The Frank Gehry Renovation
There was lots of handwringing in the local art community (and the museum and architecture worlds as a whole) over what controversial architect Frank Gehry might do to our beloved world-class art museum — just google “Guggenheim Bilbao” to understand the cause for concern. But when his $233 million renovation was unveiled in May, we were pleasantly surprised — shocked, really — to find pure elegance at every turn. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130, philamuseum.org.
Crunchik'n
Father-daughter duo John and Jen Choi make everything at their Midtown Village restaurant from scratch, including sauces like Korean BBQ, honey soy, and super-spicy sweet chili — all of which can be doused over wings, popcorn nuggets, or whole, perfectly crispy Korean fried chicken. 212 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, crunchikn.com.
Trace Shop
Come for the cool wares — like cement-and-geode planters or Lord Jones CBD — but stay for the pillar of Marny Baxt’s business: the art. The former talent management exec dreamed up Trace after the passing of both of her parents, when she was faced with sorting through their personal art collection. Baxt wants to connect the community with creatives and make it easy to obtain and custom-frame one-of-a-kind works. 80 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, PA 19003, thetraceshop.com.
Jace Florescio
The stay-at-home order issued in March was a shock to the system for many Philadelphians, and children responded through art, posting homemade rainbows in their front windows. Inspired by this show of solidarity and expression of optimism, Florescio — whose couture balloon installations deliver excitement and wonder to intimate gatherings and corporate fetes alike — used her talents to craft a rainbow garland on her home’s front stoop and those of others in her Fairmount neighborhood. For everyone feeling unsteady or alone, Florescio’s doing her part to make sure hopefulness stays afloat. thatballoongirl.com.
Spogue Kitchens & Bath
Yes, it’ll be hard to walk past the marble countertops and custom Shaker cabinets, but keep your eye on the real prize: the collection of 20th-century drawings and paintings procured directly from renowned art markets in France and waiting for your walls. 302 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, spogue.com.
Gallery Carré d’Artistes Philadelphia
Where else can you flick through hundreds of original artworks like you’re pawing through record albums? 104 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, carredartistesphilly.com.
Wishbone
They're done in a buttermilk batter and a delicious pretzel crust and served with dipping sauces like chipotle lime mayo, honey mustard and parmesan pesto. Try the wings, too. (Locations in Midtown Village and University City.) 210 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, wishbonephilly.com.
<em>Symbiosis</em>
New York artist Roxy Paine's jarring sculpture, on loan to the city for a year, looks like two stainless steel trees stuck in stasis, one collapsing onto the other. It's so sleek that the birds haven't discovered how to do their business on it. Yet. associationforpublicart.org/symbiosis.
Cafe Soho
Forget everything you think you know about this American classic. Caf Soho's bon chon, or Korean fried chicken, is twice-fried (meaning more crunch, less grease) and served with a mysterious spicy/sweet soy dipping sauce (they swear it's just soy sauce and red chilies) and a side of pickled radish (way better than mayo-drenched coleslaw). It's our new comfort food. 468 West Cheltenham Avenue, Cheltenham, PA 19126, mycafesoho.com.
Master Tailor and Cleaners
They'll shake their heads disapprovingly. They'll hem and haw and make no guarantees. And then you'll come back one week later and pick up your totally red wine/oil/makeup-free silk blouse or cashmere cardigan or white linen pants. 1620 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, facebook.com/pages/Master-Tailor-Cleaners/191404560944818.
Katie Dubree Designs
Take one look at the portfolio of this Philly-based artist, and you’ll see why she’s the go-to pro for some of the area’s top interior designers. Dubree specializes in decorative finishes, meaning she’ll take your empty interior walls and transform them with her arsenal of artistry: real (or faux) Venetian plaster and Roman clay applications, pearlized strié, all-over stencils, faux finishes like copper or antique brass, and sweeping hand-painted murals. Who says wall art needs to fit in a frame? katiedubreedesigns.com.
Fabiola Lara’s Instagram "I Voted" stickers
We think it’s okay to admit that a small part of the appeal of voting is getting that sticker upon exiting the polling place and parading it around for the rest of the day. Illustrator Fabiola Lara gets that. So when Instagram reached out to her in March of last year for a series of digital election-season-themed stickers, she delivered. The colorful set of four, available in English and Spanish, has been shared by everyone from Joe Biden and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Selena Gomez and Kerry Washington.
The Routes to Roots Map
As part of a larger community-engagement project with creative colleague Laura Deutch, Philly illustrator Shira Walinsky hand-painted a multilingual map that shows you how to get to all sorts of gorgeous Philly green spaces using SEPTA’s vast network of buses. Find copies at the city’s central Regional Rail stations. Or take a peek online — though the physical map is much cooler. @Gettingtogreen.phl.
Juniper Muay Thai
Whether you’re an experienced fighter or putting on gloves for the first time, you’ll learn the ins and outs of muay Thai — and be taken seriously every step, punch and kick of the way — by co-owners Joe Logan and George Pitsakis. Bonus: There are classes solely for women and for kids. 2019 South Juniper Street, second floor, Philadelphia, PA 19148, junipermuaythai.com.
Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits founder Marat Mamedov says he noticed the rise of malt-based seltzers, knew canned cocktails would be the next big trend, and started canning a Moscow Mule. Made with the distillery’s Brazilian-ginger-root-infused vodka, the effervescent drink is not too sweet and totally refreshing — a tough balance to strike in a can.
“When you have a clean canvas to work with, which the vodka offers, you can let the other flavors shine through in a bigger manner without off-putting notes,” says Mamedov.
ALCO, one arm of Kensington-based New Liberty Distillery, canned classics like vodka soda and gin and tonic with the brand’s own spirits plus fresh ingredients — tonic from century-old soft-drink company Natrona Bottling Company and real lemon and lime juices.
Others in Philly didn’t go so far as to can their concoctions, but they found creative ways to get them into eager drinkers’ hands this past year (well, while to-go cocktails were still legal), including Paul MacDonald at Friday Saturday Sunday and Eddie Adams, head bartender at Bar Hygge. Drawing on the ingenuity that makes them stand-out drink-makers even when we’re not in the midst of a global pandemic, both bartenders figured out how to keep the cocktails coming.
Adams made a steady stream of seasonal punch, which he offered in single-serving pouches or large-format glass bottles. Those came with a bottle of club soda plus a special mix of raw sugar, salt, lavender and coriander so you could rim your glass at home — a fancy touch in not-so-fancy times.
At FSS, MacDonald didn’t limit himself to any specific cocktail but instead bottled (or poured into a single-serving plastic cup) pretty much everything on the menu, except, he says, for the swizzles, which rely on packed-down pellet ice, and the egg-white drinks, which depend on that freshly shaken texture. “Fulfilling off-menu or bartender’s-pick requests has always been a big part of our cocktail program, so I did my best to keep that up when possible,” MacDonald says.
A grateful, slightly tipsy city salutes these libation innovations (and hopes the politicians in Harrisburg get their heads out of the cooler long enough to sign a permanent to-go-cocktail bill).