July 15, 2009
The Plaza's open-air seating has quickly become one of our favorite places to unwind. (Photo courtesy of Table 31)
Don’t you just love Center City Sips? Here it is Wednesday, you’ve successfully made it halfway through the work week, and the whole city rewards you with discounted drinks and appetizers between 5 and 7 p.m. Kind of makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something, no?
This week, toast to yourself while catching some rays at Table 31′s Plaza Café. Just one year since it first opened, the Plaza has made a name for itself as one of Philadelphia’s best open-air bars. Flanked by fountains and standing (quite literally) in the shadow of the Comcast Center, the Plaza combines Table 31′s Mediterranean fare with Philadelphia’s great outdoors  not to mention some prime people-watching.
In fact, we’ve recently named the Plaza one of our Top 5 Places for Alfresco Dining in Rittenhouse Square.
A PDF version of the menu is available here and by clicking the image below:
Menu details after the jump… (more…)
July 8, 2009
Lounge and luxuriate at Thirteen. (Photo courtesy of Thirteen)
Ideally, we would have waited until Week 13 of Center City Sips to spotlight Thirteen Restaurant and Bar, but at we just couldn’t hold off.
Here’s the deal: Thirteen offers its seriously generous Sips menu Wednesdays through Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. (with a short encore on Sunday nights from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.). That’s a lot of Sippin’!
And the space is just awesome. Located in the newly renovated lobby of the Marriott Downtown, this lounge-like spot, flanked by an outdoor terrace, is a terrific choice for mingling over cocktails and light bites. And if you stay past 7 p.m. (when Sips concludes), Thirteen will take 15% off your dinner bill.
Thirteen is also notable for its sports-spectating assets (gargantuan center TV with two smaller screens on either side), so this may be your go-to spot to watch the Phillies avenge last night’s loss to the Reds. And (knock on wood) keep Thirteen in mind come playoff time.
Here’s Thirteen’s celebrated happy hour lineup (after the jump): (more…)
July 1, 2009
The courtyard at Raw is popular with sushi, sake and open-air aficianados. (Photo courtesy of Center City District)
Here we are at Night 5 of Center City Sips, and we couldn’t be happier about spotlighting Raw Sushi & Sake Lounge.
Raw is equally renowned for its creative sushi platters, sake selections and late-night dance floor. But during the summer months, Raw ups the ante with its open-air courtyard (pictured above). It’s clearly one of Center City’s best outdoor outposts.
Being sushi and sake lovers, we’re just delighted by Raw’s Center City Sips menu. Take a look:
Food (all $3)
- California rolls
- Spicy tuna rolls
- Shrimp dumplings
- Pork dumplings
- Chicken bites (resembling chicken tenders)
Drinks
- Beer ($2): Coors Light, Miller Lite and Yuengling
- Wine ($3): House red and house white
- Cocktails ($4): “Sake Tango” and “Pink Bubbly” (resembling a cosmo/champagne mash-up)
Despite the sketchy weather forecast, it looks like the sun’s opting to stay put! So get out there and get Raw.
Center City Sips [gophila.com]
Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge [gophila.com]
June 24, 2009
The bank-turned-immaculate dining space at Union Trust. (Photo courtesy of Union Trust)
In the hours leading up to Night 4 of Center City Sips, let’s turn our attention to Union Trust, shall we?
Since opening at 7th and Chestnut (directly next to last week’s spotlighted spot, Chifa) last year, Union Trust has garnered enough buzz to fill its huge, cathedral-like interior. Philadelphia Magazine even included Union Trust in its Top 50 restaurants, citing the restaurant’s exquisite steaks and service.
Why do we love it? Union Trust is Philly all the way, naming itself after the bank originally housed in the building and calling on local farms for the bulk of the menu’s ingredients.
Why should you go there tonight? Well, with entrees ranging between $24 and (brace yourself) $95, it’s a special treat to dine here on the cheap.
Union Trust’s CC Sips menu runs as follows:
Food
- Cheese plate ($7.50)
- Sliders ($7.50)
Drinks
- Bud and Bud Light ($2)
- House wines ($3)
- Specialty martinis ($4)
And here’s the thing: While some spots in town may fill up quickly because of the deal, Union Trust has room to spare. Just look at that picture, will ya?
Center City Sips [gophila.com]
Union Trust [gophila.com]
June 17, 2009
The bar (right) and entrance at Chifa. (Photo courtesy of Chifa)
Put on your drinking caps, boys and girls: Tonight is Night 3 of Center City Sips. You know the drill by now: discounts on beer, cocktails and appetizers from 5 to 7 p.m., with free parking in Center City after 5.
This week, we’re happy to spotlight Chifa, the Cantonese-Peruvian restaurant by culinary wunderkind Jose Garces. Located on Philadelphia’s “Mini Restaurant Row” (7th and Chestnut, joining the ranks of Union Trust, Jones and Morimoto), Chifa’s tapas and cocktails, complex yet fresh in flavor, are wowing taste buds both near and far.
Tonight’s your chance to put Chifa to the test. The following special items fill the CC Sips menu:
- Appetizers: Ecuadorian ceviche ($5) and pork belly buns ($4)
- Beer: Kenzinger and Cusqueña (both $2)
- Wine: Sauvignon blanc and Malbec (both $3)
- Cocktails: Sparkling lemonade and “Mula Cuzco” (both $4)
Dig in, have fun and don’t forget to tip your bartender.
Chifa [gophila.com]
Center City Sips [gophila.com]
June 15, 2009
In Center City Philadelphia, there is no shortage of events geared toward the upwardly mobile, social-networking, business-savvy mogul-in-their-own-mind types. Galas, singles nights, even generic bar specials are a place to see what is going on in while sipping on a $5 martini.
But say your friends wanna come along; you know, the ones without the cushy jobs or who just got laid off this year? Do you give up your happy hour business card swap meet to slum it over some Philly specials? Do you force your pals to go into shock for another round of shots at full price?
But with Center City Sips, no one is left out in the cold. Because with $2 beers, $3 wine, $4 cocktails and half-priced apps, anyone can be a Center City snob. And this bargain basement special is good at any participating Sips establishment.
Rub elbows with the elite at places like Bistro St. Tropez, Palace at the Ben and Pearl. Try out the hot spots, like the upscale newbies Union Trust steakhouse and Chifa. And hit up your old haunts like the Irish Pub and Doc Watsons. Its all in play at the summer’s best drink special event.
If you wanna really live it up this summer, create a card with all participating bars and see if you can hit them all before the close of the summer. You will have your work cut out for you though. With 80 different restaurants and bars to try, you will have to hustle. Check out the full list at www.centercityphila.org.
Center City Sips runs every Wednesday through the end of August.
June 10, 2009
The 19th-floor balcony at XIX; photo courtesy of XIX
Tonight is Night 2 of Center City Sips, the summer-long, Wednesday-night cocktail series.
This week’s spotlight shines on XIX, the appropriately named restaurant on the 19th floor of the Bellevue. Emulating the historic building’s aristocratic air, XIX is adorned with two separate, ballroom-like dining rooms, dramatic chandeliers and balconies that look out over the city below. Whether you take a table on a balcony, at the bar or in either dining room, XIX’s large windows reveal some of the best views in Philadelphia  perfect for viewing the sunset as Center City Sips (5 – 7 p.m.) draws to a close.
And while XIX is a shoo-in for Top 5 Romantic Restaurants in Philadelphia, it’s also a comfortable place to unwind over cocktails with friends and co-workers.
Tonight’s Happy Hour menu includes:
XIX [gophila.com]
Center City Sips [centercityphila.org]
June 3, 2009
The roof deck and skyline view at Vango; photo by G. Widman for GPTMC
The summer cocktail season officially begins tonight with Center City Sips! The Wednesday-night special (running June 3 – August 26, 5 – 7 p.m.) includes $4 cocktails, $3 wine, $2 beer and half-priced appetizers. I’ll drink to that!
To make it even more fun: Center City meters are free on Wednesdays, so fear not the wrath of ticket-issuers! Just remember to treat your designated driver to a half-priced app.
More than 70 restaurants are participating; click here for the full list.
A good pick for Night 1 is Vango Lounge and Sky Bar. The sensational skyline view from Vango’s roof deck (see above) is pretty much unparalleled; and, for the lazier among us, an assortment of beds lets you catch some r & r while you sip & snack. To top it off, if you stay for dinner after 7 p.m., Vango will take 15% off your food bill (click here to see which restaurants offer this discount).
And hey. If you feel you’ve saved enough during happy hour to warrant a splurge, Vango’s roof deck morphs into a bottle-service-only, exclusive hangout in the later hours.
Vango Lounge and Sky Bar [official site]
Center City Sips [centercityphila.org]
