 Harvard St., Brookline, MA thecoolidgecornerclubhouse.com.
Gibson Martin, The Bristol Lounge
You can almost taste the sun rising again on the British Empire in your first sip of this bracing, gin-loaded cocktail. By the second dry sip, you're convinced you may actually have been an English general in a former life. By the third, after surveying the Bristol Lounge's sprawling marble grandeur, giant palms, and elegant service, you're convinced you're an English general right now. And by the fourth potent sip, alas, you have no idea what the British Empire is. All this from a few ounces of gin, dry vermouth, and cocktail onions, served chilly and gracefully, old chap. Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
The Rosebud Diner
This old-school diner a short stroll from Davis Square features solid renditions of the usual short-order, comfort-food staples—meatloaf burgers, club sandwiches, and the like—and a nicely stocked bar offering comforting beverages. The service, while not fancy, is friendly—so much so you'll forgive your waitress for not knowing better when she insists that Rosebud in Citizen Kane (the diner's owner is a huge fan) is a woman. If you're hungry and a carnivore, go straight for the tasty barbecue combo, a filling sampler of ribs, chicken, and sausage. 381 Summer St., Davis Square, Somerville, MA rosebuddiner.com.
Pho Lemongrass
Great Vietnamese should be the way it is in Vietnam: simple, brimming with sharp flavors, and built with ingredients that shout their freshness. Enter Pho Lemongrass, where a diverse (and bilingual) menu overflows with anise-and-ginger-laced dishes. Pho, the beloved noodle soup of Hanoi, comes steaming in huge bowls and filled with the protein of your choice (the shredded chicken breast is the savory standout; less so, the tripe), and packed with crunchy bean sprouts, lime juice, and chiles. One of the best entrées is vegetarian—the lemongrass tofu, which is heartily textured, spicy, and scattered with peanuts and vegetables so fresh, they might as well have just been plucked from the Mekong Delta. 239 Harvard St., Brookline, MA pholemongrass.com.
Sportello
It's a puzzle, how Barbara Lynch can manage to launch four restaurants, a bar, and two retail operations, all in different genres, while preserving the quality and essential Lynchness of each. And so we come to her most casual spot, Sportello, a minimalist midprice Italian diner—only here, the line cooks sling hiramasa crudo, chicken with dates and pine nuts, and mustard leaf agnolotti. It's a testament to the power of the gnocchi alone that the place is bouncing, despite the surrounding Fort Point Channel neighborhood's still-delayed gentrification. No other startup exhibited so much polish out of the gate, or such a pitch-perfect sense of the way we're eating now. 384 Congress St., Boston, MA 2110, sportelloboston.com.
Craigie On Main
Tony Maws isn't one of those chefs who tries to make it look easy. In his new Central Square digs, the open kitchen takes center stage, providing an unobstructed view of exactly how that (Vermont organic) lamb three ways and (Maine dayboat) halibut get onto the plate. Maws even spells out his principles on the Craigie website, including 'First we find the ingredients, then we create the menu'—which means that every day he's sourcing what's local, in season, and, for the most part, organic. By degrees, Maws takes it further than anyone else in town, and his work is your reward. 853 Main St., Cambridge, MA 2139, craigieonmain.com.
Summer Shack
Talk about knowing your audience. With its giant bucket of crayons on the hostess stand and army of highchairs standing at the ready, this seafood favorite not only welcomes tots with open arms—there's even a balloon sculptor and free sundaes on Sunday evenings—but it also serves the grownups in tow some very respectable chow (think ceviche and wood-grilled lobster). The latter accommodation, in fact, nudged the Summer Shack ahead of perennial pick Full Moon, which, while wonderful for its party vibe and fully stocked play area, keeps the food on the so-simple-you-could've-made-it-at-home side. 149 Alewife Brook Pkwy., Cambridge, MA 2140, summershackrestaurant.com.
Toro
A truly great brunch must hit four marks: a tasty and varied menu, a strong bar, a relaxed atmosphere, and outdoor seating. Over the past year, South End tapas joint Toro boosted its performance on the food-and-beverage front (it had already aced the chill mood and the patio), adding a selection of tapas and pinchos—tortilla Espanola, yellowfin crudo, etc.—to its regular lineup of vanilla-bourbon-banana French toast and huevos rancheros. It also hired bar manager Courtney Bissonnette (hubby is chef Jamie) to jazz up the cocktails. By so doing, Toro has cracked, poached, and scrambled its more conventional challengers. 1704 Washington St., Boston, MA 2118, toro-restaurant.com.
Clear Flour Bread
Flour, water, yeast, salt. Four lowlier ingredients are hard to imagine—as are the heights to which they can rise in the hands of master bakers like Clear Flour's husband-and-wife owners, Abe Faber and Christy Timon. Now in its third decade, their family shop turns out character-rich, deeply authentic European-style breads (pungent vollkornbrot, grassy sourdough) for Oleana, Toro, and other leading restaurants, as well as for a devoted walk-in clientele. Clinching the win is Clear Flour's metro location, which puts all this yeasty goodness within easy reach of carb-starved Bostonians. 178 Thorndike St., Brookline, MA 2446, clearflourbread.com.
Bread & Chocolate
With the steady proliferation of Whole Foods, Bruegger's, and Panera, there's no shortage of places to stock up on baked goods out west. Bread & Chocolate, a three-year-old independent outfit in Newtonville, rises above all that mass-produced stuff on the strength of such house-made offerings as fluffy Irish soda bread, pecan-studded sticky buns, glossy fruit tarts, whoopie pies, and gigantic coconut cupcakes filled with lemon curd. The coffee shop atmosphere here goes a long way, too—and the ultracreamy cappuccinos help wash down every last bit of those oh-so-crumbly raisin scones. 108 Madison Avenue, Newtonville, MA 2460, .
Drink
The previous generation (Eastern Standard, the sadly defunct B-Side Lounge) may have planted the seeds for a cocktail revival, but Fort Point newcomer Drink—with its house-made liqueurs and garnishes, mid-bar herb garden, and bespoke ice cubes—presents the modern imbiber's paradise in full flower. The brilliantly designed winding bar hides the bottles and puts the bartenders front and center as they work off of their imagination, rather than preconceived menus. Everything from the custom drinks to the linen-and-mini-water-glass setup at each seat is meant to focus the patron's attention on the matter at hand: the serious art of cocktail making. 348 Congress St., Boston, MA 2210, drinkfortpoint.com.
Gypsy Kitchen
Lisa Lammé knows from hot. When she shuttered her famed Faneuil Hall hot sauce shop, Le Saucier, years ago, she moved on to perk up suburban palates with Gypsy Kitchen, another chili-head haven. These days the store purveys the best in imported wine, cheese, and other exquisite foodstuffs, too. No-spin advice comes free of charge: If that Rias Baixas white you're eyeing will make the aged Gouda already in your basket taste like trash, you'll definitely get the warnings. 1241 Hancock St., Quincy, MA 2169, .
La Provence
Those smug Concord so-and-sos. It's not enough they've got bragging rights on historic charm and sterling schools; they also get La Provence and its viands par excellence coming and going. Located opposite the commuter rail station, this longtime French bakery-café sees commuters off to work with spiraling golden croissants and buttery brioches, while in the evening it sends them home with herbes de Provence rotisserie chickens and tender salmon in champagne sauce. Top dessert pick? The jaw-droppingly rich gateau Concorde. Talk about having your cake! 105 Thoreau St., Concord, MA 1742, .
Johnny's Luncheonette
Do your dopey morning brain a favor and resist the impulse to overthink breakfast. We'll make it simple for you. Start with: thick-cut French toast, or some big spongy pancakes. Also: real butter and syrup, and real sugar for that mug of high-test coffee. And, if you must: a few nutritious bits, like turkey-apple sausage and homemade oatmeal. A laid-back diner with laid-back prices and an array of mini meals for the kids, Johnny's does all this better than anyone else in the neighborhood. Which makes this pick a blissful no-brainer. 30 Langley Rd., Newton Centre, MA 2459, .