Rooster Soup Co.
Pop into CookNSolo’s modern luncheonette because the tuna melt and smoked matzo ball soup are endlessly satisfying. Pop in because Rooster’s new chef, George Sabatino, is doing really cool things with local meats and produce. And definitely pop in because 100 percent of the restaurant’s profits go to Broad Street Ministry’s Hospitality Collaborative, an organization that feeds Philly’s hungry and food-insecure. Editor’s note: Rooster Soup Co. has undergone major changes since we announced this award. George Sabatino is no longer the chef, the concept is Jewish deli–style luncheonette, and the restaurant is called simply The Rooster. 1526 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19102, roostersoupcompany.com.
Rat's
It's on the other side of sad-sack Trenton, in a not-so-romantic warehouse wasteland. But this tiny Claude Monet-inspired French village and 35-acre sculpture park, the formal whimsy of Johnson and Johnson heir J. Seward Johnson (and named for Wind in the Willows character Ratty, the quintessential host), boasts a decor that's Frida Kahlo meets Swiss chalet, with bright colors, arched wood beams and fireplaces. The food is beautifully done eclectic French, but the sell here is the sculpture park and its moodily lighted paths. Its goofiness (dancing twigs!) strikes just the right note of postprandial surprise and how-did-this-place-get-here? delight exactly the stuff, in fact, of romance. 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ 08619, ratsrestaurant.org.
Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
ALCO canned cocktails. Photograph courtesy New Liberty Distillery 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).
All + None
Philly-based queer personal trainer Anna Claire (AC) Loper was on a mission to find new workout shorts — ones that were lined, supportive and gender-neutral. Fed up with lackluster options, Loper created All + None, an activewear brand with size-inclusive and non-gendered pieces — a compressive bodysuit, a full-coverage muscle tee, and the boxing shorts Loper envisioned — meant to make all bodies feel good, especially when they’re moving. shopallandnone.com.
Paint Nite
You wouldn't think a couple of hours with a drink and a paintbrush would be such a hilarious experiment in bonding, or such an oddly satisfying creative release, but there you have it. The increasingly popular Paint Nite franchise, which sends local artists and teachers to bars all over the city every single night, is a happy respite from the ubiquitous sauv-blanc-and-pommes-frites routine. You might even go home with a painting you're proud of. (Okay, probably not. But still.) paintnite.com/pages/home/index.
The Convention Center Vote-Count Partyers
Dancing mailboxes, a Philly Elmo drum line, a days-long pop-up block party in the street drowning out the cultish pro-Trump protesters at the Convention Center — and all of it covered not just across the country, but around the globe. What more needs to be said? Good things happen in Philadelphia.
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.
Isaiah Thomas
Photograph by Gene Smirnov While the Democratic primary was grim for lots of progressives (Helen Gym, Seth Anderson-Oberman and Amanda McIllmurray, for starters), Thomas was the top vote-getter in the hotly contested City Council at-large race. He tallied over 108,000 votes — not bad for a Black millennial best known for demanding more police accountability at traffic stops.
Modern Misfits
Where else can you snag a tote shaped like farfalle? Modern Misfits turns vintage, recycled, and locally sourced fabrics into one-of-a-kind pieces that are wonderful and wearable, thanks to South Philly’s Aubrey Loftus. This is slow fashion with a wink — and just the right amount of sauce. Bring the fun to you by booking an iron-on workshop for your event (we loved them at the Flower Show this year) and create custom totes and shirts. modernmisfitsshop.com.
Wood Street Pizza
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 325 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, woodstreetphl.com.
Sidecar Bar & Grille
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 2201 Christian Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, thesidecarbar.com.
Pizzeria Stella
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 420 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, pizzeriastella.net.
Pizza Plus
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 1846 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, pizzawhat.com.
Gigi Pizza
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 504 Bainbridge Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, gigipizzaphilly.com.
Emmy Squared
If nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get. See the full write up at Takeout Pizza. 632 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, emmysquaredpizza.com/location/queen-village-philadelphia-pa.