I think we ALL deserve a Michelin star

Inspectors are in Philly, and the predictions are rolling in

Happy Monday. I worked an 11 hour shift Saturday and accidentally had a 10 hour Sunday funday yesterday, while still finding time to make considerable progress with East of Eden. Balance. Steinbeck popped all the way off with this one: Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.

You’re most likely getting two newsletters from me this week, how fun for you. Today I’m covering the name on everybody’s lips: Michelin. Plus, the hottest coffee shop in town and the art gallery you should all be following.

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• It’s official: Philly is getting the Michelin treatment. Well, sort of. Keep reading. I’m enjoying all the discourse, including the comments on this post. And this. And this! People in this city, as usual, have a lot to say. I’ve seen one too many comments predict a star for Murph’s. I like Murph’s (although, don’t go when you’re hangry), but good enough for a rating…are we eating at the same place? Echoing some of the other popular mentions though, like Kalaya, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, and Friday Saturday Sunday. Not seeing a ton of Provenance mentions, but maybe it’s too new? It’s important to note, inspectors’ boots are on the ground, but a restaurant actually getting a star, or more, is not guaranteed. Mahira Rivers, one of my favorite writers and a former Michelin critic, detailed some of the process in “Anatomy of a Review”. I highly recommend reading if you want a peek behind the curtain.

• Speaking of stars…Jason Sheehan has high hopes for Bastia making the cut. I ate there last week and can attest to a standout dining experience. I was most impressed by the oyster mushroom app and the ricotta dumplings. The atmosphere reminded me of a homier, dimmer 1 Hotel lobby (said with love), the service was personable, and the whole thing feels ambitious without being showy. The dessert menu is majorly lacking, though.

  

• The dirty chai at Two Persons is phenomenal.

• Not to make this entirely food related, but I had brunch at Trattoria Carina yesterday, and besides having the second-best sidewalk set-up in the whole city (Parc is first), the brunch food is exactly the kind you want to be eating on a spring Sunday morning: a Caesar salad, an Italian omelette, and a spritz, of course.

  

  the most ideal combo

• I guess this will be all food related, but who’s sorry. Middle Child currently has a roast pork sandwich on the menu. It does look amazing, but roast pork anything probably ranks bottom 3 for me when it comes to meats in sandwiches. I’m partial to their turkey / blueberry chutney situation, the Surfer. That, a Diet Coke, and a bag of Voodoo chips, I mean come on. Why would I stray?

• Solar Myth is the place to work from home. Or more specifically, work from home (ish) when it’s thunderstorming. I had several emo moments sitting there thinking about how it occupies the space where Boot & Saddle once was (the iconic sign is still there). I think I went to Boot & Saddle twice, but let a girl romanticize. Solar Myth is doing something different: it’s a coffee spot at 8 AM and a wine bar when the time feels right (noon onward).

  

  expect a funky record you haven’t heard before playing in the background

• If you like art, cool events, and are in need of a gathering place for like-minded creatives, pop in The People’s Gallery Project. I’ll be running its Instagram this summer, so follow along + say hi :)

• Speaking of following, for anyone else also invested in the ice cream shop boom of 2025, Malai just opened its Rittenhouse location. I’m sure I’ll make it there at some point this summer, but in the meantime, Pooja was on She’s My Cherry Pie last week. I loved listening to her spice-forward approach to developing ice cream flavors, and her new cookbook sounds sweet.

• If your dream is to be the Social Media Manager for the Eagles, they’re hiring. My first thought went to this ‘Day in the Life’ rundown from the organization’s Director of Social, Julie Bacanskas, for Link in Bio, one of my favorite industry newsletters. A must-read for anyone who thinks working in social is easy, lol.

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I wasn’t planning on writing this but felt inspired by the energy in the city air yesterday!!! A lot of cool things are happening in Philly right now and I cannot waiiiiittttt for summer. I also cannot wait to be firmly planted in the sand for the entirety of MDW, with nothing to do and nowhere to be. Working on an outfit diary for later this week xx