My partner, Brena, and I decided to treat ourselves to a mid-week date night and try a new restaurant in Philadelphia. We often find ourselves relying on old favorites instead of exploring new spots, and there are so many culinary gems in Philadelphia we have yet to experience. With that in mind, we headed to the Rittenhouse area to check out Wilder, a “wildly creative neighborhood restaurant,” according to its Instagram bio. They serve New American cuisine, adding twists to pizzas, pastas and other classics. I also really wanted to try 1-900-ICE-CREAM for dessert, which many of my coworkers have blogged about.

We were drawn to this spot by seeing a photo of the Pull Apart Rolls, which looked like a truly decadent appetizer for bread fiends such as ourselves. I was also interested in trying the Margherita Pizza.

Upon approaching the restaurant, I immediately liked the vibe of the huge, bright-pink neon sign, complete with a quirky font. Inside (or, at least, where we were on the first level), dim lighting, candles on each table and a turquoise wall-length booth created a sophisticated yet playful atmosphere.

I also love the consistent branding and art direction: The cheetah mascot was everywhere, from the menus to the servers’ shirts.

If you know my blogs, you may have noticed I’m not a big drinker, so I was happy when they could accommodate my request for lemonade, which was very tart and delicious. Brena got a glass, too.

We ordered the Pull Apart Rolls to start, of course, and for our mains, I got the Margherita Pizza and Brena opted for the Mafaldine alla Vodka. When the rolls came out, we demolished them in about five minutes flat — light, sweet and fluffy with a garlic butter spread, they were absolute perfection. My pizza was also delicious with a standout crust that was the perfect flavor. I was saving room for ice cream afterwards so ended up taking the majority of the pie home and am still enjoying leftovers! Brena really enjoyed her pasta as well and ate the whole dish. We both agreed we would need to return because it was an excellent meal.

After dinner it was time for dessert, and we headed to 1-900-ICE-CREAM for the renowned soft serve. Despite the rain and it being a Wednesday, there was a line out the door. I made an egregious mistake and ordered the espresso soft serve with a dark chocolate shell … I usually like coffee ice cream, but this one just didn’t hit the spot the way I hoped it would.

When I took a bite of Brena’s vanilla bean and chocolate twist with an Oreo shell, I was extremely jealous and really regretted my choice to step off the beaten path. Hers was so much better! If we go again, I’ll be going with my most reliable soft serve order: vanilla/chocolate twist in a cone with rainbow sprinkles. Almost every time I try something a bit different instead of a flavor I know I love, I feel like I end up regretting it. A slightly disappointing end to the night, but I was still eating ice cream, so I tried not to be too sad about it.

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator