This past weekend my fiancé and I finally decided on a place worth the 40-minute drive into the city … on a rainy day at that.

One of the things we both agree we miss the most living in New York City is the vast and diverse array of cuisines and nice restaurants available to celebrate any occasion. And while we know Philadelphia offers the same, we seldom decide to explore these places. Now, I mustn’t lie, if it weren’t because we were celebrating our ninth dating anniversary, I probably would’ve made a nice dinner at home because the weather was pretty gnarly and, again,  the drive into the city — did I mention the parking situation? — wasn’t an appealing idea on a regular Sunday.

Harper’s Garden was recommended by a few people and has consistently been at the top of my Instagram searches for hot spots in the city. Located in Rittenhouse Square, the restaurant offers a contemporary yet vintage aesthetic; its high ceilings, open-air scheme and lush greenery throughout offer an escape from the typical city rush.

We had an early dinner reservation and the restaurant wasn’t crowded, so service was fast. I started out with the most popular cocktail, The Secret Garden, a thoughtful mix of pink peppercorn-infused Stateside vodka, St. Germain, crème de violette, grapefruit, lime and sage. The cocktail was great, and I mean, really great! I could taste the freshness of the lime and grapefruit cutting through a good pour of vodka. Nathan opted for a nice glass of Poplar Pils, a local Pilsner.

For dinner, we shared the grilled octopus and field greens salad. Both light, straightforward and packed with flavor — the citrus chili glaze that graced the octopus had the perfect amount of heat to contrast the bitterness of the greens.

For my main course, I decided to try the confit chicken, unbelievably tender and juicy, yet the skin was super-crispy. The dish came with a carrot mash, grilled cipollini onion and a bright cilantro chutney. Nathan enjoyed — well, more like devoured — the snapper, perfectly paired with a glass of house Sauvignon Blanc. His dish was served with asparagus, turnips, an interesting strawberry-apricot mustard and browned butter.

We didn’t order any dessert since we wanted to walk in the city and get some ice cream, but our lovely server, Abriel, surprised us with two glasses of Champagne to celebrate the occasion and wrote a cute note on our bill. These are some of the little things that turn a regular experience into a great one.

Overall, we were satisfied with our choices and service and are honestly looking forward to continuing to explore the menu and the amazing drinks beverage director Matt Deutsch creates with his team.

— Yasser Ogando, advertising & production manager