Best wine/liquor store

Marty's is like a kaleidoscope. Turned this way, it's your basic package store, turned that way, a wine boutique; this way, a deli and gourmet shop, that way, a tobacconist's, and so on. Take some time to poke around, and you'll find exotic bags of red and purple rice, bottles of Turkish raki and jars of pickled snap peas, respectable pepperoni, and even dusty old dartboards. Take some time to ask around, and you'll find that the floor staff is far more knowledgeable, particularly in the surprisingly extensive wine department, than you may have expected in a neighborhood populated largely by underage beer-guzzlers and shot-shooters.

If Marty's is all over the place, the Wine & Cheese Cask in Somerville shows restraint. Granted, it's a smaller space, but it makes efficient use of it, specializing in European wines that are modestly priced (read: about $10) for a clientele that tends to be savvier -- though the staff certainly goes out of its way (not that there's much room to do so) to help those customers that aren't. As for the cheese selection, the Cask favors varieties that are harder to acquire -- as a matter of both taste and import laws. That can make shopping here a pungent learning experience.

Marty's, 193 Harvard Street, Allston, (617) 782-3250. Wine & Cheese Cask, 407 Washington Street, Somerville, (617) 623-8656.