Mish Mish
Along with Jeff Goldblum’s filmography and the bathroom jokes in Ulysses, this apricot-adorned spot fits into the highbrow/lowbrow category that makes daily existence more enjoyable. Mish Mish doesn’t take itself too seriously — the wine list has tasting notes like “red silk pajamas” and “gabagoolian” — yet the hospitality is as finely tuned as at any upscale spot. So if you ever need to create the illusion that you’re chill and have great taste, book a table, order some grilled octopus with muhammara, then sit by the Singing Fountain and discuss your hopes and fears and the Jawn Morgan billboards on I-95. 1046 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, mishmishphilly.com.
Patrick McNally Accounting
A few years ago, with a pile of W-2s and 1099s and LLC forms and other tax documents we still don’t understand, we wandered down to Packer Avenue, walked up to the second story of a strip mall, and met a man whose calm and generosity of spirit can only be described as saintly. Since then, we haven’t entrusted our taxes to anyone else. McNally also handles payroll and bookkeeping services for small businesses, and if his tax work is any indication, you’d be in good hands there, too. 1546 Packer Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145, mcnallyaccounting.com.
Philadelphia Diamond Company
Photograph courtesy of Philadelphia Diamond Company Gemologist Ken Black and wife Nicole have been in the business for just over two decades, taking abstract nuptial jewelry ideas and turning them into works of wearable art. The couple uses both lab-grown gems (a lower-carbon-footprint option) and natural stones for their genderless engagement and wedding rings, which are all certified by the Gemological Institute of America. For added sparkle: They have a design patent pending on a star ring band with five points of contact on the finger, which helps with comfort and fit and ensures that your huge rock stays upright. 421 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, philadelphiadiamondco.com.
Joey Chops
Steakhouses are dull. Oh, maybe they’re fine for preening hedge fund bros, reunion dinners and your grandpa, but these days any restaurant should be able to offer more than just thick steaks, cooked mid-rare, dressed in maitre d’ butter and served with some starch and veg. Thankfully, the team at Joey Chops feels the same way, and they’ve put just as much care and consideration into their lobster dumplings, airline chicken Milanese, blue crab deviled eggs and burrata ravioli as they have into the dry-aged ribeye and the New York strip. 245 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, PA 19355, joeychops.com.
Haddonfield
It's just so freakin'cute. Seriously like,How could I swing moving here? cute. But besides the ridiculously charming, friendly, bucolic atmosphere along Kings Highway East, the shopping is simply divine. There's everything from kid stuff (Pipsqueak) to women's wear (Maxwell James) to sporting equipment (Haddonfield Running Company) to jewelry (McNelis and Sherry) to art galleries (Accent Studio) to gifts (Serendipity) to home furnishings (The Upholstery Shop) to lingerie (Georgie Girl Boutique) to music (Siren's Song) to spas and salons (Salon M Design) to ... Oh, we're tired. Just go, already. 00000, shophaddonfieldnj.com.
Lancaster
You may think Lancaster is all shoo-fly pie. Not so. Take the family to the new Cork Factory, a boutique hotel downtown in, well, a converted cork factory. The adjacent hands-on Science Factory museum has plenty to kill an afternoon. Visit on a First Friday, and check out cool shops and art galleries, making sure to hit Central Market, the country's oldest farmers' market. Eat at Iron Hill Brewery for a taste of something familiar, or seek out On Orange, Lancaster's funkiest brunch spot. And by all means, if the nearby Buck Motorsports is having a demolition derby, go. The kids will go nuts. 501 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, padutchcountry.com.
Egan Day
Love the art of the find as much as the item itself? Jewelry boutique Egan Day is one of the most exquisite retail spaces in Philly, with the types of gems only the well-informed shopper seeks out. Here, delicate pieces by artists like Nicole Landaw, Gabriella Kiss and Maria Beaulieu are displayed beneath glass cloches: blazing-bright Australian opals, Tahitian pearls the size of marbles and slices of brown diamonds, all so lovely and subtly glam, you'll wonder why you ever measured luxury by sparkle alone. 260 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, eganday.com.
Black Hound Clay Studio
Bethany Rusen, founder and director of this inclusive pottery studio, says ceramics saved her life, adding, “I’m hoping I can pass that experience on to other people.” Black Hound offers affordable space to artists and sliding-scale pricing for workshops. If you just want to drop in, you can create a functional piece of art like a mug or planter in about two hours. More ambitious? Try an eight-week session in wheel-throwing ceramics. Up next: A second location is coming this fall to Point Breeze. 715 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143, blackhoundclay.com.
Scatton's Heating & Cooling
We recently needed a contractor for a big project, a basement-to-attic job: oil-tank and boiler- system removal, a switchover to natural gas, mini-duct split units for air-conditioning. (Like we said, it was a big job.) In addition to having the best price, the folks at Scatton’s were personable, did impeccable work, and did so with top-of-the-line products. And as the post-pandemic crush of home renovations continues, we’ll say one more thing — they actually responded to our calls, which can’t be said of everyone. 920 Allentown Road, Lansdale, PA 19446, scattonshc.com.
Kalaya
With palm trees sprouting from the center of a perpetually busy dining room and a bar slinging lemongrass-infused cocktails, the new Kalaya — a partnership between Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon and Defined Hospitality — certainly looks different than it did in its Bella Vista days. But in the face of the inherent Philadelphia skepticism that greets any beloved space’s evolution, Kalaya’s southern Thai dishes still pack the same delightful punch. And Suntaranon still floats around the dining room, sometimes holding someone’s baby, always representing a menu that pays exquisite homage to her heritage. 4 West Palmer Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, kalayaphilly.com.
B. West
Back in 2015, longtime Silk City owner Mark Bee took what had been the city’s only lesbian bar, Sisters, and turned it into a Gayborhood burlesque-and-drag paradise called Franky Bradley’s. Today, he’s taken the adjacent property, formerly the storied gay club Key West, and transformed that into a magical performance space, bar and dance club that might contain more disco balls and glowing vinyl paintings than any other place on Earth. Look for regular events like a fashion-design contest called Seam Queen, Latin dance parties, and performances by Best of Philly-winning cabaret duo Glitter and Garbage. 1320 Chancellor Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, frankybradleys.com.
Fish
Meat pops up in dishes here and there chorizo nestled among steamed clams, bits of chicken skin (!) scattered in a salad but it's a seafood-lover's paradise at chef/owner Mike Stollenwerk's Rittenhouse spot. Fans of Stollenwerk's previous restaurant, Little Fish, which closed earlier this year, might recognize a few dishes (and the attentive servers), but there are plenty of new and utterly delicious ones to make this larger, liquor-licensed location a star on its own. You haven't had skate until you've had Fish's version over truffled spaetzle with parmesan broth and melted leeks, although you really can't go wrong with any of the inventive fish fare. 1234 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, fishphilly.com.
Glasbern Country Inn
Though this Lehigh County property bills itself as a country inn, Glasbern is far more luxurious and refined than any you've probably been to. Opt for the two-level, $200-per-night-and-up Garden Cottage Suite, which offers all the comforts and amenities you could possibly want plus cathedral ceilings, two wood-burning fireplaces, and a private deck with pastoral views. It doesn't hurt that the on-site restaurant is producing some of the most sought-after food in the Lehigh Valley. (Score: breakfast is complimentary.) 2141 Pack House Road, Fogelsville, PA 18051, glasbern.com.
Andrew Meredith
This 38-year-old Northeast native's debut work, a memoir called The Removers, is dark and bleak and funny and utterly Philly. The down-on-his-luck narrator joins his sad dad, a disgraced former La Salle prof, in the business of making house calls to pick up corpses for local funeral homes. Between encounters with the dead and those they leave behind, he meanders in and out of love affairs, observes the dissolution of his parents' marriage, and ponders why he can't seem to gain any traction. A tour de force that should be the hands-down choice for the next One Book, One Philadelphia campaign. andrewmeredith.net.
Todd Young
Whether you’re trying to restore your grandmother’s Royal Quiet De Luxe or just get the dust-covered Remington that’s been sitting in your attic working well enough to type some letters up old-school-style, this typewriter geek has the tools and know-how to get the job done — and more affordably than some other folks in the biz. Find him through Mount Airy’s W.P.M. Typewriter Shop, just across from Weavers Way. 6819 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119, wpmtypewritershop.com.