Eli Collins, A.Kitchen
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In a restaurant world roaring with egos (excuse us, personalities), Collins quietly lets his food speak for itself. Since 2017, A.Kitchen’s executive chef has been flexing his talent and imagination sub rosa, evolving new recipes and techniques for his ever-changing menu at this Rittenhouse cafe. You can see it in the smallest details: the dab of made-from-scratch date mustard that comes with the chicken liver terrine, the delicate tortellini hand-filled with chevre from a local farm, the mussels with broth built from ramps and pickled long hots. What’s missing from the menu is any shred of ego. Instead, every dish gets to be the star. 135 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, akitchenandbar.com.
Ambiance Design
If you’re not a professional designer, maybe you haven’t given much thought to your window treatments — i.e., the only things that help maintain your privacy in a densely populated city. While they can elevate any room in your house, they can also be daunting to choose (a million different options) and install (so much measuring!). Family-run Ambiance Design will come to your home, help you select the perfect window coverings, and return to install them. Products run the gamut from simple Roman shades to the newfangled voice-activated kind. 718 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, adwindowtreatments.com.
River Twice
We absolutely did not need any more “New American” restaurants in this town. Mostly because that description means, essentially, nothing these days — it’s a semantically null phrase most often used for restaurants that don’t really know what they are. But Texas chef Randy Rucker knew exactly what he was doing when he brought River Twice to East Passyunk — opening a deeply personal spot that features modernist impulses, house-made pickles, butter beans escabeche, and his mom’s recipe for bread dumplings. In its moment, it was as idiosyncratic as it was startling, as welcoming as it was delicious, and while it pivoted to takeout during the unpleasantness, we’re hoping hard to see it open again one day soon. 1601 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, rivertwicerestaurant.com.
Sarah Sanford
We've been a fan of the 34-year-old Swarthmore grad since her debut with Pig Iron Theatre Company in 2001. She dazzled us in Pig Iron's Shut Eye (as the distressed sister of a man in a coma), The Lucia Joyce Cabaret (as a drum-playing mental patient) and the Obie-winning Hell Meets Henry Halfway (as the ice-queen protagonist). But the obviously versatile Sanford proved her independence from the charmed group last spring with her successful directorial debut, dance-theater piece Appetite, and we look forward to seeing more of her own work as well as her appearance next month in Pig Iron's Welcome to Yuba City at the Live Arts/Fringe Festival. 00000,
Trolley Car Diner
Running a family-friendly dining spot is harder than it looks: Cater too much to the kids, and parents want to blow their brains out; cater too much to the parents, and parents still want to blow their brains out (because if the kids ain't happy, ain't nobody happy). This neon-bright '50s-style Mount Airy spot gets the blend just right: The kids' menu (which comes on an old-school Viewmaster cool!) offers up crowd-pleasing kid fare like chicken nuggets and mac-and-cheese, while the regular menu has enough ambition and variety (including great veggie options, like an eggplant grinder) to make grown-ups happy, too. Mom-and-dad bonus: great craft beers and boozy adult milkshakes. 7619 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119, trolleycardiner.com.
Kylie Kelce
From the moment Delco’s own Kylie Kelce (née McDevitt) came on screen in the Kelce documentary, describing her and Jason’s first Tinder date without an air of pretension, we knew we had a legend on our hands. Kylie’s rise has been meteoric, but the mother of three keeps it refreshingly real, with laid-back game-day outfits (black athleisure, jean shorts) and a makeup routine that can even be accomplished on the edge of a hotel bed (IYKYK). Of course, she can also glam it up at Milan Fashion Week and help sell out a vintage-style Eagles jacket (yes, the same kind Princess Di wore, naturally) — and raise $100k for the Eagles Autism Foundation in the process simply by signing and modeling it. But she doesn’t have to. And that kind of confidence never goes out of style. instagram.com/kykelce.
Kobe the Husky
The next time you’re scolding your pup for digging up your yard, think twice. That’s exactly how four-year-old Kobe saved Germantown. Owner Chanell Bell had had a gas leak in her house, so when Kobe went to work in her front yard and refused to desist, she tested the air, then called the gas company, which found leaks there and in two neighboring pipes. The heroic husky was celebrated the world over, with articles everywhere from People to the Washington Post to the Guardian, not to mention TV appearances and a kids book by Bell celebrating his feat. “It’s amazing to know Kobe saved our block,” she says.
Lititz
This quaint but increasingly sophisticated Main Street town offers a taste of Lancaster County without the Amish tourist-trappiness. Be sure to grab tomato pie (literal tomato pie, not the saucy pizza-like stuff we get around here) and a pear-and-blue-cheese salad at the aptly named Tomato Pie Caf (23 North Broad Street, 717-627-1762). Throw back a few craft beers (and even craft sodas!) at Appalachian Brewing Company (55 North Water Street, 717-625-0300). And poke your head in at the numerous shops and boutiques selling everything from vintage guitar amps and local art to hand-made stationery and rare books. If you decide to make a night of it, the new upscale Rock Suites at the General Sutter Inn (14 East Main Street, 717-626-2115) are inspired by rock bands (and are totally cool). 00000, lititzpa.com.
Whole Foods
Sure, it’s not quite as luxurious a shopping experience when you’re tossing your BB cream into a cart alongside butter and bananas, but consider this: While the FDA has pretty strict standards for the food we eat, it’s way more lax about the stuff we put on our skin. (Go figure.) This means the beauty market is flooded with products containing phthalates and formaldehyde – both no-no’s for their potential links to cancer. Whole Foods, however, has banned more than 100 such ingredients from its shelves, and it prioritizes plant-based and naturally sourced ingredients, so its serums, masks, cleansers and cosmetics are practically pure enough to eat. So yeah, the brands WF carries may not be designer, but I’ll take a clean ingredient list – and, fine, the free food samples – over a luxe lipstick any day. – Caroline Cunningham wholefoodsmarket.com.
Brandi Davis, Child and Family Coaching
Members of the Dr. Spock generation will roll their eyes when you tell them you've hired Brandi Davis, certified parent coach, to help you deal with your kid's nightly homework meltdowns (or endless tantrums, or constant sass-mouthing). But don't let that keep you from the sweet relief of personalized, practical parenting advice delivered via one $75, 30-minute call or Skype session (or a month-long series of them for $200). Davis helps parents determine simple, positive plans of action, then offers follow-up support over email and text. Her $10 webinars, covering topics such as "Tame Those Tantrums_ã and "The Art of Pottying,_ã are wildly popular, too. childandfamilycoaching.com.
Mahoning Drive-In Movie Theater
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Pennsylvania was home to the country’s second drive-in movie theater, and we once had more drive-ins than almost any other state. And then drive-ins kind of evaporated, leaving a couple of generations never having experienced them. But that all changed earlier this year when traditional movie theaters were forced to close and people rediscovered (or, in many cases, discovered) the drive-in. The gold standard is the Mahoning Drive-In Movie Theater, about 90 minutes northwest of the city. It’s worth the trip, since it’s the rare drive-in theater that solely screens classic movies — on film, no less. And the characters who run the place are as entertaining as the movies themselves. Just watch the documentary At the Drive-In, which is all about the Mahoning. Bonus: You can camp overnight. 635 Seneca Road, Lehighton, PA 18235, mahoningdit.com.
Playbrary
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After putting together free “play packs” for Philly students at the height of the pandemic, playground design and advocacy firm Studio Ludo had a lot of leftover craft supplies. So they expanded into the space adjoining their Grays Ferry office and invited families to explore the new “loose parts” library. Walk through the light-filled former church to find rows of toys and games plus everything from cardboard boxes to old kitchen supplies. Kids can pick up craft inspiration in the art nook or just let their imaginations run wild. You can also reduce your footprint by borrowing toys and/or donating your own. Best of all, Playbrary recently made admission free, because, as they say, “you can’t put a price on play.” 1313 South 33rd Street, unit A, Philadelphia, PA 19146, play-brary.org.
West Chester
Check into a cozy room at West Chesters hospitable new Hotel Warner (120 North High Street, 610-692-6920), where theres fresh popcorn in the lobby after 3 p.m. a well-buttered nod to the locations previous incarnation as a historic Art Deco movie theater. Spend the day lazing around bucolic Chester County; the Brandywine Battlefield is less than five miles away and provides the perfect place for a picnic. At night, enjoy one of the many restaurants within walking distance of your hotel, from oysters and seafood platters at Doc Magrogans (117 East Gay Street, 610-429-4046) to beers and bar and bistro food at the more casual Iron Hill (3 West Gay Street, 610-738-9600). Youll be glad your bed is just around the corner, though it might be hard to resist a pint of Chubby Hubby the hotels front desk offers Ben & Jerrys by the pint for $5. A nice touch. 00000, greaterwestchester.com/visit-w-c.
Virtual Classes
If being at home with your kids 24/7 has changed your attitude toward screen time, it’s okay. We know you love those little rascals, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need some “me” time now and then. Allay your guilt (if you still have any) by registering for one of the many local kids’ classes that have popped up on YouTube and across social media. Settlement Music School is offering Settlement Kids Live (settlementmusic.org), with free music and dance classes for children streamed live on Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday. If your offspring have energy to burn, InMovement Gymnastics Education (phillyinmovement.com) has online tumbling, karate and dance classes. Pick the one that’s right for your little one, and you may actually get the chance to use the bathroom without being interrupted. And the Philly Zoo at 2 (philadelphiazoo.org) introduces kids to all kinds of creatures every weekday at 2 p.m. via Facebook Live — and keeps an archive of past videos for hours of educational streaming.
Herman's
There’s something to be said about a tiny cafe and micro-roastery that can look a seething global pandemic right in the eye and not so much as flinch at the idea of going toe-to-toe with it. There’s even more to be said about the creativity it takes to completely transform, to wholly rebrand, to expand in ways nobody expects, at a time when fear and tragedy can be so debilitating. Herman’s did both. Owners Matt Falco and Amy Strauss were able to turn their converted-auto-repair-shop cafe into a pop-up hub for aspiring chefs and business owners in need of a home, a retail pop-up outlet for vintage brands and plant shops, and a boutique market with an enviable collection of imported pastas, tinned seafood, chocolates, and more food-things you never knew you ever wanted, let alone needed. When the pandemic forced so much of Philly to become less, Herman’s became more, for the neighborhood it’s in and for all of us who needed some inspiration, hope and delicious things in especially trying times. 1313 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, hermanscoffee.com.