May 2, 2012
Margaritas, Mexican food and maracas make for festive and delicious Cinco de Mayo celebrations in and around the city, including at Jose Garces' Distrito. (Photo courtesy Distrito)
Observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, Cinco de Mayo, much like every other holiday, is welcomed with festive food, music and even more festive beverages on May 5.
Here we’ve roped in our tops picks for señors and señoritas to throw back brews, bites and everything blanco around the city for the boozy national fiesta.
• Distrito: Head to modern Mexi-resto Distrito in University City, where brunch bites and tequila sips kick off the day at 11 a.m. followed by live broadcasting w/ WMMR-FM and DJs spinning from 5-7 p.m. Enjoy $5 Cinco de Mayo margaritas and Distrito’s a la carte menu which rolls out until midnight.
• El Vez: Midtown Village celebrates the day with a neighborhood block party, festive nibs and live bands outside El Vez from noon until last sombrero standing. At 7 p.m. the party heads inside with DJs and more pitchers of tasty Pink Cadillacs.
• Iron Hill Brewery Media: Start the day with a special Mexican-inspired brunch at Iron Hill Brewery in Media. Indulge in chilaquiles, tres leches french toast and poached huevos ranchero from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and wash it all down with Chili-Mailbock pale lager infused with chili peppers for an extra punch.
• Cafe Con Chocolate: After a momentary shut-down in March, the Mexican-Japanese food fusion rarity opens on Cinco de Mayo with a special menu and live mariachi music to kick your heels to.
• Cantina Dos Segundos and Cantina Los Caballitos: The NoLibs and South Philly Cantinas party rock all day long with tacos and Tecates and their traditional watermelon margaritas, white blanco sangria and of course, shots of tequila for $5.55. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes, so creepy fake mustaches and maracas are encouraged.
• Trocadero: We’re scratching our heads over the connection between 80′s music and Mexican holidays, but the tribute band, The Legwarmers, gives us a reason to snap our fingers and spin in circles as they play the decade’s favorite tunes at the Trocadero, 9 p.m.
• Interstate Drafthouse: The Fishtown restaurant and watering hole heats things up as Chef Jennifer Zavala (from Bravo’s Top Chef) roasts a 100lb. porker for her specialty tacos alongside slews of pickles, BBQ sauce and corn on the cob. $3 select brews, $4 margs and $5 boilermakers complete the feast which lasts from 4 p.m. til close.
• South Laurel Hill: In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, tour-takers will have the opportunity to head south of the Cemetery’s figurative border to explore the many hidden gems and little-known secrets of South Laurel Hill. This walking tour will be led by military historian and administrator of Findagrave.com, Russ Dodge. It will conclude with chips, salsa and refreshments.
• Matador: Head to Wayne for drink specials and giveaways all night. Get Dos Equis Lager and amber for $5, and authentic bites like Tamales, Chalupes and more.
May 1, 2012
Drawing from his world travels and work abroad, Cherry Hill native Chef Greg Vernick (second from right) will use locally sourced products to dish up a menu of approachable, globally-inspired dishes at Vernick, opening tonight. (Photos by M. Edlow for GPTMC)
Vernick Food & Drink from Cherry Hill native Chef/Owner Greg Vernick opens tonight, May 1, off Rittenhouse Square.
We got a sneak peek at the spot last Friday. The verdict? Pretty impressive. Here’s a quick rundown on this new neighborhood bistro:
The Inspiration
The Vernicks (Greg and his wife Julie) infused much of their observations from their travels around Europe into the restaurant. The menu reflects the sense of community engendered by European communal dining tables and shared dishes.
Chef Vernick said one of his most memorable dining experiences was an evening at a restaurant when two deuces were pushed into a four-top, conjoining two parties that didn’t even speak the same language. Through food and drink, the two pairs ended up toasting to each other, sharing food, laughing together. That’s what he wants to recreate at Vernick.
Vernick is going into 2031 Walnut just off Rittenhouse Square with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the second floor opening up over the street. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)
The Decor
Vernick boasts three rooms with three different experiences: the sparse front bar area, the cozy wine-cellar-like back room and the more formal second-floor space with glass windows that open onto Walnut Street.
Framed black and white photos, taken by the Vernicks in Europe, line the walls upstairs while exposed brick mirrors the open kitchen in the back room downstairs.
Chef’s Favorite Dish
Chef Vernick’s favorite dish on the menu is the roast chicken, a whole Lancaster-sourced bird brined and prepared like Peking duck. The kitchen team is burning live wood in the oven, making for an irreplaceably authentic taste. As Greg puts it, “Cooking with natural wood just makes things taste better.”
Another standout is the resto’s raw menu, a westernized version of Japanese cuisine in which everything is in its raw state accompanied by minimal garnish. Preview the full dinner menu, below.
Drinks
Vernick will serve homemade sodas, and both domestic and imported wines and beers including local crafts like Yards and Flying Fish.
Best Seat in the House
There’s a seven-seat chef’s counter in the back room to give diners a close-up view of the action. That room is designed for walk-ins, but we’re assured you can make a reservation specifically for the counter if you wish (and we wish).
To begin with, Vernick Food & Drink will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 4:30-11 p.m., with the team rolling out lunch, brunch and a late-night menu in the coming months.
Vernick Food & Drink
2031 Walnut Street
www.vernickphilly.com
April 30, 2012
Burger Brawl is back this Sunday, May 6, and you don’t want to miss it.
Tickets, $75, are still available online, but they’re sure to sell out and they’re not available at the door.
Admission goes to the building of the Meredith Public Elementary School’s Computer lab, and includes tasting of all burgers, one vote for your favorite burger, drinks from Dogfish Head brewery and Jim Beam Devils Cut and desserts.
There will be some serious burger contenders in attendance, including 500 Degrees, Barbuzzo, Butcher & Singer, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Rouge, Square Peg and many more.
The Philadelphia Burger Brawl
When: Sunday, May 6, 3-6 p.m.
Where: Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street
Cost: $75
More info: www.phillyburgerbrawl.com
April 30, 2012
On Tuesday, May 1 Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will begin celebrating National Hamburger Month the right way, with a different special burger served each night in May.
That’s 31 burgers developed specially for Iron Hill’s Burger Month Menu, in 31 days.
If you’re a big burger fan, the brewery and restaurant is offering a “Five for $15″ deal: patrons who eat five different burgers throughout the month of May will receive a $15 Iron Hill gift card.
This isn’t the first year that Iron Hill has taken part in National Hamburger Month, so they’ve got some experience under their belts.
The menu boasts burgers of all different styles, like May 18′s Alpine Burger with fried onion rings, bacon, Swiss cheese, and horseradish sauce, and May 25′s Fresno burger, paying tribute to Northern California with Haas avocados and green chile aioli.
Because nothing beats beer and burgers, you might as well block out the whole month.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Burger Month
When: Every night in May
Where: All 9 locations
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.ironhillbrewery.com
Watch the Philly 101 video above to meet Kevin Sbraga, winner of Top Chef Season 7 and Chef/Owner of Sbraga Restaurant on Broad Street, and learn what he wishes more people knew about in Philadelphia.
Before his season-winning stint on Top Chef, Burlington County, New Jersey native Sbraga created menus for Stephen Starr (Washington Square, Rat’s Restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture) and Jose Garces (Tinto, Chifa, Distrito), plus the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. He also won acclaim at La Mas Perrier, the Main Line restaurant of Chef Georges Perrier.
Sbraga
440 S. Broad Street
www.sbraga.com
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum
6825-31 Norwitch Drive
www.simeonemuseum.org
Watch the Philly 101 video above to meet Kevin Sbraga, winner of Top Chef Season 7 and Chef/Owner of Sbraga Restaurant on Broad Street, and learn what he wishes more people knew about in Philadelphia. Before his season-winning stint on Top Chef, Burlington County, New Jersey native Sbraga created menus for Stephen Starr (Washington Square, [...]
Read more»April 30, 2012
It’s summertime a little early at Stephen Starr’s Route 6 with brand new fresh seafood specials.
There’s a new happy hour in the bar, lounge and patio that launched last week; it runs Mondays-Friday, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Pick up $1 oysters, $2 housemade chips, $4 bluefish dip and crab deviled eggs, $8 fried oyster sliders and even more.
Drink-wise, get $4 draft beers, $5 wines and $6 cocktails.
If that’s not an excuse to leave work a bit early, we don’t know what is.
The resto also has introduced Lobster Mondays: three courses including 1 ¼ lb lobster as an entrée all for $39.
(Hint: in case you hadn’t realized, today is a Monday.)
Check out the full happy hour menu, below.
And eat up!
Route 6
600 N. Broad Street
www.route6restaurant.com
April 27, 2012
This Monday, April 30 through Sunday, May 6 the famous Snockey’s Original Oyster & Crab House will be offering some delectable specials and hosting a variety of great events in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
For the entire week, Snockey’s, perhaps best known for its raw bar, will be offering its popular Clammy Hour, a seafood-style happy hour that includes discounts on clams, oysters, shrimp and alcohol. Special dinner platters will also be aptly priced at just $19.12 (the restaurant was founded in 1912) during the week.
The festivities will culminate on Saturday, May 5 with live music by Jim Fogarty and the ToneBenders, and on Sunday, May 6 with performances by Philadelphia’s own singer/songwriter Mia Johnson and friends, and music deejayed by Princeton University’s WPRB-FM host Professor Couch and the Rockabilly Roadhouse Radio crew.
There will also be an outdoor beer garden during the festivities on Saturday and Sunday, and you can feast on Mrs. Snockey’s Original Oyster stew, passed down through the generations, all week long.
Snockey’s 100th Anniversary Celebration
Where: Snockey’s Oyster & Crab House, 1020 S. 2nd Street
When: Monday, April 30-Sunday, May 6
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.snockeys.com
Check out the video above to meet Megan Fitzgerald, Director of Programming for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and learn about what she wishes more people knew about in Philadelphia. Hint: it’s delicious.
For a schedule of events of everything going on at the Kimmel, thanks to Megan and the rest of the team’s planning, click here.
Kimmel Center
Broad and Spruce Streets
www.kimmelcenter.org
John’s Roast Pork
14 Snyder Avenue
www.johnsroastpork.com
Check out the video above to meet Megan Fitzgerald, Director of Programming for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and learn about what she wishes more people knew about in Philadelphia. Hint: it’s delicious. For a schedule of events of everything going on at the Kimmel, thanks to Megan and the rest of the [...]
Read more»April 27, 2012
Mothers Day, May 13, is a great opportunity to enjoy either brunch or dinner al fresco. (Left photo courtesy 333 Belrose, right courtesy Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing)
Let’s be honest: Moms are always worth the splurge.
Given all their hard work that goes unnoticed, it’s a good thing we have Mothers Day (which falls on Sunday, May 13 this year) to remind us to appreciate the moms of the world. It’s also a good thing that Philadelphia restaurants have got you covered for brunch and dinner on Mom’s special day.
And some non-restaurants (see below) are offering exciting brunch packages with activities attached.
Below, we present our top picks for Mothers Day meals:
• Bistrot La Minette: Chef Peter Woolsey has put together a $40 prix fixe menu that he’ll be offering all day. The three courses include a host of classic French recipes, prepared with his signature decadent flair. Try the mustard-braised rabbit with homemade tagliatelle, or the salade savoyarde, with lardons, potatoes and sumptuous Comté cheese.
• Hyatt Regency: The Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing is serving an elaborate Mothers Day brunch, with something for everyone — and then some. The $50-per-person meal ($25 for children 12 and under) includes a seafood station with seared tuna, a carving station with grilled flank steak and much, much more. Best of all, everyone’s favorite part of the meal is given the royal treatment, with more than a dozen dessert offerings including chocolate fondue and classic crème brulee.
• Balcony: If Mom is looking to get more decadent this year, the new restaurant at the Doubletree Hotel on Avenue of the Arts is offering a buffet of comfort food favorites. On the $34 menu ($15 for kids) are grilled cheese with tomato soup, homestyle roast turkey sandwiches and a create-your-own mac and cheese bar.
• 333 Belrose: Radnor eatery 333 Belrose is a great choice for al fresco dining this Mothers Day. A brunch buffet will be offered at $31.95 for adults and $12.95 for children, and standard dinner service will begin at 3 p.m.
• The Prime Rib: Frequently rated the best steakhouse in the city, Rittenhouse Square’s The Prime Rib opens at 2 p.m. on Mothers Day for refined dining in their throwback atmosphere.
• Square 1682: Swanky restaurant and lounge Square 1682 at the Hotel Palomar is serving their a la carte menu with special additions, as well as globally-inspired grand breakfast buffet for $45, or $20 for children.
More Mother’s Day picks, below.
April 26, 2012
Introduced to the Philadelphia region by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 18th century, pretzels quickly became, and have stayed, a favorite local snack. (Photo by J. Varney for GPTMC)
Today, April 26, is National Pretzel Day.
All day, you can head to any Philly Pretzel Factory or Center City Soft Pretzel Co. location for a FREE soft pretzel.
Fun fact: according to the U.S. Pretzel Museum, the average Philadelphian consumes about twelve times as many pretzels as the national average.
As gratifying as traditional pretzels — soft, chewy dough hand-twisted and baked to a golden honey brown, sprinkled with coarse salt — are, Philadelphia’s gourmet dining scene offers pretzels in many deliciously inventive versions that are impossible to pass up.
Check out our top picks for gourmet pretzels in Philadelphia, from warm soft pretzel nibs with creamy cheddar sauce to pretzel-crusted chicken fingers to deep fried pretzel bites, right here.
And be sure to check out Philly Pretzel Factory CEO on CBS’ Undercover Boss tomorrow, April 27, at 8 p.m.
Philly Pretzel Factory [Official Site]
Center City Soft Pretzel Co. [Official Site]
