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Located just steps from Center City at 1004-26 Spring Garden Street in the former Spaghetti Warehouse location, Union Transfer meets Philly's need for a mid-sized live music venue. (Photo by Shane McCauley courtesy Union Transfer)

Union Transfer, the new music venue located at 10th & Spring Garden opened to acclaim this week and promises a whole lot more awesome sets to come.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah opened at the venue. They’ll be followed by The Felice Brothers, Mogwai and Shellac through the end of this month. Other shows to look out for: RJD2 on October 14, Tragedy (all metal tribute to The Bee Gees) on October 15 and Odd Future (OFWGKTA) on October 22.

Located just steps from Center City at 1004-26 Spring Garden Street in the former Spaghetti Warehouse location, the concept was developed by an all-star group (The Bowery Presents, an independent promotion company based in New York City; Sean Agnew of R5 Productions; and Avram Hornik and Mark Fichera of Four Corners Management) to meet Philadelphia’s need for a mid-sized live music venue. Fun fact: Union Transfer is named after the original train depot station that occupied the building.

This general admission, all-ages venue accommodates 600, and up to 1,000 with the stage pushed back. Tickets range from just $14–$25, plus there are three full bars. Check out the full schedule here, and a video tour of the spot here.

Union Transfer
1004-26 Spring Garden Street
www.utphilly.com

Previously: Coming Attraction: Union Transfer, A New 1,000-Capacity Music Venue Set To Open On Spring Garden Street This September

German beer quizzo, bratwurst eating contest, Kick the Keg Lottery: a lot’s going down at Brauhaus’ annual Oktoberfest celebration, starting this Monday. (Photos courtesy Brauhaus Schmitz)

Philadelphia’s truly authentic German Bierhall Brauhaus Schmitz will hold its 3rd annual Oktoberfest street party on Saturday, September 24 starting at noon.

Brauhaus Schmitz’s biggest festival yet will shut down South Street for an all-day party with live music, a pig roast, and of course, all the German beer you can swallow.

Better yet, Brauhaus Schmitz will hold daily events in the week leading up to Oktoberfest. Beginning Monday, September 19, head to the restaurant any evening for a fun event like German Beer Quizzo to show off your knowledge of all things German.

Other events include Oktoberfest Flight Night; a Spaten/Franziskaner Party with beer specials and giveaways like the grand prize Franziskaner bicycle. If you dare, go Thursday for a Bratwurst eating contest. Finally, the day before the Oktoberfest street party, Brauhaus needs you to help make room in their beer cooler for the big event, so go help them kick the tapped kegs.

As a thirsty (German) Hunter Pence might say, “Gehen wir trinken!”

Click here for all our Oktoberfest coverage.

3rd Annual Oktoberfest at Brauhaus Schmitz
When: September 19–24; Oktoberfest street party begins at noon
Where: 718 South Street
Cost: Varies
More info: www.brauhausschmitz.com

Tickets are on sale now for the event, Philadelphia's answer to the super popular Food & Wine Festival burger bashes.
(Photo courtesy 500 Degrees)

Everyone has a hankering for a good burger every now and again (and again). But what if you want to sample all of the city’s best burgers at a single event?

Enter the Philadelphia Burger Brawl, coming Saturday, June 4, tickets for which are now officially on sale.

Eighteen of the biggest burger boasters in the city will be at Meredith Elementary School in Queen Village grilling up their own most popular burger. Ticket proceeds go to Meredith Elementary to help the students get a refurbished computer lab.

You can attend this charitable event for $60, eat all the burgers you can handle and bestow your best Top Chef judgery upon them.

Competitors include: Chef Marcie Turney of Barbuzzo, Bindi and Lolita; Chef Matt Levin of Adsum restaurant; Top Chef contestant Chef Jennifer Carroll of 10Arts; Fairmount legend London Grill; Chef Daniel Stern of Midatlantic and R2L; Chef Chris Scarduzio of Table 31; Butcher & Singer; Pub & Kitchen; Good Dog; North Third; Alfa; Royal Tavern; Ladder 15; PYT; Paesano’s; Rouge and their sister restaurant, 500˚. Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn will also be on hand with the famed burger from his Washington, D.C. restaurant Good Stuff Eatery.

Rob and Maggie Wasserman, owners of Rittenhouse Square’s Rouge — home to one of the city’s most famous burgers (is it the best? You decide.) — conceived and organized the event. Participating chefs have donated the ingredients necessary to construct their burgers, while Rouge has supplied the grills, charcoals, storage space and serving equipment for the event.

All-stars Food Network host Marc Summers, former Governor Ed Rendell and Fox29’s Mike Jerrick will be there to help elect the “Best Burger,” so wipe the ketchup from your drooling mouth.

Tickets are on sale now online. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to combine popular culture, philanthropy and America’s favorite comfort food.

Philadelphia Burger Brawl
When: Saturday, June 4, 2-6 p.m.
Where: 725 S. 5th Street
Cost: $60
More info: www.philadelphia-burger-brawl.ticketleap.com

Judges include Drew Lazor from City Paper and Mealticket, Art Etchells from Foobooz and Jamie Shanker from Midtown Lunch. (Photo courtesy Oyster House)

Oyster shucking is a delicate art, and Oyster House has just the way to showcase it.

On Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m., the popular center city bar and restaurant will be hosting its second annual Shucking Contest. Professional and amateur oyster shuckers from around the Philadelphia region will compete for huge cash prizes.

With $5 admission, you can watch the contest and enjoy the fruits of the competitors’ labor as shucked oysters are passed around the place between heats. Spectators will also have full access to Oyster House’s bar and a special firkin of a local craft beer (on a pay-as-you-go basis).

The professional shuckers will be judged on their speed and accuracy whilst shucking two dozen oysters. A 1-second deduction is made for each broken shell or ripped oyster, so play close attention. The winner of the professionals will take home the $200 Grand Prize. The amateur shuckers will compete for a $100 Oyster House Gift Certificate; the same rules apply.

If you can’t make it to the contest, be sure to stop in during the week for the Oyster House Oyster Hour buck-a-shuck special — Monday through Friday 5-7 p.m. or Saturday 9-11 p.m.

Either way: the world is your, well, you know.

Oyster House Shucking Contest
Where: 1516 Sansom Street
When: Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m.
Cost: $5
More info: www.oysterhousephilly.com

This Sunday at the McFadden’s at the Ballpark, you can enjoy beer, baseball, and… puppies!

McFadden’s is hosting its third annual Beerfest at the Ballpark from 2–6 pm with brews from more than 20 breweries to sample, like General Lafayette Inn, Longtrail, Magic Hat, Red Hook, Troegs, Victory, Weyerbacher, and many, many more.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance online for $40 or at the door for $50 (if they are still available).

Your ticket also scores you some free nibbles, a tasting glass, and (drum roll please) free parking! You can save $5 off the ticket price by entering the code: K9BF at checkout.

A portion of the proceeds benefit the PSPCA, who will also be in attendance with some adoptable pups and cats! They will have an adoption RV on site, and will showcase some of the adoptable dogs around 3pm.

Throughout the day there will be live music, games & prizes, and a Beeramid challenge to win Phils tickets! And the Phillies take on the Padres at 4:10 (*in San Diego*) and McFadden’s will be showing the game on the big screens.

So why not hang out at McFadden’s this Sunday to enjoy some fine brews and a good ballgame on TV, all while supporting local shelter dogs. Who knows, you may not go home alone.

McFadden’s at the Ballpark [Official Site]

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

Chile Relleno & White Sangria

I recently stopped by the Mexican Post at Love Park with a friend to try their revamped menu. The traditional house favorites are still there, but it now includes new and exciting authentic Mexican dishes, specialty cocktails, and sweet sangrias.

The touched up food menu features fun appetizers like the Camarones Acapulco – bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp stuffed with Chihuahua cheese and served with a chipotle ranch sauce. That description has at least 6 of my favorite words in it. The ceviche is also new to the menu and highly recommended. It is a tilapia based ceviche, so for first-timers, it is a pretty mild ceviche and not scary at all! The tilapia is firm and very fresh and there is the expected lime taste that makes ceviche oh so refreshing.

Mango Margarita @ Mexican Post, Mmm!

For our entrees, I had the Chile Relleno which I could not stop talking about. It is the perfect vegetarian option with black beans, corn and cheese stuffed into a grilled poblano pepper – so tasty! The dish also came with refried beans and rice. As for drinks, I tried both sangrias, red & white, which were cool and refreshing, as well as a delicious mango margarita.

We were stuffed to the brim but could not say no to a dessert sampling of banana crepes, cheesecake burrito (yes, you read that right) and the tres leches cake. I couldn’t decide between the soft, warm and creamy cheesecake-filled cinnasugar churro or the airy, cool three milk cake as my fave, so clearly I ate them both up.

Look for a mojito bar during happy hour with live music, a DJ or a band; tequila of the month dinner featuring all you can drink of one of the 107 tequilas, a full meal and perhaps a mariachi band, all for a reasonable price; and a weekly manager beer special. I know I’m looking forward to all things to come!

Mexican Post @ Love Park
1601 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 568-2667
www.mexicanpost.com

Cyclists Riding for the Cure!

I’ve done my fair share of running races to benefit research in the hunt for cures. Some of you may not be the running kind, so for those of you who would still like participate in a race for the cure, why not bike instead?

Biking tends to be easier on the joints and such, and you can go farther distances as a novice. So the 38th Annual American Cancer Society Bike-a-thon should be a breeze. In the wee hours of July 11th, cancer survivors begin the ride by leading thousands of participants over the Ben Franklin Bridge for the 66-mile trek to the finish line at the Buena Vista Camping Park in Buena, New Jersey.

All registered riders will receive lunch and refreshments, and can take advantage of the Buena Vista Camping Park’s swimming, paddle boats, miniature golf and other activities. Two survivor ceremonies will be held throughout the afternoon as well.

All ages and skill levels are encouraged to ride and become part of something big. Feel the motivation and bond that can be created when thousands work toward a common goal. Registration is still open at acsbike.org. The bike-a-thon is the largest single-day ACS fundraiser in PA, raising $1.6 million last year and $17 million total in its 37-year history.

For more information on the ride, as well as other options, visit the Bike-a-thon’s official website.

Good luck!

38th Annual American Cancer Society Bike-a-thon [www.acsbike.org ]

Sarah Dacey-Charles as Yvonne and Scott Greer as Jules in Arden Theatre Company’s production of Sunday in the Park with George. Photo by Mark Garvin.

The Arden’s production of Sunday in the Park with George is quite an eye-opener. Art lovers abound will appreciate every aspect of this play – from the revolving narrative of Georges Seurat’s famous painting Sunday on La Grande Jatte to the astonishing light show that the Arden staff presents in Act II.

Sunday is surprisingly humorous, and quite entertaining from the get-go. Kristine Fraelich sucks you in with her character Dot (George’s lover) and does so throughout the entire musical. Not knowing too much about the painting, or Seurat, Sunday does an incredible job of depicting how the masterpiece may have come about. History surrounds the artistry in this play.

Jeffrey Coon as George in Arden Theatre Company’s production of Sunday in the Park with George. Photo by Mark Garvin.

I have never seen a set like the one of Sunday. The world on stage was created by set designer James Kronzer and lighting designer Justin Townsend, who I think deserve three cheers. Not to mention Terrence J. Nolen, the Arden’s producing artistic director. Without the staff, the Sunday experience would not have been as aesthetically pleasing and visually remarkable.

Sunday in the Park with George is simply stunning, filled with beauty and light. Don’t miss this extraordinary show; it runs at the Arden Theatre through July 4. Tickets are presently on sale for the reasonable price of $29–$48.

The Arden also participates in a $5 student special; show up at the theatre five minutes before curtain and if there are tickets available, you can purchase one for five bucks with a valid student ID. Great deal, but if you don’t want to take your chances, buy your tickets now!

Arden Theatre Company
40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia 19106
(215) 922-8900
www.ardentheatre.org

For its season-ending performance, the Arden Theatre has chosen Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning musical will run for approximately one month starting June 2nd. Sunday in the Park marks the twelfth Sondheim production in the company’s history and the first time the Arden will use Sondheim’s complete original orchestrations, led by Barrymore Award-winning musical director Eric Ebbenga.

Arden director Terrence J. Nolen admits that the works of Stephen Sondheim have been central to the Arden’s artistic identity over the past two decades and is thrilled to present Sunday in the Park. The beautiful musical of color and light has two acts set centuries apart. Act One watches Georges Seurat’s famous painting Sunday on La Grande Jatte literally come to life with the help of projections, lighting and live actors.

Act Two follows a struggling artist who happens to be Seurat’s great-grandson as he debuts a color and light machine. To create the world of Sunday in the Park, the Arden called on set designer James Kronzer (Barrymore award winner for Something Intangible and The Baker’s Wife), costume designer Rosemarie McKelvey (Barrymore award winner for Something Intangible and Caroline or Change) and lighting designer Justin Townsend.

You may recognize some of 80-year-old Sondheim’s previous works such as West Side Story and Gypsy, as well as his music and lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Sweeney Todd and more.

The final dress rehearsal of Sunday in the Park with George will be held on Wednesday, May 26 at 8pm and is open to the public as a Pay-What-You-Can performance, with all proceeds collected donated to The Fleischer Art Memorial. Tickets for the rest of the performances are on sale now.

Arden Theatre Company
40 N. 2nd Street, Old City Philadelphia 19106
(215) 922-8900
www.ardentheatre.org