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Explore With Cassie

Lifestyle & travel blog finding the unusual out of the ordinary.

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  • Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Round of Applause for Bravo! Cucina Italiania in Lehigh Valley Mall, Pennsylvania

    September 19, 2018 /

    Story, photos by Sharon Kozden While June 6th is known far and wide as the anniversary of 1944’s “D-Day Invasion,” it’s overshadowed each year in my family by the occasion of my mother’s birthday. She turned 91 this year (her longevity secret’s a secret!), and I was pleased that she could accompany me to Bravo! Cucina Italiana for a celebratory dinner. The day was a hot one. Consequently, I was concerned the heat would cause appetite suppression, resulting in side-salads-as-entrée orders rather than the anticipated chow-down with gusto. But no worries necessary as, once inside, the cool air hit and the foodie fest was on! Bravo! Cucina Italiana is a…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Eat Clean and Think Green at honeygrow in King of Prussia, PA’s Town Center

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  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage

    Membership Not Required at Springfield Country Club’s Tavola Restaurant

    September 12, 2018 /

    Enjoy the country club’s 6,000 square foot-expansion (all outdoors!) of Tavola. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard Within the past year, I’ve become a country mouse, who doesn’t much get out and about to country clubs. I’m so country, in fact, that local honey is produced by honeybees on the property where I live. Hens lay eggs. Doves coo. Woodpeckers peck. Trees hang low with fruit. All number of critter sounds abound, while cars pass infrequently along a quiet, solitary road. I even have a screen door that can slam. Still, when my editor offers an assignment, I’m at the…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Refresh your Soul in the Turquoise Caribbean Sea at S Hotel Montego Bay, Jamaica

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    Feast Your Eyes and Soothe Your Spirit on the Fresh Foodie Trail in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona

    December 14, 2017
  • Education,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Fox 29’s Karen Hepp’s Tasty Talks Rocks at Yangming in Bryn Mawr, PA

    July 17, 2018 /

    Karen Hepp is on point with Yangming owner Michael Wei.  Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.”  -Barbara Bush “What preys on my mind is simply this one question: what am I good for, could I not be of service or use in some way?”  – Vincent van Gogh Tasty Talks. Sounds, well, tasty. Tasty and talk-y. But what, really, is a Tasty Talk? I would soon find out…

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    Sharon Kozden

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  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Philly’s Landmark Americana Tap and Grill Delivers Good Grub

    July 4, 2018 /

    Façade of Landmark Americana Tap & Grill’s City Line locale in the heart of St. Joseph’s University campus. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden When life gives you lemons, add drinks, wings and ribs!  – In part, me. Just sayin’ before you read on … with apologies to Clement C. Moore ‘Twas the week before Super Bowl LII, when all through Landmark Americana Tap & Grill’s City Line location, all the sports’ fans were stoked and rocking the house. The wings were outstanding, all chicken, little bone, and my ten were divided between sauces mild with spice bite and honey barbeque sweet. The wings were all nestled, snug in their sauce, while not overly so…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Enjoy a Low Key Vibe at Villa Cosy Hotel and Spa in Saint Tropez, France

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    Explore Omni Mount Washington Resort & Bretton Woods Ski Area in New Hampshire

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    Explore the Center of the World in Felicity, California

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    Tasty Wings, Burgers and Beer at P.J. Whelihan’s Pub & Restaurant in Oaks, PA

    June 21, 2018 /

    Story, photos by Jill Beckel The newest member of the P.J. Whelihan’s brand, P.J. Oaks, will be your new go-to spot for happy hour, game nights and meeting up with friends. P.J. Oaks opened its doors in Montgomery County, PA in 2016. P.J. Whelihan’s Pub + Restaurant is part of the well-loved P.J.W. Restaurant group. Now with 14 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and an additional 3 arena locations, P.J. Whelihan’s is quickly becoming a Philadelphia area staple. Known for a massive craft beer selection, an incomparable game-day experience, and of course, The Official Wing of Wing Bowl, P.J.’s demonstrates every day just how much #PJsDoesItBetter. We stopped by the…

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    Jill Beckel

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    Escape to Foodie Paradise at Bucks County Restaurant Week in Washington House Hotel

    June 6, 2018 /

    The Washington House Restaurant’s prix fixe menu tantalizes in its choices. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Going to a restaurant is one of my keenest pleasures. Meeting someplace with old and new friends, ordering wine, eating food, surrounded by strangers, I think is the core of what it means to live a civilized life.”  –Adam Gopnik I’m not sure why it took so long for Bucks County to establish a restaurant week comprising all of its towns. I’m just glad that 2018 was its inaugural year and that I was a part of it. Hopefully (and judging by what I tasted and witnessed), it’ll become a tradition for the ages.…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Drive a Boat in Lawless Lake of the Wild West in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

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    Another Nor’easter Didn’t Stop People from Attending the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Restaurant Festival

    May 31, 2018 /

    Photos, story by Jill Beckel A wicked winter afternoon in March was the start of another Nor’easter! But that didn’t stop Philadelphians from attending the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Restaurant Festival which was held at the beautiful Crystal Tea Room at the Wanamaker Building. This year’s Philadelphia Restaurant Festival did not disappoint with over 60 restaurants, wineries and distilleries participating. Attendees traveled throughout the main room and the Viennesse Room of the Crystal Tea Room, stopping to sample anything that piqued their fancy. It was a great way to eat and drink your way through a showcase of Philadelphia’s vibrant local restaurant scene and try some new restaurants you may not have…

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    Jill Beckel

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    Run, Don’t Walk to theVillage’s Third Annual Health and Wellness Fair

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    Explore Chacchoben Ruins and Blue Lagoon in Costa Maya, Mexico

    April 4, 2023
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    The Place to ‘Vie’ was Philly Wine Week’s ‘Opening Corks’ Event

    May 24, 2018 /

    Hip hip valet (parking)! “The best way to learn about wine is in the drinking.” – Alexis Lichine Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I don’t do beer. Exception: when at Citizens Bank Park, cheering on the Phightins’. Neither is hard liquor my cuppa char. Exception: Margaritas. I just like reading drink menus’ whimsical “drinks with names” (as I call them) – creative descriptions of specialty cocktails. Same with cookbooks. Not being a cook doesn’t stop me from appreciating the photos, asides and foreign-sounding ingredients. So no brew. Nothing hardcore. What remains? WINE. Now we’re talking! Wine is in a glass (and a class) by itself, as was the 5th Annual…

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    Sharon Kozden

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  • Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Enjoy Upscale, Eclectic Asian Food at Yangming in Bryn Mawr

    March 28, 2018 /

      Run, don’t WOK! “we are the fortunate cookies, we who were flat but now curl moonlike around thick middles, cradling happy advice and lucky numbers in our crisp bellies” – Unknown Story, photos by Sharon Kozden While Walt Whitman sang his praises of the “body electric,” I’m here to sing similarly about Yangming’s foodstuffs eclectic. Yangming is an upscale, never-duplicated, well-known and loved establishment, offering an eclectic bounty of Chinese and Asian fusion cuisine. The cocktail offerings are creative, the wine list award-winning and the desserts a blend of either decadent or light. Indulge in the sweetest of treats or restrain with a fresh berry-based, naturally sugared more healthfhttp://yangmingrestaurant.com/reviews/ul choice. Lychee nuts…

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    Sharon Kozden

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  • Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Not Your Typical Pizza Joint, &pizza Jazzes Up Pizza Pie Biz

    February 28, 2018 /

    Story, photos by Lauren Aynn Incoming pizza fanatics, there’s a new player in town and it’s name is &pizza (and-peet-suh). From its clean design to its new innovative take on take out, &pizza is a real stand out in its class. They haven’t reinvented the pizza wheel so to speak, but they have found ways to make it their own. &Pizza also proudly partners with local causes to help strengthen the community around them. In fact if you have a cause close to your heart they encourage you to make a request on their website. Truly a great way to keep in touch with the needs and wants of the…

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    Lauren Welinsky

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