Philadelphia Magazine Best of Philly 2022: Plenty of Love (and One Small Jab) to Montgomery County

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paul-dovidio-mccc
Image via MCCC/Paul Dovidio.
Paul Dovidio, MCCC esports champ, was cited as a Best of 2022 by Phila. Magazine.

Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly 2022 is out, and Montgomery County has plenty to be proud of. The editors’ main focus may be downtown, but they’ve cited plenty of reasons that communities here are worthy of attention.

Best New Restaurant, ‘Burbs

Lark, Bala Cynwyd

Lark’s seventh-floor setting provides dramatic views, but the menu is the main driver for customers. Recommendations include uni deviled eggs topped with caviar and gnocco fritto, which is beignets topped with prosciutto.

Best Suburban Cocktail Bar

Avalon Bistro, Bryn Mawr

The mixology here is first-rate, especially the old fashioned and a Hendrick’s three-to-one martini, to name just two. Rounding out the experience are a the chic stemware and elegant but welcoming surroundings.

Best Early-Morning Workout

X Training, Bryn Mawr

The comprehensive routines led by owner-trainer-couple John and Killian Daley are worth the effort of getting up at the crack of dawn. The accent here is on early, as its last morning session kicks off at 8:00 a.m.

Best Facial for Getting out All That Gunk

OVME Bryn Mawr at Village Center

It’s one thing to try to scrub pores clean, its wholly another to have them vacuumed, which is one of many specialties at OVME. It’s pronounced “of-me,” by the way, indicative of its personal approach to skin health.

Best Custom Window Treatments

Ambiance Design, Blue Bell

Shabby shingles? Bolloxed blinds? Ambiance Design helps not only with selection but with that oh-so-precise measuring task. The founder of the company, Laura Hawley, is an Air Force Veteran, so detail is clearly one of her strong suits.

Best Way to Protect the Watershed

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership

The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford watersheds — 30 square miles that begin in Abington — are among five that flow into the Delaware, so cleanliness is crucial. The partnership’s work includes creek restoration, native plantings, and providing free rain barrels to Montgomery County residents who request them.

Best Use of Pandemic Angst

Carmen Miskel, Bryn Mawr

Miskel, a Bryn Mawr teenager, spent the pandemic honing her artistic skills. Her efforts paid off with a win in a New York Times art contest, themed to the challenge of “Coming of Age in 2021.” In earning her accolade, she beat out 4,000 other submissions.

Best Proof He’s Not from Around Here

Mehmet Oz, Huntingdon Valley

Whereas other Best of Philly 2022 winners are recognized for what they’ve done, Mehmet Oz, Republican senatorial candidate, achieved the distinction for something he failed to do: properly spell his residence on a Federal Elections Commission form. Oz muffed Huntingdon Valley, replacing the final syllable’s d with an errant t.

Best Old Fart

Gene Dykes, Bala Cynwyd

Dykes, 73, set a 2021 record for his age bracket in a 50K run. The year before, Outside magazine named him the World’s Fastest 70-Year-Old. Yet, the achievements haven’t gone to his head; he refers to himself as the “Ultrageezer.”

Best Retort to Parental Despair

Paul Dovidio, Blue Bell

Dovidio could just as well be named Dovideo for his online gaming prowess. The 20-year-old earned Montgomery County Community College’s first-ever esports national championship for his skill at Super Smash Bros.

Best Plot Twist

The Tale of the Teeth, Ambler

A Tacony-Palmyra traffic accident last winter had a fairy-tale ending when the hittee noticed that her hitter’s teeth were in terrible shape. She happened to be a rep for a dental implant maker, and after they exchanged insurance information, she hooked the Ambler resident up with a local surgeon for a new smile.

More on the Best of Philly 2022 is at Philadelphia Magazine.

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