The Palm has a new $3.50 Happy Hour.
(Photo courtesy The Palm)

The Palm at the Bellevue has just introduced an all new “Prime Bites” menu of seven appetizers for just $3.50 each during Happy Hour.

The Prime Time Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday, from 5-7 pm and then again from 9 pm until close. But at the bar only.

Here’s the menu of appetizers that are just $3.50 each:

* Kobe Beef Sliders
bacon, lettuce, tomato and pesto aioli
* Filet Mignon Capri Sandwiches
imported mozzarella di bufala, tomato and basil with a balsamic aioli
* “Ultimate” Chicken Strips
panko and parmesan battered with sweet and sour chili sauce
* Mini Broiled Crab Cakes
mango salsa and chipotle tartar sauce
* Veal Parmigiana Sliders
Palm classic on a roll
* “Point Judith” Calamari Fritti
cornmeal dusted and tossed with lemon and cherry peppers
* Prime Cheese Steak
prime New York steak, caramelized onions and Vermont cheddar cheese

Also, Oysters on the Half Shell are $1 each and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail are $2 each piece during the Prime Time Happy Hour.

Pretty solid Happy Hour deal right on Rittenhouse Row.

The Palm at the Bellevue [Official Site]

Chef de Cuisine Jen Carroll and Pastry Chef Monica Glass have a special new lunch deal just for you. (Photos courtesy 10 Arts)

10 Arts at the Ritz Carlton has just launched a new Five Bite Lunch special.

Top Chef alum Jennifer Carroll and Pastry Chef Monica Glass have teamed up to bring you five tastes from the restaurant’s impressive lunch menu — plus a Victory beer — all for just $22.

The new Five Bite Lunch special at 10 Arts includes:

- Warm Soft Pretzels served with creamy cheddar sauce, jalapeño jam, Dijon mustard
- A shot of 10 Arts signature Smoked Heirloom Corn Chowder
- Choice of Two Minis:

* Mini Fish Burger, striped bass,topped with fennel, oven-dried tomato and saffron aioli
* Mini Lobster Roll, Maine lobster salad on a toasted bun
* Mini Cheeseburger, made with Pineland Farms ground sirloin
* Mini Hot Dog

- Mini Cupcake of the Day.
- Victory Beer or choice of soft drink or iced tea

The lunch special is available Monday – Friday, from 11:30 am until 2pm.

Five Bite Lunch at 10 Arts [Foobooz]
10 Arts [Visit Philly]
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia [Visit Philly]

Time to make it count. (Photo courtesy Table 31)

Don’t look now, but it’s getting dangerously close to the end of summer.

Case in point: this Wednesday, August 25th, is the last Center City Sips of the season!

So make sure you take advantage. $4 cocktails, $3 wine, $2 beers and half-price appetizers at some of Center City’s best bars and restaurants, with some establishments even offering a 15% dinner discount after 7 p.m.

Center City Sips [Official Site]

Amuse at the Le Méridien Philadelphia Hotel. (Photo courtesy of Le Méridien)

Today, Amuse at Le Méridien Philadelphia debuted their new Three Martini Lunch featuring three martinis, Onion Soup Amuse and the brasserie’s signature Steak Frites — all for just $30.

The Three Martini Lunch will be available now through September, during the hours of 11:30 a.m. through 2 p.m., and the menu will feature six martini options:

- The Dirty Martini: Svedka, olive juice and regular or Blue cheese stuffed green olives

- The Classic Vodka Martini: Stolichnaya, dry vermouth and regular or blue cheese stuffed green olives

- Cosmopolitan: Skyy, Cointreau cranberry and fresh lime juice

- Citrus Martini: Skyy citrus, with fresh lemon juice and Cointreau

- French Martini: Belvedere, Chambord and pineapple juice

- Parisienne: Hendrick’s, dry vermouth and crème de cassis, shaken up.

Take your time while enjoying your martinis, Amuse is offering Three Martini Lunch vouchers, which will allow you to redeem any remaining drinks within 30 days. Nice.

Amuse [Official Site]
Le Méridien [Visit Philly]

Treat yourself to a night on the town. (Photo courtesy The Hotel Palomar Philadelphia)

The Hotel Palomar just notified us of a special last minute room rate they’re offering for tonight only. For $99, you can book a night’s stay at this awesome new hotel property (the #1 rated hotel in Philadelphia on Trip Advisor) located in the heart of Center City.

The special promotion is for accommodations in their Queen Deluxe Room, which features goose down feather beds fitted with Frette Linens, a 42″ flat screen TV, working desk, two telephones, iHome, and bath amenities by L’Occitane. (For $109, you can upgrade to a King Deluxe Room.) You’ll also enjoy the hotel’s complimentary evening wine reception held in the lobby and high speed wireless internet access.

Staycation anyone?

Click Here to check out the rate and room options.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia [Official Site]

The Rittenhouse Hotel was rated the #10 Hotel in the Continental United States. (Photo courtesy The Rittenhouse Hotel)

To celebrate its Travel + Leisure rankings as the #52 hotel in the world and the #10 hotel in the U.S., The Rittenhouse Hotel is inviting their guests to stay over and take advantage of a great end-of-summer deal.

The special offer is called the Remarkable Rittenhouse Relief Rate and it’s just $249 per night. What’s more, the special rate includes a $100 food and beverage voucher for use at the hotel’s acclaimed Lacroix Restaurant, or at its Bar 210 or The Mary Cassatt Tearoom. One potential way to use the $100 credit: the amazing, Best of Philly-winning Sunday Brunch prix-fixe at Lacroix…

The offer is available through Labor Day, September 6. For more information, call (215) 546-9000 or visit rittenhousehotel.com.

World’s Best Hotels 2010 [Travel + Leisure]
The Rittenhouse Hotel [Visit Philly]

You can BYOB this summer at Square 1682 with no corkage fee. (Photo courtesy Square 1682)

Square 1682, the New American restaurant at the Hotel Palomar, is waiving corkage fees at dinner for guests who want to bring their own bottle of wine this summer. The promotion runs through Labor Day, September 6, 2010.

The corkage fee is waived on up to two bottles of wine per table. (The corkage fee at Square 1682 is normally $25 per bottle, so this is a pretty solid deal.)

So bring in your favorite bottle of wine (or two) and let the Palomar treat you to complimentary corkage, because you deserve a fee-free summer

Square 1682 [Visit Philly]
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia [Visit Philly]

The interior bar at Sampan in Midtown Village. (Photo courtesy Sampan)

Every Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 pm, Sampan — Chef Michael Schulson’s modern Asian restaurant in Midtown Village (124 South 13th Street) — offers a great new happy hour deal.

The happy hour features a $2 menu of grilled snacks including satays, sliders and hot dogs, a daily-changing $4 cocktail special, and a number of additional signature cocktails, wines and beers, all priced under $10.

Sampan’s happy hour is offered at both the indoor bar and also at the new outdoor Graffiti Bar, a outdoor patio in the rear of the restaurant adorned with custom tags from local graffiti artists.

The $2 happy hour menu and specials offer a variety of items including six satays such as Korean BBQ Beef Satay with shortrib, bulgogi and kim chee and a Corn Satay with coconut, lime and togarashi; a Kobe Slider with Vermont cheddar; a Kobe Hot Dog with smoked mustard; a Chicken & Shrimp Spring Roll with crystallized ginger and cabbage; and a Chicken Dumpling with soy, sesame and scallion.

Cocktails, including the Vietnamese Fizz with vodka, lemongrass and lime and Mango Cardamom Sour with whiskey, lime and soda, range in price from $6 to $9. In addition, a daily changing beer, wine and cocktail special are available for just $4.

The Graffiti Bar, tucked away behind the restaurant, is equipped with a flat-screen television, a large communal table, ceiling fans, heaters and a custom all-weather covering that makes it a good spot even if the weather is less than cooperative. (Click here to check out a video of Michael Schulson grilling some of the happy hour snacks at the outdoor Graffiti Bar at Sampan.)

Sampan [Visit Philly]
Sampan [Facebook]

Starting today, Rum Bar is launching a fun new Thursday night event… Dominoes & Demerara.

Swing by tonight for the first in this weekly event, and compete in domino tournaments complete with prizes and El Dorado rum drink specials. Highlights include Demerara Daiquiris ($5), El Dorado Mai Tais ($6), and Guyana Rum Punch ($7).

The prizes? You’ll have a chance to win $100 gift cards to Rum Bar as well as El Dorado domino sets.

Registration is at 8:30pm, with games at 9pm. Best part? There’s no fee to play.

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

Flat Iron Steak @ Le Bec Fin

This summer, with a $40 menu to celebrate their anniversary, Le Bec Fin invites you to visit over and over again. Believe me, you’ll want to—it’s hard to choose from a menu packed with exquisite fare like, Olive Oil Poached Salmon, Flat Iron Steak or Roasted Stuffed Quail. And that’s just one stop on the four-course adventure.

Among the list of appetizers is the Roasted Spanish Octopus, with two preparations of Chorizo and topped with pickled blueberries. Or, if you want something to cool down your palate in the hot summer weather, try the new appetizer, Tomato and Watermelon Salad, served with Grains of Paradise and Chevre Sorbet. Served chilled, it is crisp and refreshing—the perfect menu item to compliment the summer season.

The meal starts off with bread and cheese, then proceeds on to appetizers and the entrée followed by a cheese course, which is chosen by the chef. Make sure to save room for dessert.

The Famed Dessert Cart @ Le Bec Fin

The menu includes two choices from the famous Le Bec Fin dessert cart, which boasts an impressive display of house-made pastries, tarts, cakes and, of course, the signature Gateau Le Bec Fin—a delectable rum-soaked chocolate Genoise with chocolate butter cream. Guests may also order a la carte desserts like the Trilogy, which is three scoops of rich, flavored sorbet and/or ice cream.

Accompanying the menu is a $40 by-the-bottle wine list. Not a wine connoisseur? Not a problem. The highly amicable and knowledgeable staff will be happy to suggest the precise wine to pair with your dish.

The meal is only half the experience. When you see Georges Perrier interact with guests, its hard not to see why Le Bec has had the same owner and chef since opening its doors in 1970. There is an exuberance that fills the room when Perrier enters. He shows a passion not only for his restaurant, but for the people who eat there, as he keeps a watchful eye on his restaurant, ensuring that his guests are enjoying their time in the elegant, chandelier clad dining establishment.

To get a taste yourself, visit Le Bec Fin Tuesday through Friday from 5:00-6:30 pm. The event will last through the summer.

Le Bec Fin
1523 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 567-1000
www.lebecfin.com

Last weekend, Oyster House added their new Shore Feast option to their already fantastic seafood menu. Serving up seafood favorites like steamed lobster and oysters on the half shell, it’s a seriously great addition.

According to the restaurant, the Shore Feast features “three Oysters and three Clams on the half shell; a Bucket of Steamers and 1 ½ Lb. Steamed Lobster with lemon and drawn butter; Corn on the Cob; and House-Made Cole Slaw.”

This new option is available nightly, 5pm to 11pm, and priced at $46 per person.

Oyster House
1516 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 567-7683
www.oysterhousephilly.com

Minette's Chef Woolsey

Even though the annual Bastille Day festival wraps up this weekend, Bistrot La Minette will continue the celebration next week, on Wednesday, July 14th, with a special French barbecue menu.

The four course French BBQ menu includes specialties like the Bistrot’s house-made country sausage and marinated lamb, and is priced at a modest $35 per person.

French cocktails and champagne will also be available all evening, along with $5 drink specials. To check out the full menu, visit Bistrot La Minette’s official website.

Bistrot La Minette
623 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 925-8000
www.bistrotlaminette.com