Waterless Works
This Malvern-based start-up run by a trio of local college-kids-turned-entrepreneurs comes to your home or office to do the job, eschews soap and water for a plant-based cleaning solution, and donates money from each wash (they start at $40) to provide water for communities in need. Service areas include Philly and its 'burbs and select spots in Delaware and South Jersey. waterless-works.com.
Premier Art Installation
You're probably capable of hanging family photos on the wall, but when it comes to fine art, you should turn to a pro. Kevin Reissmann of Premier Art Installation is a professional installer for the Philadelphia Museum of Art who also hangs priceless pieces for collectors in the area and beyond. (Clients have included Coretta Scott King and Usher.) He'll even move your masterpieces, should you need to relocate your Renoir from the Devon estate to your home in Miami. premierartinstallation.com.
Doggie Style Pets
Sign up to walk one of Doggie Style Pets’ resident pups. The dogs are adoptable, but even if you can’t take one home, you can have a canine companion for a half-hour. Just pick your time and store location online, show up, present your ID, and get instant happiness in the form of a fluffy friend (while helping the shelter give the dogs some exercise). Multiple locations, doggiestylepets.com.
Vernick Food and Drink
Greg Vernick has gathered ideas from places as far-flung as Qatar and Tokyo but the best thing about his restaurant is the way it makes you feel at home. While the Cherry Hill native comforts you with his stupendous toasts or lulls you into a daze with his grilled black sea bass his best pal, GM Ryan Mulholland, makes everyone who comes through the door feel not so much like an honored guest as a welcome friend. 2031 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, vernickphilly.com.
Bravado Philly
Because you can’t shop for a BVI vacation at 9 p.m. the night before you leave, Pamela Caruso and Jennifer Rossi will bring the racks (and plenty of coordinating accessories) right to you. The concierge stylists have also sourced $55 black-tie gowns and held meetings in day-care parking lots — they can even arrange for a tailor to come to your home or office. bravadophilly.com.
Four-Handed Massage at Nurture Spa
Just in case the thought of a simultaneous scalp and foot massage isn't enough to make your eyes roll back in your head, we'll explain it this way: It might be best to have a loved one come along to drive you home afterward, as if you are undergoing an outpatient medical procedure for which you are receiving heavy sedation. Because truth be told, after this massage, we shouldn't have been on the road. 415 South York Road, New Hope, PA 18938, nurturespa.com.
Lux Natural Teeth Whitening
It’s time to accept that we’re all so vain (cue Carly Simon) and just want to look good. And when it comes to getting pearly whites, Lux takes the gold with its plant-and-mineral-based gel that’ll lift your teeth up to 12 shades in a single visit. No irritated gums, no worn-away enamel, no waiting forever to see results — time to throw away those lame at-home strips. 1650 Market Street, suite 3600, Philadelphia, PA 19103, lux-whitening.com.
Fishtown Seafood
At the new Fishtown Seafood, owner Bryan Szeliga only stocks thoughtfully sourced, chemical-free fish and shellfish, including small-batch East Coast oysters dug up from Jersey to Maine. His Monday classes will teach you the fine art of shucking for just $20 — and send you home with 15 oysters so you can hone your skills in your own kitchen. 339 Belgrade Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, fishtownseafood.com.
Heiler Painting
So you think you can paint a wall, and suddenly you’re six hours in and you’ve barely taped off the light switches. Heiler Painting isn’t just better at painting than you; they’re honest with their pricing and — just as importantly — their timing. (No waiting around hoping the painter will show up that day.) Beyond interior and exterior painting, the company also provides stucco repair (to keep out that pesky moisture) and cabinet refinishing. And for those looking to weatherize their homes, window glazing is available. 650 Painter Street, suite 1, Media, PA 19063, heilerpainting.com.
Beekeepers for a Day
Sure, you could meet at a bar or try to get a table at the best new restaurant in Philadelphia. But if you really want to see what your possible future better half is made of, both of you can don some beekeeper outfits and spend half a day delving deep into bees and their hives with South Philly apiarist Mark Berman. Bonus: You get to take home a bottle of backyard honey. What you do with that honey after this segment of your date ends is your business. instagram.com/annabeeshoney.
Jeff Michaud, Osteria
Why? Because he started cooking at 13. Because he did time in Aspen before coming to work for Marc Vetri at his eponymous Philly restaurant and then, when Michaud decided that he needed to learn more about Italian cooking, just up and moved to Lombardy, where he spent three years walking the earth like Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu working his way up from butcher's boy at a small family shop to executive chef at an inn at the foot of the Alps. Then he came home again and opened Osteria for Vetri, where he currently does amazing things to pizzas, pastas and rabbits. 640 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, osteriaphilly.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).
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.
Cape May
Thanks to a brand-new $2 million restaurant, bar and concert-venue development at the Cape May ferry terminal (where you can hop a boat to Lewes, Delaware), New Jersey’s southernmost shore has had some much-needed new life breathed in. At Ferry Park, get cocktails at Boat Drinks, brews and casual fare at Exit Zero, and steaks and seafood (and peerless views) at the Lookout. When it’s time for bed or just relaxing by the pool or sea, stay at La Mer Beachfront Resort for the most fashionable oceanfront suites in town. Before you head back home, kick it old-school at the Lobster House’s locals-heavy breakfast counter — if you can get a stool.
The Black Cat Tavern on 12th
The traditional ones are stuffed with potato and cheese; the fun ones are stuffed like jalapeño poppers; and during the holidays, some even come with smoked duck and cranberry. It’s pierogi heaven where you wouldn’t expect it. 2654 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, blackcattavernphilly.com.