Microblading at 3000BC
It's semi-permanent makeup 3.0: Color-matched ink is applied one stroke at a time via tiny blades, rendering your eyebrow pencil utterly useless for the next two years. 8439 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, PA 19118, 3000bcspa.com.
Liberty Drones
Don't be fooled by the small space and single-focus selection (literally, it's all drones here): Philly's first drone store has everything from mosquito-buzzing, laser-tagging mini-drones for the kids to the latest in professional-grade technology, with 4K video resolution, three-mile flying range, hover stabilization and even crash-proof settings. 520 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, libertycitydrones.com.
Aldine
It's all about vegetables now, and Aldine is one of those restaurants fully invested in the center-plating of flora over fauna. Chef George Sabatino expertly plays with flavors and textures, and the best way to experience this is to order any preparation of beet on his menu. Swear to God, you'll never look at a tuber the same way again. 1901 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, aldinerestaurant.com.
DanDan
Because sometimes all the people you know are busy or awful or both, there's DanDan. The menu features a long list of small plates, soups, noodles and vegetables that encourages grazing, and if you're looking to be left alone, the far-less-crowded upstairs dining room will give you space to enjoy your own company. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet some better friends while you're there. 126 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, dandanrestaurant.com.
Chick & Nello's Homestead Inn
For decades, you had to rely on the waiters to recite what's available. Now they've finally gotten menus, but don't bother: We'll just tell you that you want linguine with the "primo" sauce (a combination of pork ragu and oil-and-garlic sauces), some baked clams, an antipasti salad, and a veal chop cooked on a real charcoal grill. Or, if it's Wednesday, ask for the whole veal breast special, something we can't even find in Philadelphia. 800 Kuser Road, Trenton, Trenton, NJ 08619, homestead1939.com.
Petty's Island Driftwood Dream
Give this one to people who say they don't like rum. The creation of Camden's Cooper River Distillers, it is smooth, complex, sweet and hauntingly dark with brown sugars, and it'll make them rethink their prejudice against one of the world's more maligned spirits. cooperriverdistillers.com.
Good King Tavern
Whether you've just swiped right or you're 20 years in, take your date to this cozy maize-gold space. It's got tin ceilings and a French-countryside vibe, so if you order a jug of wine and snacks off the menu of Paris-bistro classics, you'll almost feel like you're in France. 614 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, thegoodkingtavern.com.
Draft Latte at La Colombe
La Colombe founder Todd Carmichael might as well be a mad scientist. He went ahead and kegged the two-ingredient latte (cold brewed coffee and frothed milk) and then, with the help of a super-secret proprietary method for pulling the drink from the tap, created the most velvety-smooth iced coffee you've ever had. (Multiple locations.) lacolombe.com.
Ely Farm Products
Before it closed, Buckminster's featured this fantastic bologna on its menu, and it was so good that it was worth the trip just to check it out. So if you ever see this on a menu around town, try it. It'll change the way you think about bologna and make you consider a day trip to the Bucks County farm store to get more. 401 Woodhill Road, Newton, PA 18940, elyfarmproducts.com.
Brick & Brew
Try ordering a Pimm's Cup or Sazerac or asking for brandied cherries or a fancy whiskey at your average bar in Delco and you'll get the hairy eyeball — but not here. The cocktail list is sophisticated, the whiskey list is extensive, and the bartenders actually know what they're doing. For bites, the brick-oven pizzas are better than most, but don't miss the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, house-made soft pretzels, shrimp tacos and chicken schnitzel. 2138 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083, bricknbrewpub.com.
Bacon at LP Steak
We can think of exactly one reason to visit Luke Palladino's Valley Forge Casino Resort steakhouse: the grilled and smoked paprika bacon. It's pork candy — thick strips of sweet, tender pork belly, sticky with a maple-mustard glaze — and addictive enough that it deserves its own support group. 1160 1st Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406, vfcasino.com/dining/lp-steak.
La Peg
In a year when French restaurants seemed to be staging something of a comeback in Philly, what did Peter Woolsey, one of the city's best-known traditional French chefs, do? He napalmed the entire menu at his Fringe Arts French restaurant, La Peg, and rebuilt it from scratch as a straight regional American menu — one he executes with French techniques that launch pedestrian dishes (fried cheese, pot roast, clam chowder) to new, previously impossible heights. 140 North Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19106, lapegbrasserie.com.
Premier Nightclub
Leave it to the Borgata to go all-out with its new club, which opened in April: World-class DJs like Lil John, DJ Ruckus and Steve Aoki; lots of fog, lasers and other lighting effects; and, of course, no shortage of gals in spindly stilettos and bandage dresses and guys in second-skin tees combine for a fittingly debauched night in A.C. 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, premierborgata.com.
Tildie’s Toy Box
Satisfy brainy tots—and their helicopter parents—at this Penn-grad-owned toy shop, which skips Disney and Marvel paraphernalia in favor of a clever, gender-neutral assortment of games, toys and puzzles. 1829 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, tildiestoybox.com.
The Craftery Market
You probably know the Craftery from its popular workshops, but if you happen to be of the buying rather than DIY-ing camp, check out their new seasonal market housed inside a rustic barn. (The next one is slated for the fall.) The $5 entry will get you access to handmade goods, fresh flowers, vintage finds, live music, and wine from local vineyards. 123 North Main Street, Suite 256B, Dublin, PA 18917, thecrafterypa.com.