Restaurants
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Eat All the Farm Fresh Food at White Dog Cafe in Haverford
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler What if we told you a supernatural story? Once upon a time there was a woman who broke her leg. A white dog lay on it for a week while it was healing and all of the sudden it was healed. This is the tale of why there are multiple locations all named White Dog Cafe, according to our excellent server for the evening, Sara with no H. Known for award-winning contemporary American Cuisine and friendly service with three neighborhood locations in Philadelphia and the Main Line, Judy Wicks, social activist and original founder, opened White Dog Cafe in January of 1983. Located in three…
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Garces Foundation Gala Urges to Think Local, Give Local at Lowes Hotel
Story by Jennifer Ferrell, photos by Renee DiPietro “America is immigrants.”- Chef Jose Garces The Think Local, Give Local Gala hosted by Philadelphia’s very own restauranteur and Iron Chef, Jose Garces, gave patrons an opportunity to aid in the Garces Foundation created to benefit Philadelphia’s immigrant community. As a child of immigrants hailing from Ecuador, Garces’ created a foundation that provides health and education services to the underserved immigrant population under his employment. To celebrate this worthy cause, the gala, held at the Loews Hotel in Center City, boasted delicious tastings from numerous Philadelphia restaurants while attendees bid silently on food themed items whilst sipping Tito’s Homemade Vodka and tasty wine.…
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Spring Was in the Air (and the Food) at the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival Preview Party
Story, photos By Jill Beckel The 2017 Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival Preview Party featured cuisine from Rittenhouse Row’s best restaurants, cocktails from their best bartenders, informal modeling of spring trends from Rittenhouse Row member boutiques and salons, and a silent auction with Rittenhouse Row experiences and merchandise. Located at the Hyatt at the Bellevue, food and beverages were provided by: 24 Wood Fired Fare, a.bar, a.kitchen, Alma de Cuba, Barclay Prime, Baril, Ben & Jerry’s, Butcher and Singer, CODA, The Dandelion, D’Angelo’s, Davio’s, Devon, Di Bruno Bros., Garces Restaurants, Lacroix, Marathon Grill, Metropolitan Bakery, Mission Taqueria, Parc, Rita’s Italian Ice, Rouge, Schweid & Sons, Termini Bros. Bakery, Verts, Bar Volver, Wrap…
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Carrabba’s Italian Grill Begins Wine Pairing Dinners for a Steal
Story by Meg Arbo Let’s face it, Tuesday is generally nothing to get excited about. In fact, it can be pretty ho-hum at best. So when Explore Philly was invited to a wine pairing meal at Carrabba’s Italian Grill in Willow Grove, we were pretty happy because, hey, that beats the usual Tuesday night of nothingness. This was a chainwide, national event for Carrabba’s and was touted as the World’s Largest Wine Dinner with over 4000 bottles of wine uncorked for the 7000 diners’ viticultural pleasure. Four curated wines with four courses for $40 – a steal! The dinner began with a salad course with a Northern Italian pinot grigio…
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Full Breakdown of Flavors on the Avenue Street Festival Featuring 27 Award-Winning Restaurants
East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District presents Flavors on the Avenue: A Street Festival on Sunday, April 30, 2017, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. The brand-new street festival will feature five blocks of street food, seasonal sips, craft beer, live music, sidewalk sales and free family fun on five blocks – from Broad to Dickinson streets. Twenty-seven award-winning restaurants and bars will bring their signature cuisine outside under the blue skies. Craft beer and wine will pour from the festival beer tent – and select restaurants will also offer seasonal cocktails, beer and wines for the crowds. East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia’s restaurant row, will feature something for every taste and palate – with sweet to…
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Falling in Love with Breathless Resorts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Since I was a teen, I wanted to live a bi-coastal life with my favorite seasons on the East Coast (Spring, Summer and Fall) and escape chilly Philly to somewhere warm in the winter (usually California and sometimes Florida). Perhaps I don’t own any warm weather property (yet) however I can escape the cold to the land of sunshine and lollipops, especially now that my back is fixed up with no pain and I’m literally less than 5 degrees curved now from scoliosis fusion surgery! So this trip was extra special and an encouragement from my Scoliosis Inspire & Inform group to take a one-year…
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Behind the Scenes with P.J. Whelihan’s at WIP Wing Bowl 2017
Video, story by Whitney Ullman Every year for 10 years, P.J. Whelihan’s supplies the much anticipated Philadelphia’s WIP Wing Bowl at the Wells Fargo Center with 10,000 wings, and we had a chance to go behind the scenes to see how it’s all prepared and packaged. Check out this rundown of “fowl” facts and figures: 10,000: Wings prepared by P.J. Whelihan’s for the annual WIP Wing Bowl competition, held Friday, February 3 in Philadelphia. 10,000 wings are enough to circle the Wells Fargo Center hockey arena (host of Wing Bowl) 16.5 times or line 8.81 football fields. 122,660: Number of wings served by P.J. Whelihan’s on Super Bowl Sunday in…
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Zarwin Baum’s Fashion Touchdown Raises over $130,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters
Having raised over $130,000 this year in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, the annual Zarwin Baum Fashion Touchdown show was the place to be inside The Ballroom at the Ben. The night featured a fashion show by the wives of Philadelphia Eagles players who strutted down the runway in the Nicole Miller 2016 Holiday Collection, and their athletic hubby’s raffling off their signed jersey’s as well as looking dapper in custom-made suits by Robbini Bespoke and shoes from ToBox. FOX29’s Good Day Philadelphia Anchors Mike Jerrick & Alex Holley hosted the event and singer Michelle Bonilla sang her hit “Just The Way You Are”. Athletes in…
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Interview with Author Irene Levy Baker of 100 Things to do in Philadelphia Before You Die
Story, video by Whitney Ullman 100 Things to do in Philadelphia Before You Die, the latest in a national series of travel guides by Reedy Press, was just released. The guide was written by Irene Levy Baker, who has spent 25 years exploring Philadelphia. It includes tips she discovered while working with five local tourist bureaus, celebrity chefs, hotels and attractions. Baker is the owner of Spotlight Public Relations, a firm specializing in hospitality and restaurants. Prior to starting her public relations firm in 1998, Baker spent nearly a decade at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. EXPLORE PHILLY: Tell us about the inspiration behind writing this particular book? BAKER: I’ve been exploring…
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Philly Wine Week 2016 Kicks Off with Sold Out Opening Corks Party at Stratus Lounge
Story, video by Whitney Ullman April showers may bring May flowers but it also makes water turn to wine for this year’s Philly Wine Week 2016. Eight days of events from April 3-10, 2016 will grab you by the taste buds as you savor the range, diversity, quality and dedication of the world-class, wine obsessed restaurants and bars in Philadelphia. Seasoned wine lovers and enthusiastic novices alike will find exciting new events throughout Philadelphia to suit both their palates and budgets. See our preview article from last year with a different location and vibe. Because of the increasing popularity of Philly’s winos, the opening corks kick off party at Stratus Lounge at…