Food & Beverage
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CiderFest Rules Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses in Philadelphia
Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “The older I get, the more I become an apple pie, sparkling cider kind of guy.” – Scott Foley What was Fairmount Park Conservancy thinking on the perfect autumnal afternoon in late September when introducing CiderFest, featuring cider samples from over 20 Pennsylvania cideries, self-guided tours of the six historic houses at Fairmount Park, free house-to-house transportation, live music and pay-as-you-go food trucks? I’d say they had their thinking caps spot-on with the aforementioned perfect confab of fall delights. Proceeds from the event benefitted the “ongoing stewardship, maintenance and promotion of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park.” That alone was more than enough for this itsy bitsy spider to drink from the…
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An Apple a Day Doesn’t Keep the Judges Away: Best In Pomme at Manayunk’s StrEAT Food Festival
Chowing in the StrEAT (sorry, not sorry to Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing in the Street”). Kicking off Restaurant Week is the Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” – Henry David Thoreau Autumn and apples “pear” well together. What can I say about this pun but that I’m fruity? Separating fall from those crisp, pomaceous and antioxidant-laden fruits would be akin to depriving myself of post-meal desserts. So when I was pegged (along with Explore-Philly team member Dana Prophet and Dana’s friend Amy) to spend two hours judging the best apple-themed desserts at Manayunk’s StrEAT Food Festival on the evening of September 14th, I was all in. Arriving at a…
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Pizzeria Vetri is Brick Oven Pizza Served Family Style
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Brick oven, thin pizza pie with fluffy crust and only the best and freshest ingredients… that pretty much describes Pizzeria Vetri. We chose to go to the Art Museum area location because if you get there early enough, there’s plenty of parking nearby (other locations near Rittenhouse Square and King of Prussia). Good food, good drinks & good people. Get delivery, dine in but make sure to sign up for the e-mailing list for a free rotolo (trust us, it’s soooo worth it). Not all pizza is created equal and as a person who eats it at least once a week and have eaten it in…
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Bar Amis Adding Flavor to Vetri Empire at Navy Yard
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Bye bye Lo Spiedo and hellooooo Bar Amis! The Vetri Family empire replaces Lo Spiedo with Bar Amis at the Navy Yard and we welcome this new concept in its place. Located right next to the Navy Yard gate at 4503 South Broad Street, executive chef Brad Spence takes the helm of this Italian tapas style eatery. Another location opened in Westport, CT this year but in order to save yourself the hike, we’ll cover the East Coast location. The spacious location offers whatever dining style you may feel that day – indoor bar style setting, more formal dining upstairs and outside patio style with views of the magnificent…
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On the Riviera: Seafood Dinner with James Beard Winner Chef Greg Vernick at Osteria
Photos, story by Tyra Gardner James Beard Award winner Chef Greg Vernick and Chef Jeff Michaud took over the kitchen at Osteria located at 640 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia and prepared seafood inspired by French and Italian cuisine. The amazing evening is part of a growing and glowing private chef series hosted by URBN Food & Beverage. Osteria has been open since 2007 and is one of the country’s most critically acclaimed Italian restaurants. Osteria customers at this event shared how the food here is “one of a kind and keeps them coming back for more”. The five course meal began with stuzzichini (appetizers), which included: Second courses were…
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Experience Luxury at Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose CA, the Only Boutique Hotel on Santana Row
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Luxury, style, class and comfort are the key ingredients at this modern boutique hotel on San Jose’s Santana Row, Hotel Valencia. Nestled in the heart of bustling Silicon Valley, elegant Old World Mediterranean style meets sleek modern design to create the ultimate in cosmopolitan sophistication. Polished and recently renovated by Houston-based Rottet Studio to include 215 guest rooms and suites, more than 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, two on-site restaurants – Oveja Negra Restaurant (Black Sheep) and The Terrace, full-service VBar (ultra-modern and sleek, Vbar is one of the hottest spots at Santana Row) and seasonal rooftop bar, Cielo. Located at the heart of the vibrant Santana Row urban oasis,…
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The Turtle Always Wins the Race at Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille
Photos / Story by Jill Beckel Explore Philly recently got a chance to check out the brand new Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille in North Wales and we had a blast! From tasty appetizers and filling entrees to fancy happy hour drinks, the Greene Turtle has something for everyone. Whether you want to stop in for Happy Hour with some coworkers, have a nice family dinner, or catch the game, the Greene Turtle is the perfect spot. The atmosphere is welcoming, fun and relaxing. “The Greene Turtle is more than a sports bar and grille. We believe in being a community hangout for all ages, that serves great food and drinks…
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Boardroom Spirits Distillery Launches ‘C’ Made Entirely from Raw Carrots at Aldine
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler What’s up, doc? Someone had to do it… take carrots and make booze out of it. And we’re glad it was a relatively new startup company Boardroom Spirits from Lansdale with awards to back them up. C, a first-of-its-kind 92-proof eau de vie-style spirit created entirely from carrots, literally and figuratively, follows ‘B’, distilled entirely from beets, and is expected to have the same kitchen to bar versatility. Sold in their Lansdale, PA Distillery, it is available at Aldine, Martha, and Harvest as well as nationally through Ezra’s. It takes about 12.5 pounds of carrots to create one 375 Ml bottle of C. Much like all of Boardroom Spirit…
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From Farm to Home Grass Fed Meat Delivery, Lil’ Ponderosa is a Grill Master’s Dream
Story by Explore Philly, Photos courtesy of Lil’ Ponderosa Lil’ Ponderosa is a new farm-to-home grass-fed meat service for Philadelphia and surrounding areas. The sustainable ranch based near Lancaster, PA provides grass-fed meat for its own award-winning farm-to-table restaurant John J. Jeffries, and now offers its meats through special combination boxes and a monthly subscription service. Shop all cuts of beef and organ meat, house-made jerky, and farm heritage pasteurized pork from the neighboring farm. Now carnivores don’t even need to move off the couch to order home delivery of locally raised grass-fed beef and pork products. Products are currently available a la carte or in special combination boxes, and…
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Sit Outside and Enjoy Sunset Views, Chews at Winnie’s LeBus in Manayunk
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Winnie’s in Manayunk is a Main Street Manayunk staple, full of fresh food and sweet sunny – or sunset – views. Usually I always do brunch or lunch there and once upon a time, they did quizzo during happy hour for a steal and I would leave every night with a ridiculously large chocolate cupcake as a snack for later. This time we were invited for a lazy Sunday dinner with a fresh abundance of summer fruits and vegetables prepared the homemade way. In a culture of pre-prepped, packaged and ready-to-eat, it’s nice to know that there are still some hometown Philly favorites that are…
