The Best 2011: Readers' Picks

SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX | APRIL 22, 2011

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COVER ILLUSTR ATION BY TOFUSQUIRREL

The Boston Phoenix presents

t s e B The 1 201

A HIGHER PLANE Every year, we ask you to tell us what you think are Boston’s best- (or worst-)kept secrets. And every year, we’re surprised by what comes back.

For example: Jamaica Plain. It’s on fire. Not literally — because that would be bad — but metaphorically. Again and again, you pointed out old favorites and hidden gems nestled in what heretofore had been Boston’s secondcoolest neighborhood. So, give it up, Somerville. True, Davis Square emerged victorious once again as the best square. But JP’s on the rise.

Also: Pie versus cupcake? TOTALLY PIE, as evidenced by the ascendancy of Petsi Pies. (Okay, secret: Petsi also serves cupcakes. We admit, that does compromise the data just a tad.)

Certain other things were not as surprising. City Hall? Still an appalling abomination of a concrete monstrosity. Museum of Fine Arts? Damn, those are still some fiiiine arts.

In the end, we’d like to think that this Boston best list is different from some other bests-of-Bostons that we won’t mention. Because this one was chosen by the people. And the people have good taste.

Readers’ Picks 560 Harrison Ave. Boston, Ma 02118 617.422.0224 www.gaslight560.com

Arts & Entertainment City Life Food & Drink Shopping & Recreation

p. 8 p. 16 p. 22 p. 34

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Arts & Entertainment

SPOOKY ACTION

BEST ART GALLERY

I

Arlette Kayafas opened GALLERY KAYAFAS when she was 55 years old. Since then, the South End art space has played host to a series of spectacular exhibitions, memorably the performance art trio Alicia, Kelly, and Sara Casilio, identical triplets who joined with photographer Cary Wolinsky as the collective triiibe in a show last spring. There’s a special attention paid to photography at the gallery (Arlette’s husband is a fine art photography printer, and they’ve been collecting photographs over the course of their marriage). It’s a small space, and even in these dark economic times, it continues to thrive.

GALLERY KAYAFAS | 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston | 617.482.0411 | gallerykayafas.com

f you’re ever bored in Boston, it’s your own damn fault. The real problem is choosing between all the possible shit you could be out doing at any given moment. Quantum mechanics would come in handy here. That way, you could conceivably be rocking out at the Middle East; staggering down Mass Ave with the zombie march, looking for brains in all the wrong places; and sinking balls at Flat Top Johnny’s — all at once. (The trick is not to be observed.) Or, maybe, you’re doing all of those things in a series of parallel but alternate universes. We don’t really know. Quantum physics: not our strong suit.

_Nina MacLaughlin

BEST ARTIST WALTER SICKERT | armyoftoys.com We’re not sure exactly what kind of artist WALTER SICKERT is, but he’s certainly something. Sickert is soulful, weird, artistically intricate, and his band is called the Army of Broken Toys (featuring genius multi-instrumentalist Rachel Jayson). It’s the kind of dark, not-quite-steampunk (because it’s not gauche) sensibility you’ll find in dark street corners, maybe the Public Gardens at 3 am. Spooky, menacing, and yet so beautiful. Sickert knows about being and nothingness, but instead of writing a boring academic treatise, he sings songs. And that’s why we love him. (Recommended album: Steam Ship Killers, 2010.)

_Arafat Kazi

BEST AUTHOR

Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys

KELLY DAVIDSON

JUNOT DIAZ | junotdiaz.com Being named Best Author in a Phoenix poll is but a feather in JUNOT DIAZ’s teeming cap. In addition to receiving the Pulitzer for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz has won fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Radcliffe, and the NEA, as well as awards from Readers Digest, the PEN Continued on p 10

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A&E Continued from p 8 Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Though he’s among the nation’s most acclaimed young writers — the New Yorker named him one of the 20 most important writers of the 21st century and Miramax optioned his novel — Diaz is still a man of the people: look for him on the No. 1 bus en route to MIT.

don’t mind the looks of disgust the black-clad patrons fire across Brookline Avenue at the (presumably) haunted condos that fill the old ManRay lot.

_MM

Matt D.

BEST FILM FESTIVAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON | Somerville Theatre, Brattle Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, State Street Playhouse | iffboston.org

_Eugenia Williamson

The Croisette, the Lido, and now . . .

Somerville. In each place, the buzz is the same — the ineffable aura of excitement, expectation, and pure passion that distinguishes a world-class film festival.

Now in its ninth year, the INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON runs from April 27 to May 4, boasting the usual, outstanding indie fare, including Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip, Miranda July’s The Future, and the inevitable unknown like Mike Ott’s Littlerock, that everyone will know about after it shows here.

BEST BLOG, MUSIC SLEEPOVER SHOWS | sleepovershows.com Created by husband and wife Kelly and Rob Ribera, SLEEPOVER SHOWS is a video blog (à la blogotheque.net) devoted to their favorite troubadours traveling through Boston. Regularly updated with new acts, the site has a treasure trove of videos remarkable for their ability to capture the intimacy of great live shows. Making creative use of the city’s more unassuming spaces, many of the acoustic sessions take place in the backseats of cars and atop playground equipment, in stairways and windowsills, empty gallery spaces, and even bathtubs — all offering an unalloyed look and listen at musicians outside the confines of the studio.

_Peter Keough

BEST JAZZ VENUE BEEHIVE | 541 Tremont Street, Boston | 617.423.0069 | beehiveboston.com It’s probably no coincidence that the BEEHIVE is located in a revamped boiler room. How else to explain why it sizzles every night with live performances that range from salsa to funk to bebop. But the dimly lit, art-bedecked space is vast enough that when the conversation gets intense, you can sneak off to a back corner or the upstairs level so the baseline becomes the background. That could explain why music lovers of all ages and tribes mix as well as the friendly bartenders do. Food is offered until 1 am, guaranteeing that hep cats keep the joint jumping ’round midnight every night.

_Michael Goetzman

BEST BURLESQUE BOSTON BABYDOLLS | 119 Braintree Street, Allston | 617.869.2000 | bostonbabydolls.net

SCOT T M. L ACE Y

Not since my great-grandma snuck out to Scollay Square to see Gypsy Rose Lee has Boston burlesque bumped and grinded as hard as the BOSTON BABYDOLLS. The troupe operates in the classic style of the 1920s to 1950s, mixing sex appeal with satire, circus arts, and comedy. Banned in Quincy, beloved everywhere else, they also run the Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (BABE), which we imagine is like Hogwarts, but with more T&A.

_S.I. Rosenbaum

BEST COMEDIAN MATT D. | simplymattd.com Anderson Comedy’s MATT D. has an earnestly meek look and deadpan delivery reminiscent of the punny Demetri Martin, cracking charmingly geeky jokes in lieu of the insult comedy brandished by the Lisa Lampanellis and Daniel Toshes of the comedy world. Though he hasn’t yet garnered the sort of following enjoyed by the comedians mentioned, he was once named the Funniest Comedian in New Hampshire. With his sights set on the remaining 49 states, high school bullies beware: this nerd’s taking his revenge armed with jokes you probably won’t understand.

_MG

BEST COMEDY CLUB/NIGHT IMPROV BOSTON | 40 Prospect Street, Cambridge | 617.576.1253 | improvboston.com The saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad pizza” — no matter how greasy or soggy that fucker gets, you’re still about to stuff your face with

cheese, tomato sauce, and bread, a holy trifecta of deliciousness that never goes all that wrong. The same cannot be said of live comedy, which has been known to blow up into a horrifying shitstorm of secondary embarrassment faster than you can say, “Really thought he covered all the tacit sexism bases with that last anecdote.” Lucky for us, IMPROV BOSTON consistently serves up supremely satisfying improvisational pizza, with everything from monthly naked comedy showcases to open-mic nights and improv classes, all guaranteed to get those abs flexin’ with laughter.

_Micah Hauser

BEST DANCE NIGHT — MONTHLY/BI-WEEKLY VIDEODROME | Common Ground, 83 Harvard Avenue, Allston | 617.783.2071 | commongroundallston.com The House That Mod Night Built in the ’90s is now a haven for vintage-pop disco. After several years catering to pop cheese at Thursday’s old Love Night, Saturday’s biweekly VIDEODROME takes its classic cuts seriously, as DJ/VJ Craig

MacNeil splices old TV commercials, movie clips, and retro music-video visuals with a dance soundtrack that stretches from Bobby Orlando to Bowie to Gaga. When you need a break from dancing, stare blankly at the three television screens for a sober acid trip through your childhood memories, and order cocktails from the Videodrome menu. We recommend Bertie Higgins’s “Key Largo.”

_Michael Marotta

BEST DANCE NIGHT — WEEKLY HEROES | T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline Street, Cambridge | 617.492.0082 | ttthebears.com Sign of the times: Central Square’s rock clubs host two of the biggest dance parties in town. While the Middle East packs in the kiddies each week with electro-banging Throwed, Saturday night’s HEROES at T.T. the Bear’s next door finds a more sophisticated crowd, raised — literally — on new wave, glam, and post-punk classics. DJ Chris Ewen brings decades of experience to weaving a nostalgic trip through the underground that never gets stale. Just

_Liza Weisstuch

BEST KARAOKE DOREMI | 422 Cambridge Street, Allston | 617.738.8900 | doremikaraoke.net A beacon glows in the Allston night: the DOREMI sign, a wedge-shaped, art-deco promise of kistchy musical transcendence.

The DoReMi karaoke complex offers 19 rooms, at $30 an hour; bring your own snacks or soft drinks or choose from a variety in the lobby, but you’ll have to do without alcohol. Don’t worry, though — once you and your party cue up the songs of your choice (available in 13 languages) and the glitter ball begins to spin, you’ll know you’ve entered a sparkly alternate dimension — one where you can sing.

_SR

BEST MOVIE THEATER, ART HOUSE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE | 290 Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.734.2500 | coolidge.org Maybe it’s the bas reliefs on the walls and the restored art-deco murals on the ceiling, or the friendly and informed staff, or something basic like quality projection, that make the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE Boston’s ideal movie venue. Or maybe it’s the movies, not just the best in recent independent cinema, but also film series Continued on p 12

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brings a cross-section of both artists and audiences, tucked into a bit of a netherworld between Union and Davis squares in Somerville. With poetry series, concerts, art shows, classes, meetings, and all manner of celebrations, the Armory is living up to its ambitions.

A&E Continued from p 10 like Science on Screen and Sound of Silents. And then there’s the history: the Coolidge has been around for 80 years, and shows no signs of fading to black.

_PK

_NM

BEST MUSEUM

BEST PLACE TO PLAY POOL

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS | 465 Huntington Ave, Boston | 617.267.9300 | mfa.org This has been a huge year for the MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. In November, the museum unveiled its gorgeous new 121,307-square-foot Art of the Americas Wing, part of a four-year-long renovation. “This is your museum,” director Malcolm Rogers told the thousands of Bostonians who flooded the wing’s free-to-the-public opening. At least one visitor liked the new space so much, he was inspired to give Rogers a bearhug of thanks.

FLAT TOP JOHNNY’S | One Kendall Square, Cambridge | 617.494.9565 | flattopjohnnys.com There are people who shoot pool on lopsided barroom tables, and then there are the people who hustle those people for their paychecks. Members of the latter group, at least around Greater Boston, can be found in Kendall at the one-and-only FLAT TOP JOHNNY’S, which is one of the few places left to catch a serious game of straight pool or nineball — not to mention bartenders with eclectic iPod playlists, affordable grub, and ice-cold tallboys to wash down the pain of getting racks run on you by regulars. If you plan to hang with Johnny, just be sure to keep an eye out for weekly table specials, and for anglehappy MIT students who want to play for money.

_SR

BEST LITERARY GANG GRUB STREET | 160 Boylston Street, No. 4, Boston | 617.695.0075 | boston.grubstreet.com

_Liz Pelly

BEST NERD GATHERING ANIME BOSTON | Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.954.2000 | animeboston.com Boston has a handful of big geeky blowouts like NE Comic Con and PAX East, but none of these seems to take over our city quite like ANIME BOSTON — likely because its attendees wear their best cosplay finery. The con’s known for its Masquerade and costume contest, so don’t be surprised if you see Sephiroth and Sailor Moon gallivanting down Newbury Street together, followed perhaps by a swarm of Naruto ninjas.

Not that the attendees need to leave the con, since the schedule’s packed with industry panels, game shows, contests, and dances, plus a sprawling dealer’s room full of goodies for Japanophiles and casual anime fans alike.

_Maddy Myers

BEST NIGHT, GAY GROUP HUG | Enormous Room, 567 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.491.5550 | enormous.tv Big burly gay men — check. Donna Summer as spun by Mystery Roar’s Nathanael Bluhm — check. Dim lights, hard drinks, and the fact that it only

_Chris Faraone

BEST POET ELISA GABBERT | thefrenchexit.blogspot.com SCOTT M. L ACE Y

All writers — from unpublished newcomers to experienced authors — are part of the gang at GRUB STREET. The nonprofit creative-writing center’s fourthfloor space on Boylston Street is home to workshops, classes, manuscript consultations, readings, parties, and other events. They range from beginner sixweek courses like “Creative Nonfiction I” and “Writing for Kids” to advanced and master workshops like “Blueprint your Book,” “Ask the Agent,” and “Master Novel in Progress.” Their super-accomplished staff also runs “The Memoir Project” for seniors and a “Young Adult Writer Program” for teens, plus an annual conference, and an array of publications.

Grub Street

happens once a month makes GROUP HUG at the Enormous Room in Cambridge the best gay night offered in the Hub. Michael Brodeur, Hug cofounder and former music editor at the Phoenix, lends the cushy pad to “gays of all stripes” one particularly lucky Sunday a month (next one: April 24). You work hard for your money, so treat yourself right. The E-room has leather couches, platforms, and pillows, but you won’t be sitting for very long.

_David Eisenberg

BEST NIGHT, LESBIAN

BEST NON-GALLERY ART SPACE ARTS AT THE ARMORY | 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville | 617.718.2191 | artsatthearmory.org Joseph and Nabil Sater, the owners of the Middle East, labored with love to open ARTS AT THE ARMORY, a spacious, purpleceilinged room that provides a music venue and studio space for artists and art education classes — not to mention its four gallery spaces, which play host to a variety of rotating exhibitions. The place

Sleepovershows.com

SECOND SATURDAY | Machine, 1254 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.536.1950 | machine-boston.com What is the result of combining a gigantic dance floor, hundreds of women, and multiple bars in the middle of a nightclub in an always buzzing city? Philanthropy! Dyke Night gives 25 percent of its profits to LGBT causes, and all you gotta do to help is show up and party. Open to all in the LGBT community, SECOND SATURDAY offers nights worth circling on the calendar.

If dancing isn’t your thing, Machine nightclub offers four pool tables and a lounge room to keep you off the wall and satisfy your mingling needs in an effort to keep the stereo thumping. Oh, and there’s pole dancers, too!

_DE

Pinsky who? ELISA GABBERT is our kind of poet. “Take me to the library; I’m in the mood to get murdered,” she writes in a poem called “BLGPM W/ DTHWSH” in her first collection, The French Exit.

Gabbert — whom Bookslut has called the Zoe Saldana of letters — even engages with the demon Internet: she blogs for Ploughshares, writes about smells for Open Letters Monthly, and tweets topics as diverse as W.B. Yeats and lipstick. By day, the Boston resident works as an SEO/marketing copywriter. By night, she does whatever it is that poets do, and takes the Hub by storm.

_EW

BEST ROCK VENUE MIDDLE EAST I 472-480 Mass Ave, Cambridge I 617.492.9181 I mideastclub.com The MIDDLE EAST complex at the corner of Mass and Brookline avenues is a nightclub treasure unlike anything in the Boston area — a smaller ground-level room for local band showcases, a larger downstairs hall for touring acts and DJs, the intimate ZuZu lounge and DIY space for a break in the rock action and Middle Eastern cuisine perfect for some pre-show grub in the two restaurants. No question why, in a growing age of the corporate rock club, the independent Middle East still gets the nod for Boston’s best. It’s one venue the city can’t afford to lose.

_MM

BEST SPONTANEOUS EVENT BOSTON ZOMBIE MARCH | twitter.com/ zombiemarchVII Because lurching around Boston is a lot Continued on p 14

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Psychic Medium and Author

John Edward JUNE 21, 2011 7PM

JUNE 22, 2011 7:30PM

JUNE 23, 2011 7PM

The Palace Theatre 80 Hanover St Manchester, NH palacetheatretickets.org

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts 153 Main Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401 flynntix.org

Rhode Island Convention Center One Sabin Street Providence RI 02903 Telecharge.com

JUNE 24, 2011 7PM

JUNE 25, 2011 2PM

JUNE 26, 2011 2PM

Connecticut Convention Center 100 Columbus Boulevard Hartford CT 06103 Telecharge.com

Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel 606 Congress Street Boston MA 02210 Telecharge.com

Holiday Inn By the Bay 88 Spring Street Portland ME 04101 Telecharge.com

CONNOR GLE ASON

He has captivated audiences worldwide on his Internationally acclaimed talk shows.

Boston Zombie March

READING NOT GUARANTEED

A&E Continued from p 12

BEST TRIVIA NIGHT

more fun than walking. And Halloween shouldn’t be the only occasion for grown-ass people to smear fake blood all over themselves and menace their neighbors. Plus, sometimes having a taste for fresh human gray matter is much better incentive for a crawl than a thirst for cheap beer. Whatever the reason, the BOSTON ZOMBIE MARCH consistently draws crowds of hundreds of would-be walking dead to South Station for the annual citywide stagger. If you’ve seen some of the marchers’ getups, you’ll agree that George A. Romero himself would approve. Braaaains!

SEX & DRUGS TRIVIA NIGHT | Savant Project, 1625 Tremont Street, Boston | 617.566.5958 | thesavantproject.com

Considering the eggheaded overachieveyness of this town, it’s a rare Boston trivia night where the quizmaster is prone to blurting out: “What, do you expect this shit to be fact-checked?” But that’s what sets SEX & DRUGS TRIVIA NIGHT apart — it’s got balls. Also, it might be tripping balls. If your mind is always in the gutter, your ass belongs on a Savant Project barstool every Sunday from 8 to 10 pm, where finally you can cash in on your extensive knowledge of Flesh_Alexandra Cavallo lights, top-shelf stoner movies, and the erotic letters of legendary fart fetishist James Joyce.

BEST THEATER COMPANY AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER | various locations | 617.547.8300 | americanrepertorytheater.org

_Shaula Clark

BEST TWITTER FEED

Like a favorite professor, a great theater company should challenge us. It should feed our intellect and it should always mind the basic human need for laughter. It should approach the masterpieces with the same progressive, creative nerve it takes to tackle the avant garde.

The AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER not only bridges the gap between classic and contemporary, it blurs the two. And at least one of its venues lets you drink in the theater. With packed schedules at both the Loeb Stage and the funky Club Oberon, Shakespeare junkies and Gershwin fanatics get their fix as effortlessly as those seeking a Wild Wild West LGBT Hoe-Down, kick-lines, or Alice in Wonderland reimagined. The ART dependably proves: the play’s the thing.

_LW

twitter.com/mrpope If there’s one thing about working at a cool tech or software company that’s different than a straight-up corporate gig — besides the fact that you work with less meatheads, Republicans, and rapists — it’s that you can tweet. You can tweet your fucking tits off. Which is why Phoenix readers love @MRPOPE, the not-so-secret Twitter avatar of Harmonix community moderator Eric Pope.

When he’s not on Rock Band duty — and sometimes when he is — Pope flips clever quips about everything from his caffeine intake and wrestling to indie film and urination. Pope even gets a little dirty now and then — even though “The soap in [the Harmonix] bathrooms straight up grosses [him] out.”

_CF

The Boston Athenæum presents:

Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey February 9 – June 4, 2011 For more information, visit www.bostonathenaeum.org or call 617-227-0270.

10½ Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Mr. C(lavius) F(rederick) Earbrass is, of course, the well-known novelist. © 2011 The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

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City Life BEST BAD PUBLIC ART WORK BOSTON CITY HALL | cityofboston.gov There’s a reason why the folks at CITY HALL treat everyone who comes to handle business there like an asshole and a nuisance. You’d be bitter too if, five days a week, you went to work in the coldest, most hideous stone bunker this side of Saddam’s palace. Designed by the much-maligned firm Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles in 1962, the center of our city government is a pre-eminent example of brutalist architecture (really — that’s what it’s called). There have been countless columns, tweets, rants, and screeds calling for the wrecking balls, and in the past few years even Hizzoner has expressed interest in moving City Hall to the waterfront. We hope he hurries up and does it, because that old shitbox will make a great fortress in the new Combat Zone.

_Chris Faraone

Drink’s Misty Kalkofen

Urban trawl

T

hat postcard scene: the sunset dapples the Charles as the white sailboats bob peacefully up and down. That baneful, drunken slog through dark caverns after a Sox game as the Green Line gets stuck once more. Cambridge yuppies dressed in head-to-toe spandex for their morning bicycle commute, Brookline mommies pushing double-wide strollers that cost more than a month’s rent, frisky puppies with two daddies gamboling in the Arboretum on a sunny afternoon, kids lapping cones from the Ice Creamsmith as they cross a busy Dorchester road, a thousand Uggs traipsing endlessly across the BU Bridge.

What happens when they collide? Boston, that’s what: a hodgepodge of intangibles, a frothy mix of variables, a Chaos Theory of the mid-Atlantic.

Living here is all of these and then some. You chose the best what makes our town so much more than the sum of its parts.

KELLY DAVID SON

BEST BARTENDER DRINK | 348 Congress Street, Boston | 617.695.1806 | drinkfortpoint.com We can only guess that when MISTY KALKOFEN was waitressing at the Lizard Lounge while studying for her masters at Harvard Divinity School, the Wisconsin native didn’t foresee that her spiritual expertise would ultimately be dispensed to worshippers at the Church of the Jigger and Shaker.

Having perfected her craft at Boston’s most highly praised cocktail sanctuaries, she’s become one of the most recognized (and respected) bartenders not only to thirsty Bostonians who appreciate her bespoke cocktails and jubilant yet professional manner at Drink, but to cocktailians nationwide. She’s served her own signature cocktail at the James Beard Awards and appeared in Wine Enthusiast and Bon Appetit. But it’s her regular appearance at Drink that gets the biggest cheers.

_Liza Weisstuch Continued on p 18

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CITY LIFE Continued from p 16

BEST BEACH CRANE BEACH | 290 Argilla Road, Ipswich | 978.356.4354 | thetrustees.org Situated on the sandy coast of the North Shore town of Ipswich, CRANE BEACH is one of the best reasons why you need to either own a car in Boston or know someone who does. Once you get through the parking lot and over the marshy, reedy dunes that meet your line of sight, you make it down to your own little Nice, France — or something like that. The water is cold, but even on a hot day you can find a great spot to enjoy the blue-gray horizon and the sandy spits at low tide. And when you’re hot and enervated from a day of beach reading, wading in the sandy bottom water or playing Frisbee with futility in the wind, stop off at Russell Orchards down the road for some ice cream.

MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY, an 11-mile, treelined path running through Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford, replaces cars, potholes, and concrete barriers with joggers, in-line skaters, and lush greenery — perfect for wandering thoughts about the building blocks of the universe. If science isn’t your bag, there’s plenty of history to contemplate, as the route roughly follows the path Paul Revere took on the 18th of April, 1775.

_Micah Hauser

BEST LOCAL NONPROFIT HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS | 271 Huntington Avenue, Boston | 888.HOME.321 or 617.267.3700 | thehome.org

As local and national social service programs have become political punching bags, the HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS has quietly continued its 200-year tradition of _Jonathan Donaldson helping children and families at risk. The Home guides and cares for children who’ve suffered neglect or abuse and supports an assortment of programs to ensure that the MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY | kids have a fair shot at success. Offering minutemanbikeway.org services for children and parents ranging Allegedly, Albert Einstein thought of his from adoption and fostering programs to theory of relativity while riding a bicycle. life-skills training and transitioning to Although the average cyclist is no Einindependent adulthood from foster care, stein, cruising two-wheeled down the HLW diligently works to seal up the cracks streets of Boston generally requires more surrounding vulnerable kids. _Lyette Mercier focus on ways to avoid death by hurtling Continued on p 20 Toyota than astrophysical musings. The

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CITY LIFE Continued from p 18

BEST LOCAL CAUSE BIKES NOT BOMBS | 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.522.0222 | bikesnotbombs.org Locals may know this Jamaica Plain organization for the recycled, refurbished bikes for sale at their Bartlett Square shop. But BIKES NOT BOMBS’ activist work is further-reaching than its Amory Street headquarters: the group’s various projects advocate for international community development, sustainability, and wide-reaching social change, using the bicycle as a self-empowering medium for fighting injustice, violence, and over-consumption. (Inhale.) They receive over 6000 bikes yearly, sending over 4000 to community-building initiatives in Ghana, Tanzania, Guatemala, and Nevis Island. The rest are used in JP for youth programs, where they train teenagers to be bike mechanics and community organizers. Basically, they’re saving the world with bikes.

BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN SONIA CHANG-DIAZ | soniachangdiaz.com State Senator SONIA CHANG-DIAZ may have first won office in 2008 by virtue of not being Dianne Wilkerson, but she won re-election last year by compiling an impressive record of lawmaking and constituent service. She helped pass CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) reform and foreclosure-protection laws, while landing funding for youth summer jobs and renovation of the Cass Recreation Facility. And this year, she’s taking over as Senate chair of the Education Committee, and sits on the special redistricting committee that will decide how Bostonians are represented in Washington. Oh, and she just turned 33.

_David S. Bernstein

BEST BLOG, POLITICAL WICKED LOCAL’S MASS POLITICS BLOG | blogs.wickedlocal.com/masspolitics By pooling together items from Gateway Media’s publications — largely grouped in MetroWest, but also including the Patriot Ledger, Fall River Herald News, and others — the Wicked Local politics page offers a trove of news and analysis. The site’s MASS POLITICS BLOG includes those items, plus quick-take posts, videos, questions, and reader polls by editor Greg Reibman and smart writers like Chloe Gotsis. They know what they’re talking about, and are able to spur surprisingly civil discussion. They even get a little cheeky — as with their current “Setti Warren Watch” chronicling the new Newton mayor rumored to have an eye for the US Senate race.

NICOLE ME RC ADO

_Liz Pelly

“Chinese One-String Violin Guy”

the scent of the lilac bushes in May, but wander onto the trail that crests the hills and you’ll swear you’ve stumbled into Lothlorien. Nestled in JP, within walking distance from Forest Hills, the Arboretum is open and free to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

_S.I. Rosenbaum

BEST PLACE TO LIVE CAMBRIDGE | cambridgema.gov Of all the places that aren’t completely reachable by T, CAMBRIDGE has the best bus coverage. The 69, some of the 80s, and the mighty 1 flow through Cambridge like the Nile through ancient Egypt. This provides the foundation for a city which lets you live in quiet streets with charming houses and quickly get to work, or — if you’re part of the 100 percent of our readership that enjoys eating and drinking — to restaurants and bars.

Plus, it’s Cambridge. That guy you just punched to get the last organic bok choy is professor of telekinesis at MIT.

_Arafat Kazi

Sonia Chang-Diaz

BEST PLACE TO PEOPLE-WATCH HARVARD SQUARE PIT | harvardsquare.com Come one, come all, to the most egocentric show on Earth: the HARVARD SQUARE PIT! Marvel at self-absorbed punks who get hammered and scowl at the world! Open your ears to angsty teenagers as they talk in loud voices and pretend to be homeless!

Feast your eyes upon stinky rebels who drop acid and stare vacuously into space! Gasp at Harvard jocks who couldn’t care less! Step right up, boys and girls, don’t be shy. Just push the vomit and broken glass aside and grab a seat! Prepare to be amazed!

_Michael Neel

BEST PLACE TO RUN CHARLES RIVER ESPLANADE | esplanadeassociation.org Big-city running isn’t for the faint-ofheart. Runners are last on the pecking order behind buses, cars, and bikes, all of which — try as they might to make a full stop at that blind intersection — will, at some point, run you over. Unless, of course, your city provides for some 20-odd miles of scenic recreational sidewalk. As luck would have it, Boston does. A sweet reprieve from the city’s mean streets, the ESPLANADE is situated on the storied banks of the Charles River, where the only things you need be wary of are rapid geese and power-walking moms on maternity leave.

_Michael Goetzman

_DSB

BEST OPEN SPACE ARNOLD ARBOREUM | 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.1718 | arboretum.harvard.edu The central jewel in the Emerald Necklace, the ARNOLD ARBORETUM is one of the few places in Boston where the city really falls away. You can probably get high off

BEST SQUARE

As far as squares go, DAVIS isn’t. It’s more of a hexagon, actually. But don’t hold its lack of 90-degree corners against it, because another way that Davis breaks right-angle principles is by being a place that’s totally not for squares. In the space of a few blocks, you have a movie theater, excellent crepes at Mr. Crepe, barbecue and an unfor-

gettable beer selection at Redbones, fresh pasta at Dave’s (wait for it) Fresh Pasta, and perhaps the best liquor store in town. The buskers that play in the courtyard and train station are usually good. That’s how we discovered the music of Daniel Blakeslee.

_AK

BEST STREET If the great recession of the last few years can be thanked for anything, it is no doubt responsible for the death of the “futon district” between Central Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge. Now that it is no longer sensible to have 10 crappy furniture stores on the same block, MASS AVE can move on to reclaiming itself as the funkiest street in Metro Boston. From Wally’s and the Other Side Café in Boston, over the Mass Ave bridge (Boston’s best view at night, hands down) to Cambridge’s Weirdo Records, Alexander Kemp playground at the Cambridge Common, and all the way down to Verna’s Donut Shop, even Pee-Wee Herman would find Massachusetts Avenue worthy of a big adventure.

_JD

BEST STREET PERSONALITY Of all the street musicians in Boston, there certainly is no shortage of novelties. Casio man at Downtown Crossing, fu-manchu-beard grump at Park Street, one-man-band guy at Faneuil Hall, etc.

But many seem to love “CHINESE ONE-STRING VIOLIN GUY” in Harvard Square the best.

Whether you declare him a genius or joke is a test of your level of cool. That’s not a broken violin, you dope — it’s a jinghu, traditionally played in Chinese opera.

Granted, he might not be the best jinghu player in the world (our expert deemed him “so-so”). But for those who cheer his genius, kudos. Here’s to the last bird in the last tree in what has become essentially the biggest student union in the US.

_JD

Join us at the Seaport World Trade Center as we celebrate with over 100 American brewers & 400 craft beers

Part of Boston Beer Week

May 27-June 5, 2011 Tickets on sale now.

beeradvocate.com/acbf 速

22 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

’11

Food & Drink

LIFE IS SHORT; EAT MORE FOOD

BEST BAGELS BAGEL RISING | 1243 Comm Ave, Allston | 617.789.4000 | bagel-rising.com The made from scratch bagels at BAGEL RISING are the backbone to a breakfast of champions — hung-over Beruit champions roaming Allston blocks like zombies after a night of heavy drinking, that is.

But the beauty of Bagel Rising lies in the options for dressing your bagel — select a breakfast sandwich by its alluring name (like the Tequila Sunrise, a variant of their $3 egg sandwich staple, the Sunrise) and choose your bagel flavor from such options as sun-dried tomato, marble, and honey-wheat. Finally, pick a specialty cheese like Havarti and your greasy meat of choice. If you like your bagels dresseddown, they sell a range of spreads made from either cream cheese or tofu. And the Bagel Rising morning-after treatment is served up by the only sort of people you’d ever want to look in the eye while tasting last night’s excesses in a burp — friendly young staffers you may recognize from that party, but who managed to drag their asses to work by 7 am to feed your sloppy self the most delicious boiled bread in town. Be sure to come early on weekends, though — they’ve got an OUT OF BAGELS sign that occasionally winds up in the front window.

B

oston is delicious. Like a lobster, it can be hard to crack — but it’s worth it if you know what you’re doing. Tasty delights lurk inside if you know where to look, and if you have the right tools. Think of this guide as the claw-shattering nutcracker that breaks open the toughest shell, as well as the tiny silver fork that allows you to scoop the most succulent morsels out of the most unlikely places. (This is a metaphor with legs — lots of ’em.) As for the bib and wet nap? You’re on your own.

Publick House

_Ariel Shearer

BEST BAKERY FLOUR | Various locations | flourbakery.com We would walk a mile in tight shoes for the roasted-lamb sandwich at FLOUR. If you’re a vegetarian, try the tofu, or the grilled portobello, which will bring a smile to even a TRex. (Yes, we know, the row of teeth makes it look like it’s smiling, but a T-Rex would probably want more than just a veggie sandwich. Whatever.) Actually, get any sandwich. They’re all good. Just make sure you leave room for the dozens of pies and cakes and cookies piled high all over the counter.

_Arafat Kazi

D E R E K KOU YO U M J I A N

BEST BAR, BEER GEEK PUBLICK HOUSE | 1648 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.277.2880 | eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com/publickhouse Beer geeks are officially the new wine snobs, and ale-o-philes of Boston agree Continued on p 24

S I N C E

19 81

“Often called

BEHOLD

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- Playbill Boston, Panorama

The

illustration by Rick Pinchera

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24 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

FOOD & DRINK Continued from p 22

at the Brattle Theatre, throw a few back with, oh, the film’s director, along with Tim League of Austin’s Alamo Draft House, only to be picked up by a hot-totrot business traveler who conveniently has a room at the hotel? Hypothetically speaking, of course.

that the best place to flaunt your knowledge is Brookline’s PUBLICK HOUSE. With two-dozen-plus drafts and a seriously massive selection of eclectic bottled beers from Belgian blondes to German Schwarzbiers (not to mention a few gluten-free options), Publick House’s drink menu could prove daunting to the most studious of beer connoisseurs. Luckily, the staff is accommodating — and kind — enough that even if you think Heineken is high-brow you won’t feel like a total newb. Popular enough that if you show up past 8 pm you’re probably not scoring a much-coveted table, but low-key enough that you won’t have to fight slurring coeds for bar space, Publick House is a safe haven for beer geeks of all creeds.

_BM

BEST BAR, SPORTS CASK ’N FLAGON | 62 Brookline Avenue, Boston | 617.536.4840 | casknflagon.com It’s fair to say that the CASK ’N FLAGON is a Boston sports-bar institution, a behemoth against all the other spots who hang up a few flatscreens, put on the game, and call it a day. The location doesn’t hurt — when a firmly hit fastball has the potential to drop on your roof from Fenway Park, you’ve already got a good start. When the Red Sox turned their curse around, the Cask sunk some money into renovating the space, meaning you can’t be anywhere out of view of a television. Lounging outside on their patio right on the corner of Brookline Avenue and Lansdowne Street on game day is a treat, watching fans pour into the ballpark. It’s almost as good as having a seat in the bleachers.

Patio at the Cask ’n Flagon

_Alexandra Cavallo

BEST BAR, AUTHENTIC IRISH THE BURREN | 247 Elm Street, Somerville | 617.776.6896 | burren.com

_Liza Weisstuch

BEST BAR, ST. PATRICK’S DAY IRISH THE BLACK ROSE | 160 State Street, Boston | 617.742.2286 | irishconnection.com The Guinness Beef Stew alone makes the BLACK ROSE one of the city’s top St. Patrick’s Day bars, but the guarantee of nightly live music makes being Irish cool anytime. The bar has brought in some big names, too, including John Denver and someone from U2 (we think the one in sunglasses), so you never know what emerging talent you might be seeing and hearing. Everyone can be Irish that one night in March. At the Black Rose, the sea of green whirls year round.

_David Eisenberg

BEST BAR, COCKTAILS DRINK | 348 Congress Street, Boston | 617.695.1806 | drinkfortpoint.com For the third year running, DRINK beat out the competition for best cocktails by a huge margin (only Eastern Standard came close). That’s because, simply put, it’s the only establishment in this town where the staff are less barkeeps than artists. Craft beers may be all the rage with the kids these days, but discerning — and financially flush — adults know that a truly excellent craft cocktail is unrivaled. Tell the ridiculously knowledgeable bartenders that you like, say, a drink that’s fruity but not sweet, lime but not lemon, and that Vermouth makes you gag, and they’ll whip you up a signature cocktail you’d swear was made for you and you alone. You don’t have

_Nina MacLaughlin CHRISSY BUL AKITES

Irish bars in Boston are like casinos on the Vegas Strip: loud, interchangeable, and catalysts for regret. But few are the pubs that offer a choice of live music (traditional sessions out front, acoustic performances in the back room) and Wi-Fi as accessible as whiskey. Toss in comedy shows, runners’ group meetups, and a wallet-friendly menu that splits the difference between standard American pub grub (burgers, sandwiches, mozzarella sticks) and Irish comfort food (bangers and mash), and you have the BURREN’s strategy for outfiddling the rest.

BEST BAR, TEQUILA LA VERDAD | One Lansdowne Street, Boston | 617.351.2580 | laverdadtaqueria.com to know exactly what you want; that’s their job. Just don’t order a gin and tonic — you’ll be wasting everyone’s time.

_AC

BEST BAR, DIVE

rare area success story. Since 1993, the handsome, open-air bistro has remained a favorite destination of sports stars and visiting celebrities alike, and if it’s drinks you’re here for, popular bartenders Alem, Meki, and Tim mix some of the best.

_Brett Michel

CHARLIE’S KITCHEN | 10 Eliot Street, Cambridge | 617.492.9646 | charlieskitchen.com A dive bar in Harvard Square wasn’t always an oxymoron, but CHARLIE’S KITCHEN serves stiff drinks while boasting a burger menu under $10 and a beer selection ranging from PBR to specialties like Lagunitas.

Their retro lighting sets the dive vibe, with stained-glass hanging lamps and a rainbow of neon beer signs that cast a dim glow flattering even the most troubled complexions.

Upstairs is darker still — with big tables, a jukebox, and space to post up with your whole crew. Best parts? The crowd is pretty good-looking already, there are usually no lines to get in until their beer garden opens for the summer, and they’ve got a meatfree menu to please your veg friends (with a grilled veggie Reuben unlike anywhere else in the city).

BEST BAR, GAY Jacque’s Cabaret | 79 Broadway, Boston | 617.426.8902 | jacques-cabaret.com It takes a certain type of place to bill a good time as “A Night of Mizery.” Drunk guys in muumuus mooning the audience more than qualifies. JACQUE’S CABARET in the Theater District gives you every reason to get boozed up seven nights a week in Boston’s queerest watering hole. Their Web site looks like a Grindhouse-style advertisement for something illicit, which fits the bar’s dive atmosphere, but those leading men in women’s clothing look like they just want to party. Leave your prude friends to another night of the same ol’ and go have yourself a damn good affordable time with Jacque’s ladies.

_AS

_DE

BEST BAR, FANCY

BEST BAR, HOTEL

SONSIE | 327 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.351.2500 | sonsieboston.com

NOIR AT THE CHARLES HOTEL | One Bennett Street, Cambridge | 617.661.8010 | noir-bar.com

Bars say a lot about their neighborhoods, and Boston neighborhoods don’t get more fancy than the Back Bay. Even with upscale upstarts like Towne and Back Bay Social Club taking root, their Boylston Street locations simply aren’t on Newbury Street, home to SONSIE, the place to see and be seen. The Lyons Group locale (they also own the aforementioned bars) is a

Once again, the cavernous, cozy confines of NOIR AT THE CHARLES HOTEL have been chosen as the bar of choice by readers, with its selection of movie-themed drinks such as “Body Heat,” “LA Confidential,” and “White Heat.” And really, what other local lounge affords one the opportunity to, say, stop by after a flick

It’s odd that LA VERDAD, where you can get gourmet (but not too overboard) treatments of Mexican fast food, should be in such a decidedly un-gourmet neighborhood. Lansdowne Street has three attractions — Fenway Park, college-kid nightclubs, and the House of Blues. None of these attractions are known for La Verdad’s specialty: subtle nuances and wonderful complexities of food. Plus, their tequilas are numerous, margaritas divine, and we’d probably sell a limb or two for those duck tacos. So, as they say in deep Mexican country: bon appetit!

_AK

BEST BARBECUE REDBONES BARBECUE | 55 Chester Street, Somerville | 617.628.2200 | redbones.com A Davis Square institution, REDBONES knows not to mess with success. From the open kitchen and old (or are they “vintage” by now?) Formica tables upstairs to the brightly painted murals of the low-lit downstairs, it’s entirely possible they haven’t moved a thing since opening day in 1987 — besides thousands of pounds of meat, that is. Five styles of slow-smoked ribs and four house-made sauces keep diners coming back to try the nearly infinite (okay, 20) combinations, with mason-jar margaritas and 24 rotating microbrews to help them happily wash it all down.

_Lyette Mercier

BEST BRUNCH THE FRIENDLY TOAST | One Kendall Square, Cambridge | 617.621.1200 | thefriendlytoast.net For the second year running, readers have Continued on p 26

26 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

C HRI S S Y B UL AK I TE S

The Friendly Toast

FOOD & DRINK Continued from p 24 chosen the FRIENDLY TOAST as their go-to spot for eggs and bacon as a hangover cureall — or to continue their drinking from the night before. If you’re dry, there’s a healthy selection of coffee (plus other caffeinated drinks), juice, sodas, smoothies, and frappes to wash down the pancakes, waffles, French toast, burritos, and sandwiches. Takeout is available, but why leave when the eatery that’s single-handedly established Kendall Square as a, well, friendly dining destination is filled with wonderfully kitschy décor.

BEST BUFFALO WINGS

ANNA’S TAQUERIA | Various locations | annastaqueria.com

Hey, Nathan Myhrvold, explain this!

At ANNA’S TAQUERIA, you won’t find lightsabered cross sections of anything. And if the aftermath is anything to go by, maybe that’s just as well. The burrito at Anna’s is like a working man in a Bruce Springsteen song: humble and honest.

All it wants to do is fill you up with good, solid comfort, without making your tummy feel like lead, and without pretending to be anything more than it is. But some_BM times that’s just what the world needs.

One burrito, standing alone against the evil forces of molecular gastronomy.

Maybe with an ax.

WINGS OVER SOMERVILLE | 519 Somerville Avenue, Somerville | 617.666.9464 | wingsover.com Remember that time that you wanted wings or chicken fingers, just some sort of fried chicken that wasn’t fried chicken, and you were really hungry ’cause you’d been helping your college pal Buck move in, and it was pretty late, and you had no idea how to get to the T because you were in Somerville, so you and your buddies stumbled into this tiny takeout place called WINGS OVER SOMERVILLE, and they had way too many sauces to keep track of, and someone challenged you to eat the two-pound size of “After Burner”–sauced boneless wings, and you cried from the scovilles but couldn’t stop because it was just too good? You will.

BEST BURGERS

BEST BURRITOS

_AK

BEST COFFEE SHOP, LOCAL ULA CAFÉ | 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.7890 | ulacafe.com

Comedians love the idea of making cafés sound like inhospitable drug dens filled with faux-intellectual snobs and vile snacks, but some cafés easily put that stereotype to shame. ULA CAFÉ in Jamaica Plain is one such establishment, where the atmosphere and food alone are enough reason to make the trip. Ula offers a wide variety of sandwiches, desserts, and drinks served by baristas who practically ooze charm. Plus, there’s plenty of room to have a seat and enjoy that _AK brownie and café latte, which are surely two of the most delicious things you’ve injested all week. Hint: go for the sweetpotato sandwich.

MR. BARTLEY’S GOURMET BURGERS | 1246 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.354.6559 | bartleysburgers.com Packing in customers like beef-starved sardines since JFK was in office, MR. BARTLEY’S delivers big plates for small prices, a combination that draws students and locals year after year. You’ll sit elbow to elbow with your neighboring diners, but between the dozens of burgers named for past and present famous citizens, heaps of fries or onion rings, and frappes so thick you need to eat them with a spoon, you’re unlikely to leave hungry. And if by some strange twist of fate you do, well, there’s always the penny candy available by the cash-only register to top off your meal.

_Alec Ernest

BEST COFFEE SHOP, NATIONAL STARBUCKS | Various locations | starbucks.com

After getting hammered by a recession that found many giving up their skinny cinnamon dolce lattes in favor of brewing their java at home, STARBUCKS unveiled a redesigned logo that conveniently excises the ubiquitous coffee shop’s name, the better to bring back brand-wary patrons.

It seems to be working. Turning away from local favorite (and last year’s winner) Dunkin’ Donuts, Phoenix readers _LM gravitated back to Starbucks. Whether

SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX | THE BEST | APRIL 22, 2011 27

lured by the conceptually-ridiculous-butdelicious Cake Pops or the promise of free Wi-Fi, Bostonians have begun going out for their cups o’ joe again, be they short, tall, grande, or venti.

_BM

BEST FOOD TRUCK MOMOGOOSE | 70 Carleton Street, Cambridge | momogoose.com So, look. Everyone really, really loves MOMOGOOSE. The feverish devotion our city seems to have for this Cambridge foodtruck ranks somewhere around “an eternity or two” on the How-Long-of-a-WaitIs-This-Food-Worth scale. It’s not only the joy-inducingly cheap pan-Asian fare served in heaping, delicious portions that draws crowds — the Momogoose crew are just a bunch of fantastic human beings.

Through their Meal for Meal program, Momogoose donates one meal to the UN World Food Programme’s School Meals initiative for every truck dish they sell.

In fact, they were recently recognized by the UN as being the top fundraiser for the WFP in Cambridge. There appears to be no debate among local lunchers regarding where you ought to go for your Asian nomcart needs. Long live Momogoose.

both Harvard Square (the MBTA’s 66 bus) and Newbury Street (walk down to Huntington Avenue and take a Green Line E train). While waiting to get there, you can also reflect on the lesson that you just learned: ice cream should be unhurried, and JP Licks ice cream doubly so. Especially if they have the hot butterscotch topping, which is seasonal but should be made permanent — nay, compulsory.

_AK

BEST JEWISH DELI ZAFTIGS DELICATESSEN | 335 Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.975.0075 | zaftigs.com The motto of ZAFTIGS DELICATESSEN in Brookline is mildly alarming: “Let Us Be Your Jewish Mother,” they say — a proposal that I would find unsettling under ordinary circumstances. But rather than driving you to psychoanalysis, Zaftigs merely serves you delicious, and brazenly non-kosher, deli food. The standbys are all here: blintzes and bagels, corned beef and knishes — but you can also indulge in a bacon cheeseburger. Just don’t tell your Jewish mother.

_S.I. Rosenbaum

_Steve Miller

BEST GLUTEN-FREE MENU ELEPHANT WALK | Various locations | elephantwalk.com Local restaurants are becoming more in tune to the needs of gluten-free customers as awareness of celiac disease grows, but many offer two or three gluten-free options at best, like forgotten postscripts to their regular offerings. Not so the ELEPHANT WALK, whose dinner menu includes nine starters and 10 entrees sans gluten, each of them packed with the same French-Cambodian flavors that grace all of their dishes. They also offer a full gluten-free brunch menu, including three-course prix fixe, letting gluten-free gourmands enjoy a weekend meal without worry.

_LM

BEST LOBSTER ROLLS NEPTUNE OYSTER | 63 Salem Street, Boston | 617.742.3474 | neptuneoyster.com Lobster rolls are never cheap (and if they are, you should be worried), but for a $25 lobster roll, you should expect one of the best damn sandwiches you’ve ever had in your life. On this point, the North End’s NEPTUNE OYSTER delivers. Chef Michael Serpa doesn’t even like lobster, so he obviously doesn’t know he’s giving you enough for two. My eyes virtually popped out over this lobster-haul overloaded tug boat of a sandwich — seven ounces of fresh lobster-meat chunks (gluttonously impossible to bite) either hot with butter or cold with mayo in a tasty Iggy’s roll. Seriously. Hand-cut French fries on the side.

_Jonathan Donaldson

BEST ICE CREAM JP LICKS | Various locations | jplicks.com The secret to truly enjoying JP LICKS is: don’t go to the Newbury Street or Harvard Square locations. They’re always crowded. Go, instead, to the Brigham Circle store — easily accessible from

Burritos and Tacos to Go!

BEST PIZZA PIZZERIA REGINA | 353 Cambridge Street, Allston (plus various locations) | 617.227.0765 | pizzeriaregina.com Dear PIZZERIA REGINA: thank you for saving Allston from dozens of mediocre-tobad pizza shops. For too long we’ve had to settle for pies that look great but taste like soggy Hot Pockets. You’ve been a North End staple since 1926, and we’re grateful that you brought your mastery of chicken parmesan, baked penne puttanesca, and sausage cacciatore pizza to our little corner of Greater Boston. Sincerely, Allston.

_MN

_KORIN N KOSLOFSKY

PIES VS. CUPCAKES PETSI PIES | 285 Beacon Street, Somerville | 617.661.7437 | 31 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge | 617.499.0801 | petsipies.com

Ula Café

Cupcakes may be the trend that won’t die, but in this contest they couldn’t hold Continued on p 28

242 Cambridge Street • Boston • 617-227-8822 1412 Beacon Street • Coolidge Corner • Brookline • 739-7300 446 Harvard Street • Brookline • 277-7111 822 Somerville Ave. • Porter Square • Cambridge • 661-8500 236A Elm Street • Davis Square • Somerville • 666-3900 MIT Stratton Center • 84 Mass Ave. • Cambridge • 324-2662

28 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

BEST RESTAURANT, LATE-NIGHT

FOOD & DRINK Continued from p 27 a candle to the ooey-gooey-flaky-chewy goodness of homemade pies. What put PETSI PIES over the top? It could’ve been that their pies are available in three sizes (five, eight, and 10 inches), their tasty variations on apple pie (classic, crumb top, and apple-pear-cranberry), or even their inclusion of savory treats like a potato tart with shiitake, portobello, and crimini mushrooms. But their ace in the hole may just have been that Petsi makes cupcakes too, rendering our “versus” deliciously moot.

SOUTH STREET DINER | 178 Kneeland Street, Boston | 617.350.0028 | dinerboston.com

BEST GREASY SPOON DELUXE TOWN DINER | 627 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown | 617.926.8400 | deluxetowndiner.com The DELUXE TOWN DINER serves delicious traditional greasy-spoon fare: syrupy flapjacks, homemade apple pie, succulent steak tips, and crispy fried onion rings. Dig deeper and you’ll find eclectic culinary surprises that make this diner unique: miso soup, eggplant French fries, east India curry chicken, and more. Their Middle Eastern platter — or spread of tabouli, hummus, feta, and homemade falafel — will show why Watertown has arguably the best Middle Eastern food around. If you’re craving a good old-fashioned burger, you can get that, too — or if you’re feeling adventurous, why not upgrade to Kobe beef?

_Michael Neel

BEST RESTAURANT, CHINESE

ANDRE W MC FARL AND

_LM

Petsi Pies

_LW nating from the kind of lanterns you half-expect to see pipe-smoking, capewearing Victorians loitering beneath.

The scenery inside’s no slouch, either.

Belly up to their warmly lit zinc bar for one of their signature cocktails — like the Fleur de lis, a knockout made with Parfait Amour violet liqueur. This Aquitaine Group brasserie knows its way around surf and turf — the steak frites are top-notch, and the roasted salmon is mighty toothsome — but pace yourself: you’ll want to save some gut-space for that Gateau aux pommes.

soup named after the torn-rag effect of dropped eggs; pillowy gnocchi dressed in sweet, light marinara; and house specialties like veal layered with artichoke, prosciutto, provolone, and explosive cherry tomatoes.

_Shaula Clark

This spacious — three full floors — Japanese restaurant is one of the few in Boston where diners can order live sea urchin. And while not everybody’s palate may be cultured enough for that particular delicacy, FUGAKYU’s extensive menu has tasty offerings aplenty to satisfy anyone’s appetite. The fish is always fresh, the rolls inventive, and the staff friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Grab a stool at the sushi bar for a quick bite or snag a screened-in private room for a more intimate dining experience. While the prices may prove a bit steeper than many student budgets will allow, the elegant-yet-casual ambiance and top-notch, authentic fare are worth springing for.

Myers + Chang | 1145 Washington Street | 617.542.5200 | myersandchang.com

BEST RESTAURANT, INDIAN

Ever find yourself thinking, if only I could eat this tamarind-glazed cod to a playlist of artists that resemble, but aren’t necessarily, the Brian Jonestown Massacre? Yeah, us too. Luckily, there’s a self-awarely lit diner/bistro/bar on Washington Street, just south of East Berkeley, called MYERS + CHANG that can meet your tuned-in dining needs. The joint effort of chef/owner Joanne Chang and executive chef Matthew Barros, Myers + Chang offers a widely tapped blend of Southeast Asian and Taiwanese specialties, resulting in a menu peppered with far-out dishes (“tiger’s tears [a/k/a bang bang & olufsen beef]” being the far outest, of course). Be sure to try the sinus-clearing, lemongrass-heavy mussels, or the chef’s ginger-sesame-infused take on chicken and waffles. The extensive drink menu (sake, scorpion bowls, homemade sodas, etc.) makes Myers + Chang just as great of a watering hole as it is a restaurant.

PUNJABI DHABA | 225 Hampshire Street, Cambridge | 617.547.8272 | royalbharatinc.com

_SM

BEST RESTAURANT, FRENCH Gaslight Brasserie du Coin | 560 Harrison Avenue, Boston | 617.422.0224 | gaslight560.com Some folks just know how to make an entrance. And few entrances are more dramatic than the one at GASLIGHT, whose shadowy brick walkway is bathed in flickering lamplight, ema-

Sometimes it seems like the only thing open all night in Boston is the halfempty bottle of beer your roommate left on the counter. But whenever a yen for corn-beef hash, banana-walnut pancakes, or a burger and frappe strikes at 3 am, there’s one greasy spoon that shines like a beacon in the darkness.

Spiffy (if wobbling) clubbers, unkempt students, weary travelers, and latenight shift workers heading home from the job are among the pilgrims who journey to the decidedly retro SOUTH STREET DINER. The staff is as salty as the steak and eggs, and the wait is as constant as the hiss of the fryolator — and in a town where after-hours options are practically nonexistent, those are signs of salvation.

Enter PUNJABI DHABA in Inman Square and two of your five senses will be immediately slammed. Sense one: smell.

From the steaming cauldrons behind the counter rise an appetizing blend of Indian odors — curry, masala, garlic, ginger, chick peas. Sense two: hearing.

Raised in the corner of the restaurant is a tiny television which blares Bollywood at all times. So when you’re waiting for your mutter paneer, your goat curry, your tandoori chicken, and your naan, you can shift your hips to the exuberant Indian song-and-dance numbers on the screen.

_NM

BEST RESTAURANT, ITALIAN CARLO’S CUCINA ITALIANA | 131 Brighton Avenue, Allston | 617.254.9759 | carloscucinaitaliana.com When the moon hits our eye for red sauce Italian-American, we’re at CARLO’S CUCINA ITALIANA in Allston. It’s not every day you think “romantic” and “Brighton Avenue,” but along this busy byway, the dimly lit, snug restaurant is a cozy date spot. Then again, our grandma was once so happy here, she smooched the waiter.

Why? Plates of melanzane ripiene, a creamy eggplant and ricotta rollatini to end them all; delicate stracciatella, the

_Lindsay Crudele

BEST RESTAURANT, JAPANESE FUGAKYU JAPANESE CUISINE | 1280 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.734.1268 | fugakyu.net

_AC

BEST RESTAURANT, KOREAN BUK KYUNG II | 151 Brighton Avenue, Allston | 617.254.2775 | bukkyungrestaurant.com This year Phoenix reader/voters deferred to Korean-American youth, who have made BUK KYUNG II their headquarters for big dishes of fried morsels, noodle soups, and the all-important “jajangmyun” — long noodles in an irresistible black sauce. Indeed, there are now other strong Korean options nearby to catch the overflow, but the original Chineseinfluenced modern cuisine here is still the magnet. If you didn’t grow up with “ganpoongki” — or aren’t quite sure how to say it — just point over at the next table.

BEST RESTAURANT, MEXICAN OLE MEXICAN GRILL | 11 Springfield Street, Cambridge | 617.492.4495 | olegrill.com It’s easy to gripe about the dearth of authentic Mexican food in Boston.

Mission-style burritos? You might as well be in pursuit of the lost island of Atlantis. But there is a spicy treasure to be found at the vibrant Inman Square eatery OLE MEXICAN GRILL, where chef Erwin Ramos has been whips up bona fide, old-school south-of-the-border recipes that exude epicurean confidence, but never scrimp on fun. (The tableside-made guac is the ultimate sitdown-dining party starter.) With everything from chiles rellenos to seared chile-crusted sea scallops to addictive Baja tacos to a mole poblano sauce that could make a plate of gym socks delicious, it’s no surprise that diners seeking a refined gourmet meal are as easily satisfied as anyone in need of a Oaxacan street-food fix.

_LW

BEST RESTAURANT, MIDDLE EASTERN MIDDLE EAST | 472-480 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.864.3278 | mideastclub.com Usually, talk of the Middle East is tinged with despair, but mention of the MIDDLE EAST within earshot of any area music lover stirs religious-like fanaticism in favor of the Central Square institution. Four performance spaces — Upstairs, ZuZu’s, the Corner, Downstairs — regularly play host to some of the biggest indie and hip-hop acts to roll through town. And brothers Joseph and Nabir Satr, owners of the appropriately shabby club since 1974, know how to make weary guitar-toting travelers feel welcome: the complex’s restaurant dispenses generous helpings of comfort food from their native Lebanon, like falafel, kafte, kibby, and meze. Prices promise plenty of cash left over for beer, so no surprise local students and tattooed nine-to-fivers declare it something to sing about.

_Robert Nadeau

_LW Continued on p 30

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30 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

FOOD & DRINK Continued from p 28

BEST RESTAURANT, NEW JOURNEYMAN | 9 Sanborn Court, Somerville | 617.718.2333 | journeymanrestaurant.com The mini bios of the chefs and owners of JOURNEYMAN in Union Square boast academic credentials over culinary ones. There’s discussion of advanced degrees, the Soviet engineering profession, honors theses on comics, role-playing games, and anthropology. That doesn’t change the fact that these friends are doing something right when it comes to serving food. They try to get their ingredients and beverages from local farms, breweries, and artisinal food producers like Somerville’s Taza Chocolate and the attention-getting Pretty Things beer. On our readers’ radar for their everchanging menu, welcoming atmosphere, and superior (and sometimes strange) selection of beverages, Journeyman is easing right into the Union Square community.

BEST RESTAURANT, ROMANTIC DALÍ | 415 Washington Street, Somerville | 617.661.3254 | dalirestaurant.com With its warm décor, low ceilings, shadowy corners, and tiny tables, DALÍ’s dining room is tailor made for intimate moments before you even get to the tapas restaurant’s small plates, perfect for sharing with your sweetheart. Throw in a glass (or pitcher) of house-made sangria at their blue-tiled bar — an enduring popularity that ensures it’ll be crowded enough to keep you and your date pressed close together — and the fact that everything sounds sexier in Spanish (even “baked goat cheese” becomes the alluring queso de cabra montañes), and you’ve got the perfect recipe for romantic bliss.

SCOTT M L AC E Y

_NM

Journeyman

that’s only because you haven’t been to ORINOCO yet. What exactly does Venezuelan breakfast involve, you ask? Well, let’s talk Datiles: bacon-wrapped, almondfilled dates. Yes, that’s right. Dates — sounds great. Filled with almonds — awesome. Wrapped in bacon — sold. Come lunch, though, it’s all about the arepas (a traditional Venezuelan sandwich made in a grilled corn pocket). Fill it with handmade cheeses, flank steak, and chicken, or even mojo-marinated pork. Takeout and catering options are available, but not on Mondays — both the Brookline Village and South End locations are closed.

_LM

BEST RESTAURANT, SEAFOOD

_SM

EAST COAST GRILL AND RAW BAR | 1271 Cambridge Street, Cambridge | 617.491.6568 | eastcoastgrill.net

BEST RESTAURANT, SUSHI/SASHIMI — FANCY

Chef Chris Schlesinger’s concerns are two fold. Freshness is one. Flavor is another.

He’s also not afraid of turning up the heat every now and then. At EAST COAST GRILL & RAW BAR in Inman Square, you’ll find a massive seafood-and-barbecue-based menu. Perch yourself at the bar, have a dozen Island Creek oysters from down the way in Duxbury shucked in front of your face, or order up the grilled spice-crusted mahi mahi, the rotating special of the day (fresh and local), or the ginger-tuna-andpork-sausage dumplings. East Coast Grill also offers a superlative brunch (bloody Marys!), and its blazing Hell Nights are not for the faint of tastebud.

OISHII BOSTON | 1166 Washington Street, South End | 617.482.8868 | oishiiboston.com There’s a wicked lot of sushi in Beantown, and more of it now in the highend, innovative style that came to New York with the Japanese business bubble of the 1990s. Tokyo-trained chef Ting San

was there, too, but soon came to Boston and after a couple of modest little spots, found the backing to do the first, and still greatest, Nobu-level sushi/sashimi parlor ever seen in these parts: OISHII. Japanese customers may weep at the seasonal sight of genuine matsutake mushrooms; fusion freaks will find no more creative maki rolled; and never mind “to die for,” the quality of bluefin-tuna belly served may even justify driving the whole species to extinction.

_RN

BEST RESTAURANT, SUSHI/ SASHIMI — LOW-KEY JP SEAFOOD | 730 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.983.5177 | jpseafoodcafe.com If you’re just looking to enjoy fresh sushi with a kaleidoscopic mix of professors, blue collars, and no-nonsense womanists, then you can always go to Cambridge, San Francisco, or Key West. But JP SEAFOOD is more than just a free-thinking veggie-friendly destination — it’s also a neighborhood hangout with a pick-up window waiting area

BEST RESTAURANT, TAPAS/SPANISH TORO | 1704 Washington Street, Boston | 617.536.4300 | toro-restaurant.com In the cultural dining landscape, it’s easy for diminutive tapas plates to be eclipsed by burly bowls of pasta, jewel-like sashimi, and fragrant heaps of tikka masala.

But when those little dishes are created by chef Jamie Bissonnette and delivered in a rustic-chic setting (complete with mounted cattle head), the reaction is big.

At TORO, the South End’s Spanish retreat, students and urban yuppies alike clamor for the addictive morsels, like maiz asado con alioli y queso cotija, which is to corn what “Bitches Brew” is to a trumpet honk. Factor in the many Spanish wines (available by the porron) and bottles of High Life, and it’s little wonder Bostonians are bullish about this spot.

BEST RESTAURANT, THAI CHILLI DUCK | 829 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.236.5208 | chilliduckboston.com

CHRISSY BUL AKITES

BEST RESTAURANT, SOUTH AMERICAN

Venezuelan cuisine may not top your list of Sunday-morning brunch fare, but

_Chris Faraone

_LW

_NM

Orinoco | 477 Shawmut Avenue (South End) and 22 Harvard Street (Brookline Village) | 617.369.7075 (South End) 617.232.9505 (Brookline Village) | orinocokitchen.com

that doubles as a social scene, and a sushi bar that has regulars who hang like Norm and Cliff. As for the vittles, this spot produces absolutely unbelievable feather-light tempura that melts on the tongue, not to mention some of the most famously fresh seafood on the south side of the city.

JP Seafood

To look at the place — a homely, cozy basement space cheerily festooned with duck knicknacks — you wouldn’t think this little Thai joint had magical powers. But just wait until it’s the dead of January: you may just find that the only thing that can banish your bone chill is a piping-hot bowl of CHILLI DUCK’s tom yum soup. “Comfort food” is an underContinued on p 32

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32 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

ANDRE W MC FARL AND

Peace O’ Pie

FOOD & DRINK Continued from p 30 statement: everything on the menu is an electric blankie for your tastebuds — from the velvety dishes of unctuous drunken noodles to the tofu pad thai, piled high with enough airy slabs of fried bean curd to have you rolling in a week’s worth of glorious leftovers. _SC

and all sorts of in-between cats visit religiously. Sure, the waitresses rush out customers after about 15 minutes, but the broth makes it all worthwhile, as do the avocado shakes, which may be the best in the city.

_CF

BEST SANDWICHES

CITY FEED AND SUPPLY | 66 Boylston Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.1657 | PEACE O’ PIE | 487 Cambridge Street, Allston cityfeedandsupply.com | 617.787.9884 | peaceopie.com While some oatmealers contend that

BEST RESTAURANT, VEGGIE

In Allston’s Union Square, PEACE O’ PIE makes gourmet pizzas using strictly vegan, mostly organic, and sometimes gluten-free ingredients. Their pies — made with Daiya soy-free cheese — range from a classic Neapolitan or white pizza, to more extravagant pies like “the MD” (topped with herb-roasted onions, zucchini, and smoked apple-sage sausage) and “the BBQ Chick’n” (made with organic BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, “chick’n” strips, and a cheddar/mozzarella blend). Stop by their super-sustainable storefront for their foodie-friendly signature pies and slices, rotating daily specials, plus calzones, breadsticks, salads, cupcakes, cookies, and candies. Ease a Saturday-night hangover with their Sunday-only brunch, which changes its menu weekly, but often includes French toast, pancakes, scrambled tofu, rosemary-sage sausage, and more.

Take it from a Phoenix vegan who spends too much money there — even carnivores will be impressed.

Trader Joe’s is a legitimate way of toppling the conglomerate super-store that is Whole Foods, the truly community-conscious know that CITY FEED AND SUPPLY is the only way to go. City Feed rightfully boasts of their creatively designed handmade sandwiches. From PB&J and ham and cheese, to prosciutto di parma and smoked turkey, City Feed offers only the finest, all served up on Iggy’s famous breads. Facing the deli are aisles of premium organic foodstuffs to chow on, and you can bet your dollar is headed to an ethical, local, familyowned business.

_AE

BEST STEAKHOUSE GRILL 23 & BAR | 161 Berkeley Street, Boston | 617.542.2255 | grill23.com

For a long time, steakhouses came in two guises: the cookie cutter, corporate-approved, gimmicky national chain; and the _Liz Pelly stuffy, wood paneled old boys’ club where good posture and a cigar-scented blazer are as necessary as an appetite. But for almost 30 years, GRILL 23 & BAR has been flouting those stereotypes in favor of laidPHO PASTEUR | 682 Washington Street, back luxury. The courteous, pro service, Boston | 617.482.7467 | phopasteurboston.net an extensive raw bar, a catalog of gems on It may be the only restaurant on Earth its endless wine list, and, of course, deftly where the noodles arrive at your table charred steaks that practically fall off the before you even order. Somehow PHO PAS- plate, much to carnivores’ delight, are all TEUR just knows what you want ahead of part of the flawless equation that turns time, and have food runners waiting by many first timers into regulars. What’s the kitchen doors ready to bolt into the more: chef Jay Murray started sourcing dining room. With cheap and delicious his beef exclusively from Brandt Ranch bowls the size of Darth Vader’s helmet — in California to ensure consistency long and everyone from Asian locals to Center- before that practice became an industry folds strippers stopping by to slurp — Pho standard. Talk about a prime cut. _LW Pasteur is a go-to spot that broke, rich,

BEST RESTAURANT, VIETNAMESE

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’11

Shopping & recreation

OUR DARK MATERIALS

it’s not just a place to buy a bike (they specialize in sturdy commuting bicycles), it’s also a place to learn how to maintain it. They teach basics, like fixing a flat and adjusting your brakes, as well as more advanced mechanics like headset overhauling and replacing and adjusting your front derailer. It’s as hands-on as you want to be.

Artist and Craftsman

E

_NM

BEST CLOTHING STORE, MEN’S SALMAGUNDI | 765 Centre St, Jamaica Plain | 617.522.5047 | salmagundiboston.com

CHR ISSY BUL A KITES

nvy the college student: armed with her Rugby jeans, her H&M leggings, her Longchamp bag, her thrift-store couch, her Urban Outfitters plaid shirt, her F21 tank top, her knee-high Hunter boots, her knee-length North Face coat. She is poised to conquer the world. Get her a Coach and a pair of Tory Burch flats, and she’s conquered it already.

For the rest of us, shopping isn’t quite so straightforward. Forget dorm-room proximity and allowance; in these lean times we have to make hard choices. Art supplies or pedicure?

Rabbit vibrator or the latest issue of Deadpool?

It’s all about priorities, and you chose the best places in the city to blow your hard-earned cash.

BEST ARTSUPPLIES STORE ARTIST AND CRAFTSMAN | 580 Mass Ave., Cambridge | 617.354.3636 | artistcraftsman.com It’s a finger-tip-tingling feeling: walking into an art supply shop when the canvas hasn’t yet had its first stroke of paint, when the sculpture’s yet to be welded, when the new project is still on the verge of being a masterpiece. Whether you’re picking up a package of markers, a new easel, silk screening supplies, colored pencils, paint brushes, or a portfolio, ARTIST AND CRAFTSMAN offers the materials, tools, and supplies you need, for students, professionals, or people just

looking to get a little creative at great prices. Plus, the folks who work there can answer all your questions.

_Nina MacLaughlin

BEST BIKE SHOP BROADWAY BICYCLE SCHOOL | 351 Broadway, Cambridge | 617.868.3392 | broadwaybicycleschool.com Here’s what BROADWAY BICYCLE SCHOOL isn’t: a sleek showroom with squeakyclean floors and fancy, bank-breaking racing bikes hung on racks to swoon over. At Broadway Bicycle School, you’re going to see the grease. The floors creak. The space is small, and

Who would have ever thought that Jamaica Plain needed a fresh hats-andmore store fit for everyone from super hipsters to average cats who want to keep their melons warm? Everyone in JP — that’s who! Unless you hang out with some seriously stylish motherfuckers, chances are you’ll never see anybody else rocking the threads and gear you buy at this Centre Street spot right by the monument. In the beginning, SALMAGUNDI — with its smorgasbord of hella dapper B-hats, babushkas, neckties, and fedoras — filled a void for anyone who used to hit Downtown Crossing for the melon covers. Now, it’s the type of place where cats stop by weekly just to peep the new crop.

_Chris Faraone

BEST CLOTHING STORE, WOMEN’S MINT JULEP | 1302 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.232.3600 | 6 Church Street, Cambridge | 617.576.6468 | shopmintjulep.com Looking for fresh and funky outfits and accessories for women ranging from co-eds to career gals? With locations in Harvard Square and Coolidge Corner, the bright and welcoming MINT JULEP carries casual and dress clothes from designers like Tibi and Alice and Olivia, plus jewelry and purses from local and national designers. Gracefully straddling the line between trendy and classic and offering a variety of price points, it’s no wonder this boutique is a favorite of so many.

_Lyette Mercier Continued on p 36

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36 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

SHOPPING Continued from p 34

BEST DENIM STORE MADEWELL | 329 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.424.0904 | madewell.com Ah, the singular wardrobe pleasure of a great pair of jeans — the ones you can wear on errands on a Tuesday afternoon and slide into on a Friday night, as sleek and cool and comfortable as ever. At MADEWELL, the slightly edgier child of parent company J.Crew, you’ll find the best fit for you in a variety of colors, from indigo to white. The salespeople there are eager to help put you into the best possible pair, and the T-shirts, scarves, sweaters, skirts, and accessories are worth a browse as well.

_NM

BEST EROTIC-GIFTS STORE Continuing its firm but gentle grip on the category, GOOD VIBRATIONS dominates Boston’s purveyors of erotic gifts for the fifth year running. Its spacious Brookline storefront, friendly (but not too friendly) and knowledgeable staff, and products ranging from silly to sensual all contribute to GV’s long-lasting success. Offering everything from vibrators to videos and books to ball gags, not to mention hosting classes on erotic arts ranging from dirty talk to tantric sex, GV has got everything you need to get off.

_Lyette Mercier

KELLY DAV I DS ON

GOOD VIBRATIONS | 308A Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.264.4400 | goodvibes.com

Shag

a huge skylight, slick black chairs and custom furniture, plus four experienced stylists, this light, intimate space could fix a pounding headache as quickly as a hair problem.

_LP

BEST HEALTH CLUB CROSSFIT FENWAY | 1345 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.266.7700 | crossfitfenway.com Health club memberships typically mean members can drop in at their leisure, grab a towel, hop on the elliptical, peruse the weights, then pop in the shower and sauna. But CROSSFIT FENWAY knows that directionless workouts are not always so effective. (Who maintains that kind of motivation?) So at their workout space, every trip to the gym is like a personal training session. Members only show up for pre-scheduled, hour-long workouts with small groups, where trainers watch your every move. Word on the street is it’s impossible to not feel sore afterwards — some even call the place “life-changing.”

BEST HAIRCUT, MEN’S MICHAEL LABRECQUE SALON | 292 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.267.8800 | michaellabrecque.com The stylists at MICHAEL LABRECQUE SALON on Newbury have some serious cred: years of experience as master stylists and master colorists, plus extensive traveling for styling classes with top industry names.

One of their stylists, Melissa Medeiros, is certified by the American Board of Haircolorists and a graduate of the Menswork Academy, where she learned the Menswork Method for “logically and practically cutting men’s hair.” Combined with the expertise of Labrecque himself, it’s pretty obvious why they’re the best men’s haircut in town.

_Liz Pelly

BEST HAIR-COLOR SERVICES TREPHIN SALON | 25 Temple Place, Boston | 857.233.2363 | trephin.com Starting in the Neolithic Age, and even through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, humans have used trephination — the drilling or scraping of a hole into the human skull — to treat health problems, relieve pressure, or induce euphoria. The latter might be achieved less painfully with a trip to TREPHIN SALON, named after this weird, primordial practice. Steps away from the Park Street T stop, the second-floor salon was opened in 2010 by Moe Smith and Brian Rand — both former stylists at South Boston’s Shag — and has quickly gained a dedicated fan base. With dark wood floors under

_LP

BEST HAIRCUT, WOMEN’S SHAG | 840 Summer Street, 3rd Floor | South Boston | 617.268.2500 | shagboston.com So they bring you coffee or tea or a glass of wine. So they spend a few extra minutes pressing their fingers over your skull while washing your locks.

So they use and suggest the highest quality products. It’s all part of the show. What matters most at SHAG is that you come away with the hottest haircut possible. The clientele have a rock-and-roll vibe — you’re not going to find your auntie getting her roots touched up and a new perm. There’s a creative edge to the place, and a creative edge to the cuts.

_NM

BEST FACIAL BELLA SANTÉ | 38 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.424.9930 | bellasante.com City skin is bound to need a tune-up enentually, what with Boston’s temperamental weather and grimy urban pollution. Pop into BELLA SANTÉ and choose from over ten deluxe facials for every skin type. Detailed regimens use cleansers, scrubs, masks, serums, and moisturizers from top-notch brands like Carita, Decléor, and Phytomer.

Whether you crave a revitalizing marine boost with a 50-minute Urban Energizing Facial ($98) or an 80-minute Carita Lift and Firming Facial ($240), you’ll leave this Newbury Street spa with glowing skin.

Top off your tranquil treatment with a complimentary hand, foot, or scalp massage.

_Renee Trilivas

BEST MANICURE/ PEDICURE MINILUXE | 296 Newbury Street, Boston | 857.362.7444 | miniluxe.com Some people jet off to the tropics to revive their stressed-out selves, but some just head over to MINiLUXE for a bit of indulgence. Pamper yourself with a 25minute basic manicure for $18 or splurge on a $50 Minx mani. Try unwinding with scrubs and massages in their $35 basic pedicure to renew and nourish fatigued feet. For a toasty treat, upgrade to a warm oil mani/pedi with melting, soy Jimmyjane candles ($45). Pick from their rainbow assortment of Essie and OPI polishes at this clean, modern salon for long-lasting, chip-free nails.

_RT

BEST MASSAGE INMAN OASIS | 243 Hampshire Street, Cambridge | 617.491.0176 | inmanoasis.com If your body feels bruised, banged up, or beaten down, the folks over at INMAN

OASIS will treat it like a temple. Tucked away behind a bakery in Inman Square, this calming “wellness center” offers 13 different kinds of massage, from the standard Swedish and Deep Tissue effleurage to more exotic fare, like a Japanese Shiatsu “finger pressure” technique and Cranio-Sacral brain and spinal fluid therapy. With private and communal hot tub rooms available for continued postmassage indulgence or a relaxing dip after work, this is one oasis you may never want to leave.

_Micah Hauser

BEST JEWELRY STORE SHREVE, CRUMP & LOW | 440 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.267.9100 | shrevecrumpandlow.com How old is SHREVE, CRUMP & LOW? Just about as old as you can get. Back in 1796 John McFarlane, a watchmaker and silversmith, set up shop across the street from Paul Revere. Since then, the high-end jewelry store has been providing the Cabots and Kennedys with diamonds, pearls, and gurgling codfish decanters. The store glitters — glass cases filled with engagement rings, pearl necklaces, watches, earrings, cufflinks, ranging from the understated and lovely to the holy-moly-I-can’t-believe-people-can-spend-that-much-on-aring (the Riviera necklace — 30 inches of diamonds — costs $120,000).

_NM

BEST NERD STORE PANDEMONIUM BOOKS AND GAMES | 4 Pleasant St, Cambridge | 617.547.3721 | pandemoniumbooks.com Nerds stereotypically obsess about new technology, but that’s not so at PANDEMONIUM BOOKS & GAMES, where nerds sing the praises of the most old-school media of all: books. Pandemonium specializes Continued on p 38

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2011’s Best Reason to Smile 11 BINNEY STREET CAMBRIDGE, MA 02142

www.SMILELINEDENTAL.com Tel: 617.49.SMILE (76453)

ABIGAIL PETERSON

38 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

Million Year Picnic

SHOPPING Continued from p 36 in sci-fi and fantasy tomes, hosts readings, and sells from their collection of author-signed copies. Pandemonium nerds also like old-school gaming, with archaic tools like pen, paper and dice.

Descend to the basement, where you’ll find a bevy of fellow tabletop gamers.

Every night, it’s a different game, from D&D to Warhammer 40K to Magic: The Gathering; check up on the schedule at Pandemonium’s website.

BEST BOOK STORE, USED RAVEN USED BOOKS | 52-B JFK Street, Cambridge | 617.441.6999 | ravencambridge.com

Proximity to the world’s best university pays dividends, especially when it comes to used books. All those eggheads selling the Oxford University Press titles they’ve torn through in fits of intellectual ecstasy have enriched RAVEN USED BOOKS beyond measure, to say nothing of their foreign language selection. Before Jean-Claude returns to the Sorbonne, he first needs to _Maddy Myers dump his Bernard-Henry LÊvy collection at the store nearest his garret. With around 1,000 scholarly titles coming to Raven every single week, it’s little wonder the store has NEWBURY COMICS | multiple locations | become a destination for Cantabrigian and newburycomics.com Bostonian bookhunters alike. It doesn’t Several decades into its dominance of Boston hurt that they often undersell Amazon. _EW pop culture, NEWBURY COMICS has acheived a perfect balance. You won’t find your obscure 1975 Van Der Graaf Generator B-side here, but you’ll find a healthy mix of everything an intelligent music lover can ask for, without MILLION YEAR PICNIC | 99 Mount Auburn overspecialization. Add to that the MummStreet, Cambridge | 617.492.6763 | themilRa action figure that used to be cool, then was ironic, then became ironic-cool (who can lionyearpicnic.com Crammed into the tiny subterranean contell?), t-shirts for bands that stopped tourfines of MILLION YEAR PICNIC are the city’s ing by the time you were old enough to like them, and a small but well-curated selection finest specimens of sequential art. Whether you crave the latest issue of Deadpool, or of books and comics, and you’ve got a supplier extraordinaire of accouterments for the a collection of classic Vampirella or Kabuki trades, or a Walking Dead T-shirt, these guys 21st century schizoid. (Man.) _Arafat Kazi are your hook-up. In January, co-owner Jerry Weist (who founded the store in 1974) passed away; but his legacy remains: the staff knows their stuff. (And should you HARVARD BOOK STORE | 1256 Massabe too shy to pick their brains directly, chusetts Ave, Cambridge | 617.661.1515 | eavesdrop a bit — you’ll pick up some boffo harvard.com recommendations that way.) Venerable First, there’s the Frequent Buyer program: comix institution that it is, MYP draws its give HARVARD BOOK STORE your email address, own MVPs, netting in-store appearances and in exchange, they give you an adorable from such heavyweights as Chris Onstad, key fob that entitles you to discounts and Keith Knight, and Charles Burns. _Shaula Clark signals to everyone who sees it that you read books. Then there’s the flat discount on the bestselling titles in the store — always useful in a place where the clientele has excellent taste. But then there are the remainders. Oh, BOSTON BODY PILATES | 8 Newbury Street, those remainders: towering stacks of literBoston | 617.262.3333 | bostonbody.com ary fiction, graphic novels, cookbooks, and When you increase control, flexibility, seemingly every title NYRB Classics has ever released. Harvard Book Store shines as a liter- and strength of the body, you simultaneary Valhalla and a cheapskate’s delight, even ously increase the control, flexibility, without Steve Almond or the book machine. and strength of the mind. And as prized _Eugenia Williamson Continued on p 40

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proudly presents

The voice of

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40 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

SHOPPING Continued from p 38 as a fit, toned body is, a strong, flexible mind is harder to achieve and equally worth the effort. At BOSTON BODY PILATES, the focus is on toning body and brain in a welcoming, relaxing environment.

It’s amazing how quickly you’ll see results — a physical and mental transformation — from Boston Body’s classes and programs. Their kind, knowledgeable instructors work with you to get you into the shape you want to be in.

BEST SPORTINGGOODS STORE REI | 401 Park Drive, Boston | 617.236.0746 | rei.com/stores/80

You’ve got your snowshoes, your thermal moisture-wicking long-johns, your portable stoves, your Nalgene bottles, your bug spray, sun-tan lotion, mountain bikes, and gators. You’ve got your hiking boots, your sleeping bags, your mittens and parkas and swimsuits. You’ve got your kayaks, your _NM car racks, your backpacks. And at REI, you also have access to workers there who know — and love — the outdoors.

Whether it’s skiing, cycling, camping, BERK’S | 50 JFK Street, Cambridge | hiking, boating, backpacking, or bird888.GO.BERKS | berkshoes.com watching, the folks at REI can help outThe diminutive BERK’S in Harvard Square fit you in the best possible way, making is more akin to a shoe closet than a shoe for the safest, most functional outdoor warehouse. But its size belies the range experience. _NM of selection — from the classic to the super-stylish, from flip-flops to kicks to slamming stiletto heels. For a new pair of Frye boots, a pair of Birkenstock sanBOSTON TATTOO COMPANY | 260 Elm dals for summer, a replacement pair of Street, Somerville | 617.625.8282 | Vans, Berk’s has ’em all, and if they’re thebostontattoocompany.com out of a particular style or don’t have When something is going to exist on your size, they’ll take your name and your skin forever, you want it done right. order the shoes for you to pick up later.

Whether you’re itching to complete your And you can order online and get free shipping (better to pop into the place and sleeve, have Mel Gibson’s face inked stop by Shay’s right down the street for a across your back, or a pair of devils dancing on your shoulder, BOSTON TATTOO post-shoe-shop pint). _NM COMPANY ranks as our readers’ pick as the place to get tattooed. The shop has only been opened since last summer, but owner Jason Zube has been helming tatBELLA SANTÉ | 38 Newbury Street, Boston too parlors around here since 2004. The | 617.424.9930 | bellasante.com artists there will work with you on develIt doesn’t just feel good. It isn’t just pleaoping custom pieces, and piercer Brian sure. Cleansing, exfoliating, polishing, Moeller can put holes in parts of your skin enveloping, moisturizing, massaging, you never thought possible. _NM rejuvenating — what BELLA SANTÉ delivers is relaxation, the rare and treasured experience of calm. Their services aren’t just good for your skin, your circulation, your muscles. To place your back under the pressing hands of one of their magic- BOOMERANGS | 716 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.5120 | workers is to ease your nerves, to press shopboomerangs.com pause on the to-do lists and confusions and stresses of your life. A session at Bella If you know how to case BOOMERANGS, then you’ll never have much need for Santé makes it all feel — at least for a overpriced antique stores and so-called little while — a little more manageable. vintage shops. Without less space than It’s not just pampering, it’s self-care. _NM some thrift joints in the suburbs, this

BEST SHOE STORE

BEST TATTOO PARLOR

BEST SPA

BEST THRIFT/ CONSIGNMENT STORE

KELLY DAVIDSON

Berk’s

OM Warrior

BEST YOGA STUDIO

JP (and now West Roxbury) staple takes seriously the task of weeding out the wackness. For obvious reasons, we can’t tell you when the best time is to score the good stuff, but you can bet your ass that boutique owners from across the city stop in before opening their own doors each day. Add in their relationship with AIDS Action, and the style boys and hipster chicks who run Boomerangs, and what you’ve got is more of a local institution than just a place that sells old junk.

BEST VINTAGECLOTHING STORE

_Ariel Shearer

Mexican Restaurant North of the Charles, South of the Border

Delicious Mexican Food | Amazing Drinks & Cocktails A Vibrant Atmosphere | Free Parking… ¡Si, mi amigo!

(617) 651-3300 31 Sherman St Cambridge, MA 01778 (10-15 minute walk from Alewife & Porter Sq)

www.josemex.com

Viva

Mexican Grill A daily celebration of Mexico’s vibrant history and culture!

(508) 651-3300 15 E. Plain St. Wayland, MA 01778 www.vivamexicangrill.com

BOTH RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN: Sun – Thurs, 11am to 10pm & Fri-Sat 11am to midnight

Cream

BOTH RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN: Tacos, Sunday Frie Ice-Cream, Mexican Orchata, Pozole, – Thursday from 11am to 10pm Friday-Saturday 11am to midnight Sopapilla, Chimichanga, Barbecued PorkfromRibs,

Jarritos

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Jose’s

Flautas, Ice-

Garment District

Margaritas,

Mexican Ice- Cream,

Flan,

_Alexandra Cavallo

Tostadas,

F lautas,

Enchiladas,

BLANCHARD’S LIQUORS | 103 Harvard Ave, Allston | 617.782.5588 | www.blanchards.net

Tequilas ,

F lan,

Margaritas,

BEST WINE/ LIQUOR STORE

Enchiladas,

Tostadas,

_Jonathan Donaldson

Quesadillas,

Tequilas,

Anyone who has ever made the mistake of going to Cambridge’s GARMENT DISTRICT too close to Halloween knows that you need to get there sooner than the last two weeks of October. The mob of college boys looking for stripper-nurse costumes and college girls looking for hotdog mustache props is way too imposing. Not too mention the throngs of fearful moms grabbing last-minute Yo Gabba Gabba!–inspired props. But Garment District is not just for Halloween. Whether you’re into their warehouse of his-and-her racks, their low-priced retro room, or their famous ‘dollar-a-pound’ mountain of threads, Garment District certainly wins on volume.

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo, Enchilada s con Mole, Fajita s,

GARMENT DISTRICT | 200 Broadway, Cambridge | 617.876.5230 | garmentdistrict.com

Quesadillas,

Tucked on a side street in the financial district is a quaint little yoga studio called OM WARRIOR. This zen loft offers multiple Vinyasa sessions throughout the day for only a $15 drop-in fee ($12 for students!), with mats to rent if you need one. Marc McDonald runs the studio and guides most sessions — he’s attentive to your posture and helps you achieve full stretches without any pressure to leave a comfort zone. The Vinyasa (sequence linking breath with posture) can be strenuous, but only if you want it to be.

Marc gently guides your body into positions, and his series range from simple sun salutations to hand stands. He’s got enough blocks for everyone to take modifications if they need it, and the room is hot enough you’ll be dripping in no time (though it isn’t technically ‘hot yoga’).

Stop by for an evening class and you’ll realize during final stretches, as you lie down in savasana, that Marc’s dimmed the lights, lit candles, and any and all street noise feels miles away.

Mole Sauce, Barbecued Shrimp, Kahlua, Burritos, Carne Asada, Steak Ranchero, Pozole, Chiles Rellenos, Pescado al Mojo de Ajo, Cerveza,

OM WARRIOR | 133 Pearl Street, Boston | 617.901.4480 | omwarrior.com

_CF

If it’s Saturday night, you’re throwing a party, and you live in Allston, chances are we’ll run into you at BLANCHARD’S. Hell, if it’s Wednesday night, you’ve got no particular plans in motion, and you live in Allston, we’ll probably see you there, too. The massive booze emporium is the definitive place for Rock City denizens to stock up on beer, liquor, and a surprisingly diverse selection of wine.

They’ve got cheap kegs for the students, pricier casks of high-end beer for us “adults,” and scruffy staffers aplenty to lug ’em to your car.

K E LLY DAV I DS ON

SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX | THE BEST | APRIL 22, 2011 41

42 APRIL 22, 2011 | THE BEST | SUPPLEMENT TO THE BOSTON PHOENIX

This year’s winners ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ART GALLERY F GALLERY KAYAFAS | 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston | 617.482.0411 | gallerykayafas.com | p. 8 ARTIST F WALTER SICKERT | armyoftoys.com | p. 8 AUTHOR F JUNOT DIAZ | junotdiaz.com | p. 8 BLOG, MUSIC F SLEEPOVER SHOWS | sleepovershows.com | p. 10 BURLESQUE F BOSTON BABYDOLLS | 119 Braintree Street, Allston | 617.869.2000 | bostonbabydolls.net | p. 10 COMEDIAN F MATT D. | simplymattd.com | p. 10 COMEDY CLUB/NIGHT F IMPROV BOSTON | 40 Prospect Street, Cambridge | 617.576.1253 | improvboston.com | p. 10 DANCE NIGHT, MONTHLY/BI-WEEKLY F VIDEODROME | Common Ground, 83 Harvard Avenue, Allston | 617.783.2071 | commongroundallston.com | p. 10 DANCE NIGHT, WEEKLY F HEROES | T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline Street, Cambridge | 617.492.0082 | ttthebears.com | p. 10 FILM FESTIVAL F INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON | Somerville Theatre, Brattle Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, State Street Playhouse | iffboston.org | p. 10 JAZZ VENUE F BEEHIVE | 541 Tremont Street, Boston | 617.423.0069 | beehiveboston.com | p. 10 KARAOKE F DOREMI | 422 Cambridge Street, Allston | 617.738.8900 | doremikaraoke.net | p. 10 LITERARY GANG F GRUB STREET | 160 Boylston Street, No. 4, Boston | 617.695.0075 | boston.grubstreet.com | p. 12 MOVIE THEATER, ART HOUSE F COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE | 290 Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.734.2500 | coolidge.org | p. 10 MUSEUM F MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS | 465 Huntington Ave, Boston | 617.267.9300 | mfa.org | p. 12 NERD GATHERING F ANIME BOSTON | Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.954.2000 | animeboston.com | p. 12 NIGHT, GAY F GROUP HUG | Enormous Room, 567 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.491.5550 | enormous.tv | p. 12 NIGHT, LESBIAN F SECOND SATURDAY | Machine, 1254 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.536.1950 | machineboston.com | p. 12 NON-GALLERY ART SPACE F ARTS AT THE ARMORY | 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville | 617.718.2191 | artsatthearmory.org | p. 12 PLACE TO PLAY POOL F FLAT TOP JOHNNY’S | One Kendall Square, Cambridge | 617.494.9565 | flattopjohnnys.com | p. 12 POET F ELISA GABBERT | thefrenchexit.blogspot. com | p. 12 ROCK VENUE F MIDDLE EAST | 472-480 Mass Ave, Cambridge I 617.492.9181 I mideastclub.com | p. 12 SPONTANEOUS EVENT F BOSTON ZOMBIE MARCH | twitter.com/zombiemarchVII | p. 12 THEATER COMPANY F AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER | various locations | 617.547.8300 | americanrepertorytheater.org | p. 14 TRIVIA NIGHT F SEX & DRUGS TRIVIA NIGHT | Savant Project, 1625 Tremont Street, Boston | 617.566.5958 | thesavantproject.com | p. 14 TWITTER FEED F @MRPOPE | twitter.com/mrpope | p. 14

CITY LIFE

BAD PUBLIC ART WORK F BOSTON CITY HALL | cityofboston.gov | p. 16 BARTENDER F MISTY KALKOFEN (DRINK) | 348 Congress Street, Boston | 617.695.1806 | drinkfortpoint.com | p. 16 BEACH F CRANE BEACH | 290 Argilla Road, Ipswich | 978.356.4354 | thetrustees.org | p. 18 BIKE ROUTE F MINUTEMAN BIKEWAY | minutemanbikeway.org | p. 18

LOCAL CAUSE F BIKES NOT BOMBS | 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.522.0222 | bikesnotbombs. org | p. 20 LOCAL NONPROFIT F HOME FOR LITTLE WANDERERS | 271 Huntington Avenue, Boston | 888.HOME.321 or 617.267.3700 | thehome.org | p. 18 LOCAL POLITICIAN F SONIA CHANG-DIAZ | soniachangdiaz.com | p. 20 BLOG, POLITICAL F WICKED LOCAL’S MASS POLITICS BLOG | blogs.wickedlocal.com/masspolitics | p. 20 OPEN SPACE F ARNOLD ARBOREUM | 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.1718 | arboretum.harvard.edu | p. 20 PLACE TO LIVE F CAMBRIDGE | cambridgema.gov | p. 20 PLACE TO PEOPLE-WATCH F HARVARD SQUARE PIT | harvardsquare.com | p. 20 PLACE TO RUN F CHARLES RIVER ESPLANADE | esplanadeassociation.org | p. 20 SQUARE F DAVIS | p. 20 STREET F MASS AVE | p. 20 STREET PERSONALITY F “CHINESE ONE-STRING VIOLIN GUY” | p. 20

FOOD & DRINK

BAGELS F BAGEL RISING | 1243 Comm Ave, Allston | 617.789.4000 | bagel-rising.com | p. 22 BAKERY F FLOUR | Various locations | flourbakery. com | p. 22 BAR, AUTHENTIC IRISH F THE BURREN | 247 Elm Street, Somerville | 617.776.6896 | burren.com | p. 24 BAR, ST. PATRICK’S DAY IRISH F THE BLACK ROSE | 160 State Street, Boston | 617.742.2286 | irishconnection. com | p. 24 BAR, BEER GEEK F PUBLICK HOUSE | 1648 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.277.2880 | eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com/publickhouse | p. 22 BAR, COCKTAILS F DRINK | 348 Congress Street, Boston | 617.695.1806 | drinkfortpoint.com | p. 24 BAR, DIVE F CHARLIE’S KITCHEN | 10 Eliot Street, Cambridge | 617.492.9646 | charlieskitchen.com | p. 24 BAR, FANCY F SONSIE | 327 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.351.2500 | sonsieboston.com | p. 24 BAR, GAY F JACQUE’S CABARET | 79 Broadway, Boston | 617.426.8902 | jacques-cabaret.com | p. 24 BAR, HOTEL F NOIR AT THE CHARLES HOTEL | One Bennett Street, Cambridge | 617.661.8010 | noir-bar.com | p. 24 BAR, SPORTS F CASK ‘N FLAGON | 62 Brookline Avenue, Boston | 617.536.4840 | casknflagon.com | p. 24 BAR, TEQUILA F LA VERDAD | One Lansdowne Street, Boston | 617.351.2580 | laverdadtaqueria.com | p. 24 BARBECUE F REDBONES | 55 Chester Street, Somerville | 617.628.2200 | redbones.com | p. 24 BRUNCH F FRIENDLY TOAST | One Kendall Square, Cambridge | 617.621.1200 | thefriendlytoast.net | p. 24 BUFFALO WINGS F WINGS OVER SOMERVILLE | 519 Somerville Avenue, Somerville | 617.666.9464 | wingsover.com | p. 26 BURGERS F MR. BARTLEY’S | 1246 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.354.6559 | bartleysburgers.com | p. 26 BURRITOS F ANNA’S TAQUERIA | Various locations | annastaqueria.com | p. 26 COFFEE SHOP, LOCAL F ULA CAFÉ | 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.7890 | ulacafe.com | p. 26 COFFEE SHOP, NATIONAL F STARBUCKS | Various locations | starbucks.com | p. 26 FOOD TRUCK F MOMOGOOSE | 70 Carleton Street | no phone | momogoose.com | p. 27 GLUTEN-FREE MENU F ELEPHANT WALK | Various locations | elephantwalk.com | p. 27 GREASY SPOON F DELUXE TOWN DINER | 627 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown | 617.926.8400 | deluxetowndiner.com | p. 28

’11

ICE CREAM F JP LICKS | Various locations | jplicks.com | p. 27 JEWISH DELI F ZAFTIGS DELICATESSEN | 335 Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.975.0075 | zaftigs. com | p. 27 LOBSTER ROLLS F NEPTUNE OYSTER | 63 Salem Street, Boston | 617.742.3474 | neptuneoyster.com | p. 27 PIES VS. CUPCAKES F PETSI PIES | 285 Beacon Street, Somerville | 617.661.7437 | 31 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge | 617.499.0801 | petsipies.com | p. 27 PIZZA F PIZZERIA REGINA | 353 Cambridge Street, Allston (plus various locations) | 617.227.0765 | pizzeriaregina.com | p. 27 RESTAURANT, CHINESE F MYERS + CHANG | 1145 Washington Street | 617.542.5200 | myersandchang.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, FRENCH F GASLIGHT | 560 Harrison Avenue, Boston | 617.422.0224 | gaslight560.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, INDIAN F PUNJABI DHABA | 225 Hampshire Street, Cambridge | 617.547.8272 | royalbharatinc.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, ITALIAN F CARLO’S CUCINA ITALIANA | 131 Brighton Avenue, Allston | 617.254.9759 | carloscucinaitaliana.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, JAPANESE F FUGAKYU | 1280 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.734.1268 | fugakyu.net | p. 28 RESTAURANT, KOREAN F BUK KYUNG II | 151 Brighton Avenue, Allston | 617.254.2775 | bukkyungrestaurant.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, LATE-NIGHT F SOUTH STREET DINER | 178 Kneeland Street, Boston | 617.350.0028 | dinerboston.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, MEXICAN F OLE MEXICAN GRILL | 11 Springfield Street, Cambridge | 617.492.4495 | olegrill. com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, MIDDLE EASTERN F THE MIDDLE EAST | 472-480 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.864.3278 | mideastclub.com | p. 28 RESTAURANT, NEW F JOURNEYMAN | 9 Sanborn Court, Somerville | 617.718.2333 | journeymanrestaurant.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, ROMANTIC F DALI | 415 Washington Street, Somerville | 617.661.3254 | dalirestaurant.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, SEAFOOD F EAST COAST GRILL & RAW BAR | 1271 Cambridge Street, Cambridge | 617.491.6568 | eastcoastgrill.net | p. 30 RESTAURANT, SOUTH AMERICAN F ORINOCO | 477 Shawmut Avenue (South End) and 22 Harvard Street (Brookline Village) | 617.369.7075 (South End) 617.232.9505 (Brookline Village) | orinocokitchen.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, SUSHI/SASHIMI — FANCY F OISHII | 1166 Washington Street, South End | 617.482.8868 | oishiiboston.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, SUSHI/SASHIMI — LOW-KEY F JP SEAFOOD | 730 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.983.5177 | jpseafoodcafe.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, TAPAS/SPANISH F TORO | 1704 Washington Street, Boston | 617.536.4300 | toro-restaurant.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, THAI F CHILLI DUCK | 829 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.236.5208 | chilliduckboston.com | p. 30 RESTAURANT, VEGGIE F PEACE O’ PIE | 487 Cambridge Street, Allston | 617.787.9884 | peaceopie.com | p. 32 RESTAURANT, VIETNAMESE F PHO PASTEUR | 682 Washington Street, Boston | 617.482.7467 | phopasteurboston.net | p. 32 SANDWICHES F CITY FEED & SUPPLY | 66 Boylston Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.1657 | cityfeedandsupply. com | p. 32

STEAK HOUSE F GRILL 23 & BAR | 161 Berkeley Street, Boston | 617.542.2255 | grill23.com | p. 32

SHOPPING & RECREATION

ART-SUPPLIES STORE F ARTIST AND CRAFTSMAN | 580 Mass Ave., Cambridge | 617.354.3636 | artistcraftsman.com | p. 34 BIKE SHOP F BROADWAY BICYCLE SCHOOL | 351 Broadway, Cambridge | 617.868.3392 | broadwaybicycleschool.com | p. 34 BOOK STORE, NEW F HARVARD BOOK STORE | 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge | 617.661.1515 | harvard.com | p. 38 BOOK STORE, USED F RAVEN USED BOOKS | 52-B JFK Street, Cambridge | 617.441.6999 | ravencambridge.com | p. 38 CD/RECORD STORE F NEWBURY COMICS | multiple locations | newburycomics.com | p. 38 CLOTHING STORE, MEN’S F SALMAGUNDI | 765 Centre St, Jamaica Plain | 617.522.5047 | salmagundiboston.com | p. 34 CLOTHING STORE, WOMEN’S F MINT JULEP | 1302 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.232.3600 | 6 Church Street, Cambridge | 617.576.6468 | shopmintjulep.com | p. 34 COMIC-BOOK SHOP F MILLION YEAR PICNIC | 99 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge | 617.492.6763 | themillionyearpicnic.com | p. 38 DENIM STORE F MADEWELL | 329 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.424.0904 | madewell.com | p. 36 EROTIC-GIFTS STORE F GOOD VIBRATIONS | 308A Harvard Street, Brookline | 617.264.4400 | goodvibes.com | p. 36 FACIAL F BELLA SANTÉ | 38 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.424.9930 | bellasante.com | p. 36 HAIR-COLOR SERVICES F TREPHIN SALON | 25 Temple Place, Boston | 857.233.2363 | trephin.com | p. 36 HAIRCUT, MEN’S F MICHAEL LABRECQUE SALON | 292 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.267.8800 | michaellabrecque.com | p. 36 HAIRCUT, WOMEN’S F SHAG | 840 Summer Street, 3rd Floor | South Boston | 617.268.2500 | shagboston. com | p. 36 HEALTH CLUB F CROSSFIT FENWAY | 1345 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.266.7700 | crossfitfenway.com | p. 36 JEWELRY STORE F SHREVE, CRUMP & LOW | 440 Boylston Street, Boston | 617.267.9100 | shrevecrumpandlow.com | p. 36 MANICURE/PEDICURE F MINILUXE | 296 Newbury Street, Boston | 857.362.7444 | miniluxe.com | p. 36 MASSAGE F INMAN OASIS | 243 Hampshire Street, Cambridge | 617.491.0176 | inmanoasis.com | p. 36 NERD STORE F PANDEMONIUM BOOKS & GAMES | 4 Pleasant St, Cambridge | 617.547.3721 | pandemoniumbooks.com | p. 36 PILATES CLASS/STUDIO F BOSTON BODY PILATES | 8 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.262.3333 | bostonbody. com | p. 38 SHOE STORE F BERK’S | 50 JFK Street, Cambridge | 888.GO.BERKS | berkshoes.com | p. 40 SPA F BELLA SANTÉ | 38 Newbury Street, Boston | 617.424.9930 | bellasante.com | p. 40 SPORTING-GOODS STORE F REI | 401 Park Drive, Boston | 617.236.0746 | rei.com/stores/80 | p. 40 TATTOO PARLOR F BOSTON TATTOO COMPANY | 260 Elm Street, Somerville | 617.625.8282 | thebostontattoocompany.com | p. 40 THRIFT/CONSIGNMENT STORE F BOOMERANGS | 716 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.5120 | shopboomerangs.com | p. 40 VINTAGE-CLOTHING STORE F GARMENT DISTRICT | 200 Broadway, Cambridge | 617.876.5230 | garmentdistrict.com | p. 41 WINE/LIQUOR STORE F BLANCHARD’S | 103 Harvard Ave, Allston | 617.782.5588 | www.blanchards.net | p. 41 YOGA STUDIO F OM WARRIOR | 133 Pearl Street, Boston | 617.901.4480 | omwarrior.com | p. 41