Boston may be a city where volumes of history have taken place, but this winter, there’s plenty that’s new on the scene in culture, shopping, restaurants and even all-out pampering. Here’s Forbes Travel Guide's scoop on the best of the new in the Hub.
Where to eat
Acclaimed chef (and Bravo’s Top Chef Masters contestant) Jody Adams, of Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star restaurant Rialto, opened her second Boston-area eatery Trade, this fall. Located on the harbor in the city’s Financial District, the casual restaurant is true to Adams’ organic farm-to-table focus, with small plates and flatbreads inspired by the chef’s travels. Look out for Mediterranean and Asian flavors in dishes such as the lamb sausage flatbread with eggplant, peppers and Manchego cheese.
The newly opened Catalyst, located in Cambridge’s Technology Square, brings brainiacs and foodies together. The industrial interior design in the airy restaurant pays respect to its neighbor, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while rustic elements such as reclaimed barn boards and a two-sided fireplace keep it welcoming. It’s a perfect match for the menu of well-executed crowd-pleasers, like mussels, roasted chicken and housemade pasta.
For the after-dinner crowd, Back Bay’s Storyville is Boston's latest late-night hot spot (as late as can be in an early-to-bed town).
Open until 2 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, the basement bar (former home to Saint nightclub) was at one time a watering hole for jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong. Today, a DJ spins tunes under red lights in the space, which feels like a 1950s jazz club.
Where to spa
With the new year came a new spa treatment to the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Boston. The spa’s luxurious Gemstone Vitality Treatment uses garnets, amethysts and other gemstones mined from New England towns, along with essential oils, in a body scrub and massage to relax and calm spa-goers.
If you doubt the power of crystals, the recently opened Corbu Spa & Salon at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge offers treatments with more common ingredients—herbs and spices. Book a treatment developed by the hotel’s in-house chef Adams of Rialto (she worked on a cocoa-and-coffee slimming treatment) or chef Peter Davis of the popular Henrietta’s Table.
Where to shop
The long-time draw to Boston's North End is traditional Italian cuisine, but recently boutiques have moved in next to the family-owned pastry shops. Stop in at Acquire, a home furnishings shop full of thoughtfully curated vintage items that range from feather calligraphy pens to a 1930s-era velvet chair. You can buy almost everything here, including home accessories and jewelry, but the store will order anything you’re looking for but can't find. For bigger names, the always-popular shopping district of Newbury Street has stores from Chanel and Dior to Cartier. Take a closer look in between the designers and you'll find new boutiques such as French brand Cotelac, Ben Sherman’s preppy-cool menswear and hip British retailer AllSaints.
Where to explore
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston's Degas and the Nude exhibit features works from Edgar Degas’ long study of the human body, including some from Paris’ Musée d’Orsay, which co-organized the show. Reviewers have said the collection provides a new view of the artist—known best for his paintings of ballerinas—as he reflects the female form in a naturalistic way. The exhibit, including paintings, sculpture and pastel drawings, is on display until Feb. 5.
