Uwishunu.com

Huge Cocktail @ Rum Bar

Recently the owner and chief mixologist of Rum Bar, Adam Kanter, served us up the tastiest, most popular, and most unique rum cocktails that he has on his summer tiki cocktail list. I will preface the following individual drink descriptions by saying that each and every cocktail we tried is truly unlike any other drink I’ve ever had. No lie. A huge four thumbs up from me and Lauren.

The Biscayne Bomber was delicious, made with Bacardi Limon, Triple Sec, OJ, lemon and Rum Bar’s own bitters. Adam not only makes his own bitters, but the place infuses its own rum (they currently have a kiwi and a pineapple infusion). The Bomber is sweet like candy with a hint of sour and goes down very smoothly.

My favorite of the myriad cocktails was the award-winning Floating Rum Shack made with Bacardi Superior, Crème de Banana, Orange Curacao, lime & cranberry juice, and a float of Bacardi 160! This drink was literally served on fire! I felt like it was my birthday blowing out the flaming rum shot, and the best gift was indulging in the sweet, fruity rum drink.

Coconut Shrimp @ Rum Bar

The fun music, people, and general atmosphere of Rum Bar solidify why this will soon top my list of favorite places to drink in Philly. Don’t forget the yummy food, either, like the spice-y jerk chicken quesadillas and the jumbo coconut shrimp (so good, even my non-seafood eating friend liked ‘em!).

Stop by Rum Bar for their all night happy hour with daily specials, hang with the super-friendly staff, say hello to the knower-of-all-things-rum Adam and maybe get yourself a Rum Bar Passport. I’ll leave it to you to find out what that is. Did I mention Rum Bar has something like 180 rums from 23 countries? I know you’re intrigued. Go party like a pirate.

Rum Bar Lounge & Restaurant
2005 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 751-0404
www.rum-bar.com

This weekend, the Hardy Plant Society is hosting their annual Fall Gardeners’ Market, inviting several nurseries and artists from around the region to come sell their plants and crafts.

They’ve expanded their offerings this year and are now including botanical-themed gift items, like jewelry and pottery.

The Gardeners’ Market is free and open to the public, and runs from 9am to 2pm this Saturday. For more information on the event, as well as directions, visit the Hardy Plant Society’s official website.

Fall Gardeners’ Market
Saturday, August 21, 2010, 9 am – 2 pm
www.hardyplant.org

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
1601 Valley Forge Road, Valley Forge, PA 19482
(610) 933-8825
www.freedomsfoundation.org

This time of year, produce is just about as good as it possibly can be. From tomatoes to peaches, just about everything is at its height of flavor and freshness. On Wednesday, August 25th, Trax Restaurant and Cafe is hoping to harness that freshness with their first-ever Summer Harvest Dinner.

Chef and owner Steven Waxman has designed a four-course menu that features local produce from Maple Acres Farm (in Plymouth Meeting) and pastured meat from Rineer Family Farms (they’re out in Lancaster). Each course will be paired with a fresh, seasonal cocktail created by mixologist Tom Pittakas (he used to man the bar at Alison Two).

The dinner is $60 per person without the cocktail pairings and $90 with them. Seating is available both inside and out, but space is limited so call now for reservations (215-591-9777).

Trax Restaurant and Cafe
27 West Butler Avenue
Ambler, PA 19002-5701
(215) 591-9777
traxcafe.com

(Photo courtesy Devil's Den)

This week, South Philly gastropub Devil’s Den is pouring all things tart, sour and downright puckery. They’ve devoted one entire draft tower (that’s eight taps total) to an array of acidic brews that will quench your thirst and cool you down. You’ll find Petrus Aged Pale Ale, Cantillion Kriek 100% Lambic, Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca, St. Louis Gueze, Russian River Consecration, Monstre Rouge, Zuur and Bell’s Oarsman.

There’s also a special menu that pairs a four-course, seasonal menu with some of the beers on tap. This tasty-sounding repast (see the full menu after the jump), is just $42.

Devil’s Den
1148 S. 11th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 339-0855
devilsdenphilly.com

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Inside the Rosenbach's historic house, Photo courtesy the Rosenbach Museum

Most people know the more famous fairy tales retold by the Brothers Grimm — Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, etc. But the original stories the brothers told are often far darker and more disturbing than the popular versions relayed to children today. Maurice Sendak preferred those more chilling variations and has illustrated these stories often throughout his career.

In it’s continuing effort to cover all things Sendak, the Rosenbach Museum and Gallery has collected an assortment of his sketches, inspirations, final illustrations and musings on the Grimm tales in its summer exhibit Dreadful Things Happen: The Brothers Grimm and Maurice Sendak.

The small exhibition is broken into four sections, each taking its name from a recurring lesson in the fairy tales and displaying Sendak’s wide variety of illustrations along with a bit of perspective on the stories themselves.

Sendak fans will see many similarities between his work and these folk tales, from children with a bit too much independence to many instances of less-than stellar parenting. But the real value of the exhibit is in the many different styles Sendak used to depict these stories. Yes, Where the Wild Things Are’s illustrations are great, but the guy was capable of a whole lot more.

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Have you ever found yourself wishing that it was easier to track down interesting, easily accessible things to do throughout Philadelphia? Thanks to a new site called CommonSpace, finding those unknown local gems just got much easier.

The way it works is that it allows you to punch in your address, preferred mode of travel (either walking, biking or public transportation) and the amount of time you’re willing to travel. Once those perimeters are in place, you can pull event listings from a number of different local feeds (including ours here at uwishunu). You can also include addition people and their locations to the mix, so that you find find the perfect destination for the whole group.

CommonSpace launched last Friday, so it’s still under development. Expect to see this site add more data and evolve further as time goes on.

Outside the Ryerss Museum, Photo courtesy the Museum

The Fox Chase Reading Series continues this weekend, with another fine selection of local poets reading outdoors, this time at the historic Ryerss Museum & Library.

Participating poets include Diane Sahms-Guarnieri, Carlos Soto Roman, Patrick Lucy, Rodger Lowenthal, Catherine Staples, Jacob Russell, and G Emil Reutter.

The reading is free, and starts at 1pm, wrapping up at 3:30pm. Stop by, listen to some poetry, and enjoy the gorgeous view from the Ryerss’ amazing porch.

Ryerss Museum and Library
7370 Central Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111
(215) 685-0544
www.ryerssmuseum.org

The Dutch Festival continues through Saturday at Reading Terminal Market. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)

Friday

Herbie Hancock Concert at the Mann Center

Summer Nights Under the Stars at Chaddsford Winery

Smooth Jazz Summer Nights Concert followed by Friday Night Fireworks at Penn’s Landing

Saturday

Beating the Heat: Long Philadelphia Summers at the National Constitution Center

21st Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival at Reading Terminal Market

Bug Fest at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Sunday

MGMT Concert at the Mann Center

Festival of India at Penn’s Landing

On Thursday, August 26 have a drink and do good, all at the same time with Bar AIDS. It’s the first year that this event, which started five years ago in Chicago, has come to our area. Participating locations will donate a percentage of their August 26 proceeds to four local non-profit organizations (similar to Dining Out for Life). The local beneficiaries are ActionAIDS, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, Mazzoni Center and Philadelphia FIGHT. The “Philadelphia Gay News” and Clear Channel are media partners.

The updated list of participating establishments is available on Facebook. For more information, call 215-981-3328 or follow Bar AIDS Philadelphia on Twitter, @BarAIDSPhilly.

Hey locavores! Join us on Wednesday, August 18th at 6 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street) for a screening of new five-minute documentaries about local food. Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with some regional local food movers and shakers. They are:

Marilyn Anthony, Regional Director, PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) / PA Buy Fresh, Buy Local
Lily Cope, Director, Philly Homegrown
Mary Seton Corboy, Director, Greensgrow Farms
Raina Ainslie, Farm Educator, Pennypack Farm & Education Center
Annmarie Butera, Natural Foods Educator

Make sure to stick around for the panel and get in on the discussion! If you’re interested in attending, please email Kim Kunda at kkunda@mindtv.org.