A Weekend In Philadelphia

Mid-way between New York and Washington D.C., Philadelphia is kind of like the middle child of the East Coast, often overlooked and with a reputation for being rough around the edges with rowdy sports fans. Don't get stuck on the stereotypes though – Philly has a more refined and beautiful side too. Just look at the chrysanthemum blooms, bamboo art and autumn colors currently on display at Longwood Gardens. There's a lot more to this city than the Liberty Bell and Reading Terminal Market.

STAY

Officially opened in August, the 219-room Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center is a beacon for Philly's future. A rapid elevator ascension to the 60th floor lobby lays the grandeur of the city at your feet, with extravagant floral arrangements accenting the otherwise modern and minimalist design. All guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, sleek bedside room controls and the Comcast X1 video platform, including more than 50,000 movies and shows. You're staying here for the views and advanced integrated technology that's setting new standards for Four Seasons.

A visit to the 57th floor spa and fitness center is a must for a dip in the indoor infinity pool followed by a spa treatment. The rejuvenating crystal pedicure and manicure are luxurious beyond belief, with soothing warm crystal massage followed by collagen masks replacing traditional paraffin. The lone pedicure station is more like a throne than a chair.

By contrast, The Rittenhouse is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, with hotel packages available through December commemorating the milestone. Here, the stately, polite atmosphere fits right in with the tony neighborhood, from the spacious suites to the buttoned-up service at Lacroix Restaurant. The Rittenhouse Spa & Club completed a multi-million dollar renovation last year and the first-rate gym amenities include daily group fitness classes for hotel guests. Coif your hair after a workout at the adjacent salon by Paul Labrecque.

Both properties have warm five-star accommodations and service, but the difference in style is apparent even in the house cars – the Four Seasons' Tesla Model X versus The Rittenhouse's Jaguar.

DINE

Inside an understated brownstone, Vedge has been pioneering vegan fine dining since husband-and-wife team Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby opened in 2011, receiving national accolades including a James Beard nomination this year for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Their plant-based cuisine never sacrifices any of the textures or flavors that carnivores crave. Rather than using faux meat products, they simply let the vegetables shine, whether in a warm shaved Brussels sprout salad with creamy mustard dressing and salty shiitake mushroom crisps (they're better than bacon) or charred sweet corn elotes surrounded by smoked potato that's so rich you'd swear there's cheese hidden in there somewhere. A recent meal was so impressive that I wanted to return and order the other half of the menu.

If you're in the mood for pescatarian rather than vegetarian, Hiroki in Fishtown is the new 20-course omakase sushi spot that's the talk of the town, earning rave reviews from local critics. The praise is well-deserved: this is hands-down the most ambitious and authentic edomae sushi experience in Philadelphia. Executive chef Hiroki Fujiyama begins with a few small bites, including heavenly amadai tilefish with crispy scales, followed by a procession of nigiri ending with a trio of tuna and delicately simmered saltwater eel. Most of the ingredients, including Hokkaido uni, are so superb that when you're served American wagyu instead of Japanese, it's inevitably a slight letdown. A few minor quibbles aside – too sweet tamago, a couple bites of fish with too much sinew – Hiroki is nearly as good as the best in the country.

There are many really outstanding restaurants in Philadelphia, that's certain. And the most nationally revered and popular of them all is undoubtedly Zahav, named the best restaurant in the country at the James Beard Awards this year. Walk up a flight of stairs into what appears to be a nondescript office building and you're greeted with a colorful cornucopia of modern Israeli food set to a soundtrack of Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper covers.

Opt for the family-style tasting menu and begin with a collection of salatim, small vegetable salads and dips, along with the fluffiest aerated hummus (the secret is loads of tehina) and hot laffa bread fresh from the taboon oven. More vibrant small plates follow before the main event – lamb shoulder braised in pomegranate molasses that's become chef Michael Solomonov's signature dish. If you can't get a reservation, try walking in right when doors open at 5 pm to snag a seat at the bar, where you can order a la carte.

EXPLORE

There's a lot of new development going on on the fringe of Center City these days, from the Spring Arts district to the new Cherry Street Pier, breathing new life into the most historic downtown in America. It's easy to forget that at the time of the American Revolution, Philadelphia was the largest and most important city in the colonies, and these new mixed-use developments are reinvigorating that spirit of independence with modern verve.

Spring Arts aims to nurture a community of makers in the Callowhill neighborhood, with local breweries like Love City and Triple Bottom alongside Vox Populi gallery and the Liao Collection of Asian Antiques. However, the most precious gem in this newly trendy neighborhood has been here all along. Behind what's ostensibly a Venezuelan cafe, self-dubbed chocolate alchemist Robert Campbell has been making the city's best chocolate for more than 15 years. The food by Robert's wife Judy at cheerful Sazon Cafe is as authentically Venezuelan as it gets, coupled with Campbell's super taster palate and painstaking perfectionism that brings micro-batch bean-to-bar chocolate to savvy connoisseurs. He blends beans (Venezuelan cacao is oft smuggled in by cafe customers) himself and eschews refined sugar for alternatives like panela and maple sugar, creating truly nutritious indulgences. Campbell is most proud of his drinking chocolates but makes truffles and bars too – the chocolate's rustic appearance belies sophisticated flavors.

Fishtown is another fun neighborhood to poke around for art, shopping and good eats. Start at the La Colombe flagship, the only La Colombe cafe with a liquor license and full a la carte menu, then browse antiques and art at Jinxed and fashion and jewelry at Toile next door. Hiroki is within walking distance too, and the best ice cream in the city at Weckerly's.