Porchfest Somerville
Photo by Heidi Besen/Alamy Stock Photo There’s no better way to spend a sunny day than weaving back and forth across Highland Avenue and its various side streets, listening to hundreds of very talented Somervillians rocking out on their porches, balconies, and driveways. The city has this tune-filled May fest down to a science, and other communities have taken note — including, for the first time this year, Dorchester, which launched its aptly named Dorchfest in June. Now that’s music to our ears. Multiple Locations, somervilleartscouncil.org.
Mike Felger, <em>Felger & Mazz</em>
Cynical to the core, Mike Felger relishes bashing our hometown teams — and inpure Boston fashion, we love him for it.Since scoring his first ratings victory over legacy sports station WEEI in May 2010, the radio host has dominated the afternoon drive, bringing a generation of local sports fans along for the ride. And the proof is in the pudding: His show on 98.5 the Sports Hub now claims a quarter of the coveted 25-to-54 demo for men. 985thesportshub.com.
Huntington Theatre Company
Live theater came back with a bang this year at the Huntington. Case in point: resident playwright Kirsten Greenidge’s fantastic Our Daughters, Like Pillars was followed by Greenidge and Melia Bensussen’s Common Ground Revisited, a powerful reinterpretation of J. Anthony Lukas’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book about the struggles of three Boston families during the busing crisis of the 1970s. The material may be old, but in the hands of Greenidge and Bensussen, it feels newly relevant. 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, huntingtontheatre.org.
Date & Time
Elegant, modern ambiance and top-notch service define this aptly named jeweler, right down to the buttery lounge chairs (ideal for weary shopping companions) and soft lighting. Browse luxury timepieces and understated baubles from Messika and Pomellato, and be treated like a gem too: Our dented antique ring that cried out for resetting and embellishment was given the same care as a prized diamond. 5 Concord Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776, dateandtimema.com.
M. Flynn
Lizzie Fortunato Sure, we’d all love to have the Hope Diamond in our jewelry box, but it’s those pieces we wear every day that become part of who we are — and nobody understands that better than M. Flynn founders and sisters Moria and Megan Flynn. Their impeccable taste, refined over more than a decade in business, is what keeps their loyal fan base coming back for bold, statement earrings, colorful bracelets, and everything in between. 40 Waltham St, Boston, MA 02118, mflynnjewelry.com.
AR Nail Bar & Lounge
After a harrowing drive to our appointment in heavy rain, we felt the tension melting away the second we stepped foot inside this immaculate Somerville salon. The staff? Competent and courteous. The service? Insta-worthy, with exemplary shaping, flawless polish application, and a much-needed hand massage. But what really wowed us was the ambiance, with softly playing music, a trickling water feature near the pedicure chairs, and low lighting creating a relaxing environment for express services, trendy color dips, and gel-based full sets alike. 485 Revolution Dr., Somerville, MA 02145, arnailbarsomerville.com.
Design Within Reach
We’ve all become more interested in sprucing up our home offices over the past year, and Design Within Reach’s eye-catching and efficient workspace furnishings get the job done. Should you need a Nathan Yong filing cabinet, a posture-improving Eames chair, or a Herman Miller desk that makes you feel like the #boss you are, the store has flair (and options) to spare. 1045 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, dwr.com.
The Smoke Shop
With the pandemic-time addition of a fourth Smoke Shop location — this one in Harvard Square — we’re now never more than a fork’s distance away from Andy Husbands’s tender pulled chicken or best-in-class burnt ends. The chef recently released his sixth cookbook, The Smoke Shop’s Backyard BBQ, but we’ll still leave our smoked-meat cravings to the pitmaster as often as possible. Multiple locations, thesmokeshopbbq.com.
Myers + Chang
Courtesy photo The secret to Myers + Chang’s extended reign of relevancy is its unflappable execution. Among the topline findings of our 14-year investigation: The pork dumplings’ flat-side burnish comes out mahogany-dark; tea-perfumed ribs arrive sporkably tender; and wok-charred carrots show up lubed to the nines with pudding-like blobs of salty miso butter. Every. Damn. Time. 1145 Washington St., South End, MA 02118, myersandchang.com.
Mike's Pastry
Photo Kristin Teig, styling by Catrine Kelty You can spot Mike’s signature string-wrapped cannoli boxes in the hands of practically every tourist, and that’s exactly why some of our crabbier natives don’t give the place its rightful due. Honestly, though, the cannolis deserve all of the attention they get, with a crackly-crunchy shell overstuffed with dense, sweet-and-cheesy ricotta. Just one bite reminds us why out-of-towners — and yes, plenty of locals, too — will always line up for them on Hanover Street. Multiple locations, mikespastry.com.
Brassica Kitchen + Café
Courtesy photo In its playful, never-ending quest to give the people what they want, Brassica has worn a dizzying number of hats this year: breakfast nook, provisions kiosk, empanaderia, fish taverna. Along the way, we worried fantastic menu fixtures like Brassica’s hot, made-fresh-daily doughnuts might get overshadowed. Judging by how quickly they sell out, our fears were misplaced. 3710 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, brassicakitchen.com.
Ánh Hồng
Brian Samuels Fields Corner has, well, cornered the market on top-tier Vietnamese, especially the magical half-mile stretch of Dot. Ave. dotted with a dozen joints serving exemplary banh mi and pho. Our current crush? Nearby Ánh Hồng, where the caramel-sauce catfish is a salty-sweet dream, licorice-laced broths gurgle with musky complexity, and the seven-course beef feast is priced right for Tuesday night. 291 Adams St., Dorchester, MA 02122, anhhongboston.com.
Outdoor Dining
The decision to let restaurants reclaim parking spaces for al fresco tables was a pandemic-era marvel that almost certainly kept some of our favorite spots from going belly-up. It also changed Boston’s dining scene, and its streets, for the better (can you even remember the days when restaurants didn’t spill out into their own elegantly decorated parklets?). Filling all of that space with people rather than lifeless hunks of metal was good for the soul — let’s keep it going in the future.
Q Restaurant
Photo courtesy of Q Restaurant Chinatown is a cross-roads of cultures, and Q clearly understands the assignment: In one place, it offers people-pleasing Chinese classics like kung pao shrimp and scallops, a great Japanese sushi bar, and Mongolian-style hot-pot cooking. When we’re not around tables bubbling our own veggies, meats, and noodles in the peanut-y Malaysian satay broth, though, you’ll find us grabbing a lychee or ginger “Q-tini” at the bar, the perfect perch for a pre-theater cocktail. 660 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, thequsa.com.
Oleana
Food styling by Joy Howards, photo by Joe St. Pierre Nobody satisfies our wanderlust quite like Ana Sortun, whose still-vital Cambridge classic spreads itself around the Levant, taking a few key regional flavors with it wherever it goes. Sesame-forward tahini, for instance, is stuffed into Armenian topik, spiced pockets of potato hummus; used to sauce spinach falafel with beet tzatziki; and combined with lemon in a broth for cooking parchment-wrapped halibut. The signature Baked Alaska dessert, meanwhile, always brings us back home. 134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139, oleanarestaurant.com.