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Eighth Annual Audi Feastival Celebrates FringeArts 21st Birthday
Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “I think eating is one of the most delectable experiences of radiant, sweet, sour, hot splashes biting at your taste buds that you could ever have. Now imagine knowing how to maneuver and manage these flavors from a cook’s perspective. Pure power.” – Christopher Staab I’m remembering with gastronomic bliss the evening of September 28th, when Audi FEASTIVAL joined FringeArts for what arguably deserves its reputation as Philadelphia’s “Party of the Year.” For eight years running, an assembly of over 75 of Philadelphia’s renowned restaurants and bars has combined their award-winning fare samplings with FringeArts raise-the-bar, always innovative entertainment, artistic and cultural wonderment. FEASTIVAL first came to light, life and belly (in…
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Take a Walking, Eating and Drinking Chew Philly Tour Through Chestnut Hill
Please feel free to offer promo code EXPLOREPHL for $29/adult tickets to our Manayunk or Chestnut Hill tour. Photos, story by Cassie Hepler Meet the first Northwest Philadelphia food and culinary tour since 2011, Chew Philly. With tours led by the lovely Elyse Castillo, these tours aren’t just for tourists. You can discover one of the many cultural gems and neighborhoods Philly has to offer. Perhaps you enjoy sampling delicious ethnic foods in historic neighborhood or want a taste of that perfect tomato pie, dip your tongue into decadent cappuccinos or lick ages old ice cream from the best specialty shops in Philly. The walking tours make you feel like you can…
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Bluecoat Gin Helps Expand Sofitel Hotel’s Outdoor Cafe, Liberté Blue
Story, photos by Tiffany DuBois On a muggy, sweaty, hot late summer evening, Bluecoat Gin and the Sofitel Hotel formed a new baby; Liberte Blue. Basically, Bluecoat Gin partnered with the Sofitel to exhibit food and cocktails that would marry these two dynamic duos. The food was fantastic but needed tweaking here and there to make a person appreciate the smells and taste. The cocktails, let me tell you about the cocktails! They were refreshing, light, smoky, and delicious. The menu included mini tacos that had an awesome crema, a lovely amount of acidity, and were choke full of pork. There were veal meatballs that melted in your mouth and…
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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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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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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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Meltdown at Ruby’s Diner with Debut of 35th Anniversary Burger
Photos, story by Sharon Kozden Celebrating 35 years of all-American classics, Ruby’s Diner has introduced a new, aptly named 35th Anniversary Burger. As a kid, a burger dine-out the Kozden way meant a meal comprised of single patty, small order of fries and an equally small-sized cola. No frills, no deviation from the spare. Little Sharon, a minimalist before her time. My father had four hungry mouths to feed on a humble meter reader’s salary, which ensured that I lived for years in ignorance of the vast and varied manners in which foodstuffs could be prepared. Descendant on both sides from Anthracite coal miners (as far from to-the-manor-born as one can get), imagine my bugged-out eyes when I discovered such grub-stuffs as toppings,…
