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Redz Restaurant Inside DoubleTree Suites in Mount Laurel, N.J. Sizzles for Brunch
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Redz Restaurant connected to the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton is known for their American inspired fare in Mount Laurel, N.J. But what most people don’t know is they work with local New Jersey farm stands to add farm-fresh lunch and dinner options with seasonal flair. Seasonal and recently added lunch and dinner menu items feature Jersey fresh produce and locally sourced ingredients. On the lunch menu, patrons can find healthy options like the Spinach Salad with Seasonal Fruit’ for $12 and an “Of the Day” section highlighting the kitchen’s choice of Soup du Jour for $8 ranging from Jersey tomato-sweet gazpacho or heart healthy asparagus puree to Quesadilla of the…
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Shake Shack’s Chicken Creation is White Hot Meaty Goodness!
Story by Kelly Kusumoto, photos by Colleen Cahill Shake Shack unveiled its newest item to an already difficult-to-choose-from menu. The “Hot Chick’n” sandwich made its debut and ever since it has been taking over sales at the King of Prussia establishment. Store manager Charlotte was kind enough to take a few minutes from her hectic schedule to tell us a little more about it. She said there had been more orders for the new sandwich than for their regular chicken sandwich and that it is on par with sales for their famous ShackBurgers over the past week. While we were waiting for our food, we overheard patrons say they’d rather…
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Luke’s Lobster has One of the Best ‘Lobstah’ Rolls in Philadelphia
Story, photos by Meg Arbo I am a lobster snob. In fact, I am so particular about lobster, I don’t even eat it outside of New England. Heck, I don’t even eat it outside of Maine; that is how much of a lobster snob I am. I take my lobster very seriously. Then Luke’s Lobster changed all that when they came to Philadelphia four years ago. Simply put, Luke’s Lobster makes the best “lobstah roll” you can get outside of New England. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear that Luke’s Lobster was opening a second location in Market East! Luke is from Maine and the man…
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Discover the Fine Art of Making Limoncello While Eating Amazing Italian Food at Osteria
Story, photos by Dana J. Prophet Made with the simplest ingredients and a wee bit of testing plus patience, Limoncello is a drink most willingly embrace. Delicious and versatile enough to combine into cocktails and even desserts, Osteria’s Sommelier Frank Kinyon showed his eager students how practically anyone can make this refreshing liqueur with a surprising ingredient – Everclear grain alcohol! As Frank demonstrated, the students and myself were delighted to enjoy a full course of the best dishes Osteria had to offer. Some were made from family recipes and it was easy to taste the love and tradition in every morsel. Along with each course, a regional Italian wine…
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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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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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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…
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Era Ethiopian Bar and Restaurant Expands to Breezy Sidewalk Cafe
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler If you know where the Philadelphia Zoo is located, Era Bar & Restaurant is about a mile from there. Where North Philly meets West Philly, you can find this hidden gem for over 15 years in Brewerytown. A fantastic new addition to the row home bar and restaurant is the outside patio space where guests can people watch, feel the summer breeze and enjoy sunsets with a medley of music rolling by in various cars. What makes this place unique is there is something for everyone. You can be adventurous and eat your way through traditional Ethiopian cuisine, you can play pool in the throwback…
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Mark and Donnie Wahlberg Bring Wahlburgers Franchise to Fishtown’s Piazza at Schmidt’s
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler You got the right stuff, baby. (Sorry, not sorry. This video had to be added so you, too, can have the ear worm while you read this story.) Meat, cheese, tater tots and booze is a great way to put a smile on anyone’s face and that’s the goal for the Wahlberg’s Wahlburgers growing empire (say that 10 times fast). Not only is Marky Mark still killing it and shredded for his movies, they also have Donnie still touring with New Kids on the Block… possibly coming soon to a venue near you in Philly too. Will Donnie make an appearance at Wahlburgers while in Philly with…
