Craig Meece
Love is rough. One of our readers in Watertown wrote to say that he fell in love with "a new Porsche 968 coupe with certain options." Unfortunately, it was sold before he made up his mind, and even searches of the World Wide Web did not yield another Then along came Craig Meece, auto broker to the uncompromising. Meece tracked down the car, secured the options, negotiated a good price, and closed the deal. "An example of Zuffenhausen pride is now sitting in my driveway," says the satisfied customer. International Auto Consultants, 11 Richardson Avenue, Arlington, MA .
Martha Kirschenbaum
Although Kirschenbaum trained as a nurse, she believes she does more healing with her hands. "I started out giving backrubs to work my way through school," she explains. Now it's a full-time job. Kirscenbaum specializes in the Esalen style, which eschews the choppier Swedish motions: our session was both relaxed and unclinical, and Kirschenbaum likes it that way. "Giving massages is meditation for me," she says. "My ultimate goal is to give massage credibility in the country. Soon." Cambridge, MA
Dominick Mango
Mango's shop, The Image Maker, at 28 Boylston St. in Cambridge, is the favorite of our art director, Sam Savage, who should know about these things. For one thing, Savage says, Mango managed to clear up some pictures he could barely see on the contact sheet. "We give quality prints without killing on the price," Mango says. The Image Maker also has one-day developing service. The Image Maker, 28 Boylston St., Cambridge, MA .
Charles G. Crones
Crone's father began the J.A. Sanborn Company forty-nine years ago at 28 Merchants Row (next door to Quincy Market), and it's still flourishing. "We go out of our way to buy the best," Crones told us. "We buy whole fish off the boats, and cut them here. You can always find a good selection." If you dine at the Ritz, or at St. Botolph Street, you're eating Sanborn selections, and Crones will even mail fresh lobsters for you. J.A. Sanborn Company, 28 Merchants Row, Boston, MA .
Mistral
Mistral has always been a cool place to eat, but in the past that was more to do with the scene than the food. This year, we're happy to report that chef Jamie Mammano's cuisine is worth getting dressed up for too. The menu is eclectic in the truest sense of the word; offerings span the globe, including dishes from Italy (homemade designer pizzas), France (a silken foie gras terrine), and our own soil (tenderloin of beef with horseradish potatoes). All are carefully executed, with special consideration given to presentation and plating. 223 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA mistralbistro.com.
L.A. Burdick
We love the cozy tables in the storefront overlooking Brattle. We love the tiny chocolate mice, complete with colorful ribbon tails. But what we really adore is the fact that all of the chocolate in this sweet-tooth cafe is handmade, down to the decadent hot chocolate, whipped up from equal parts chocolate and milk (!). The heavenly libation comes in dark, milk, and white chocolate (sometimes), and is so thick it sticks to the roof of our mouth. Imbibe with caution: It's been known to make even the most jaded gourmands swoon. 52D Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA burdickchocolate.com.
Brown Sugar Cafe
Think all Thai restaurants in Bosotn are serving from the same kitchen? This Fenway spot is a welcome departure from bland curries and soggy pad thais. The dinner roster is absolutely enormous, featuring a dozens of noodles dishes and a vast selection of seafood oddities; our favorite is "Fisherman Madness," a fresh and spicy combo of crustaceans and filets. The ambiance is relaxed, making Brown Sugar perfect for dining solo or entertaining a blind date. 1033 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA brownsugarcafe.com.
Taqueria La Mexicana
Don't let the hairnets scare you: This Union Square joint is the closest you'll find to authentic Tex-Mex in Boston. It even saved one of our friends from moving back to the land of the Rio Grande. The red peppers and zucchini used for the veggie burros are grilled to a juicy crispness while you watch. Don't miss the fabulous homemade corn tortillas! 247 Washington Street, Somerville, MA cantinalamexicana.com.
Tremont Summer Ale
After three years of winning Best Beer honors (Tremont Ale, Tremont IPA, and our favorite, Tremont's cask-conditioned Best Bitter), the Charlestown brewery introduced its seasonal Summer Ale last year. We were disappointed, to say the least. Yet when a 12-pack of it arrived this year, we were pleasantly stunned: They kicked out some of the cheaper grains, fiddled with the hops, and turned out the best damned baseball-watching, lawn-mowing beer in history. Are you listening, Fenway Park?
Leather World
Leather World A local stalwart for more than 40 years, Leather World helps us handle our hauls, supplying a polycarbonate spinner to withstand the perils of the TSA, a leather duffel perfect for that weekend jaunt down to the Cape, and a trim briefcase for the daily commute to and from the office. Plus, all of its locations offer one line of embossing at no additional cost. 30 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA shopleatherworld.com.
Lester Harry's
Spending time in the serene and lovely Lester Harry's is like entering a magical portal to a land where babies don't ever cry or spit up, and there are no finger-paint fiascos, tantrums, or time-outs. Okay, maybe that's just our sleep-deprived imaginations drifting again, but we blame the future-heirloom frocks from Makie, Flora and Henri, and Bleu Comme Gris for being so dreamy. 115 Newbury St., Boston, MA lesterharrys.com.
Salmagundi
Photo by Jesse Burke Ladies in the market for a cloche, toque, or fascinator (though nothing quite on the scale of Princess Beatrice's) emerge just as satisfied as the brave men who venture in to procure fedoras, bucket hats, and Panamas. Sorry, Red Sox, but thanks to Salmagundi, we're temporarily putting all of our flat-brimmed baseball caps into storage—at least until playoff season. 765 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA salmagundiboston.com.
Brookline Booksmith
Despite our devotion to Kindles and iPads, it takes just two minutes at Brookline Booksmith for us to fall in love with the printed word all over again: the scuffed hardwood floors, worn from decades of use; the steady, friendly conversation at the register; the lulling background jazz; and, of course, the bookshelves, chock full of fiction and non-, paperbacks and hardcovers, the very old and the novel new. 279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA brooklinebooksmith.com.
Mint Julep
We feel pretty—and fizzy and funny and fine—every time we enter Brooke Garber and Stephanie Nist's boutiques. They stock the fete-ready dresses we've come to expect, plus pieces from favorite brands like Yumi Kim, Myne, and Milly that inject style into our workaday and weekend wardrobes, too. The fact that we can build whole outfits here, from foundations (neon Hanky Panky thongs) to finishing touches (flirty JoJo earrings), makes Mint Julep worth toasting. 1302 Beacon St., Brookline, MA shopmintjulep.com.
Out of Town News
Truth be told, the magazine racks at the downtown Borders offer as wide a selection as the homegrown newsstands in Harvard and Copley squares. But browsing for magazines and newspapers at chain stores strikes us as a little, well, square. Our winner, then, is Out of Town News, where the choice of reading material is a bit larger than that of the Copley Square stand and where the willingness to take credit cards makes impulse buys (and what else are newsstand sales after all?) that much easier. Zero Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA .