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	<title>Finding Philly &#187; Bar</title>
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	<link>http://findingphilly.com</link>
	<description>more than just a pretty cheesesteak</description>
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		<title>Earth, Bread and Brewery</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2009/07/earth-bread-and-brewery/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2009/07/earth-bread-and-brewery/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:56:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bakery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mt. Airy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=133</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Disclaimer: Finally publishing a few old posts I had put together drafts on.   
12 miles by bike doesn&#8217;t seem all that tough at first glance.  But when you put that 12 miles through center city Philly and add in an 80 degree day and make the last few miles uphill while lost [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: Finally publishing a few old posts I had put together drafts on.  <img src='http://findingphilly.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>12 miles by bike doesn&#8217;t seem all that tough at first glance.  But when you put that 12 miles through center city Philly and add in an 80 degree day and make the last few miles uphill while lost and well&#8230;it still doesn&#8217;t seem as desperate as we felt by the end of that ride.  The chafing, sunburn and sore butts melted away after a few minutes and a couple of beers at Tom and Peggy Baker&#8217;s Earth, Bread and Brewery.  Pics in the extended!</p>
<p><span id="more-133"></span></p>
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<p><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=s_d&amp;saddr=742+Carpenter+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19147&amp;daddr=S+Broad+St%2FPA-611+to:S+21st+St+to:S+22nd+St+to:Market+St%2FPA-3+to:39.961333,-75.175323+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Lincoln+Dr+to:Germantown+Ave+to:E+Cliveden+St+to:7136+Germantown+Ave,+Philadelphia,+PA+19119&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=%3BFXJ2YQIdHg-F-w%3BFUh8YQIdXOKE-w%3BFRqgYQIdwuOE-w%3BFeamYQIdpOCE-w%3B%3BFRYoYgIdAYqE-w%3BFVmCYgIdJoiE-w%3BFWvqYgIdrq6E-w%3BFXwOYwIdx86E-w%3BFd4RYwIdHM2E-w%3B&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=5&amp;sz=14&amp;via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10&amp;dirflg=w&amp;sll=39.955214,-75.164251&amp;sspn=0.031252,0.063429&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=40.010787,-75.160904&amp;spn=0.184071,0.291824&amp;z=11&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=embed&amp;saddr=742+Carpenter+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19147&amp;daddr=S+Broad+St%2FPA-611+to:S+21st+St+to:S+22nd+St+to:Market+St%2FPA-3+to:39.961333,-75.175323+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Kelly+Dr%2FE+River+Dr+to:Lincoln+Dr+to:Germantown+Ave+to:E+Cliveden+St+to:7136+Germantown+Ave,+Philadelphia,+PA+19119&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=%3BFXJ2YQIdHg-F-w%3BFUh8YQIdXOKE-w%3BFRqgYQIdwuOE-w%3BFeamYQIdpOCE-w%3B%3BFRYoYgIdAYqE-w%3BFVmCYgIdJoiE-w%3BFWvqYgIdrq6E-w%3BFXwOYwIdx86E-w%3BFd4RYwIdHM2E-w%3B&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=5&amp;sz=14&amp;via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10&amp;dirflg=w&amp;sll=39.955214,-75.164251&amp;sspn=0.031252,0.063429&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=40.010787,-75.160904&amp;spn=0.184071,0.291824&amp;z=11" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small></p>
<p><a href='http://www.earthbreadbrewery.com/">Official Site</a><br />
7136 Germantown Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19119-1843<br />
(215) 242-6666</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Brunch in South Philadelphia</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2009/04/brunch-in-south-philadelphia/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2009/04/brunch-in-south-philadelphia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:13:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BYOB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bella Vista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Center City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinatown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desserts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethnic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rittenhouse Square]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sabrina&#8217;s is an hour wait.  Butcher&#8217;s is closed.  Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly?  You&#8217;ve got lots of options!
Yes, Sabrina&#8217;s is pretty good.  There&#8217;s an extensive, creative menu and it&#8217;s great for kids.  Considering the crowds they get the service [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sabrina&#8217;s is an hour wait.  Butcher&#8217;s is closed.  Where can you and your visiting family eat on a weekend morning down in south philly?  You&#8217;ve got lots of options!<span id="more-125"></span></p>
<p>Yes, Sabrina&#8217;s is pretty good.  There&#8217;s an extensive, creative menu and it&#8217;s great for kids.  Considering the crowds they get the service is pretty quick and very friendly.  Heck, it&#8217;s even BYOB, which we&#8217;d forgotten until we saw a family pulling out a bottle of bubbly last time.  But from early in the morning until early afternoon you&#8217;ll see 30-40 people standing outside waiting for their table.  30 minutes is considered a short amount of time to wait.</p>
<p>Butcher&#8217;s Cafe, across the street, always played a second fiddle to Sabrina&#8217;s but now it&#8217;s closed.  Now Shank&#8217;s and Evelyn&#8217;s has closed up shop and moved to center city.  The first thing to come to mind is Sam&#8217;s Morning Glory Diner at 735 S 10th St, just a couple of blocks away.  Though lesser-known Sam&#8217;s is just as popular as Sabrina&#8217;s.  The food is typical American breakfast/brunch, just like Sabrina&#8217;s, but it&#8217;s in a quieter setting.  It&#8217;s well worth the wait, but there you are again.  Starving family?  A bit of a headache?  You&#8217;re going to need one of the other options.  The best part is that they&#8217;re all only a quick walk away.<br />
<strong><br />
1) Royal Tavern and Cochon</strong>.  Did you know that two of Philly&#8217;s most respected eating establishments serve brunch?  I don&#8217;t think anybody else in Philly knows, because when I go to these places they&#8217;re practically empty.  It&#8217;s a travesty of brunch.  From either Sabrina&#8217;s or Sam&#8217;s just walk east a couple of blocks until you hit Passyunk.  North takes you to Cochon and south you&#8217;ll see Royal&#8217;s coat of arms.</p>
<p>The Royal is dark, as always, which might be great for your hangover.  They also always have a few house drinks, like lemonades and teas and sangrias, for that Hair of the Dog that Bit You kinda thing, and there are always creative specials as well.  We had a corned beef hash last time.  Cochon is just another two blocks up the street and there&#8217;s plenty of light coming into this little BYOB.  They may be putting tables outside again soon and East Passyunk&#8217;s trees are one of Philly&#8217;s better outdoor dining options.  The only drawbacks here are that Cochon doesn&#8217;t open until 11 and Royal opens at 10.  But we&#8217;re talking about *you* after all and your main problem is that you didn&#8217;t get up early enough and you&#8217;re still waiting outside of Sabrina&#8217;s or Sam&#8217;s!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.royaltavern.com/menu4.html">Royal Tavern Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>Royal Tavern<br />
937 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2943<br />
(215) 389-6694</em><br />
<a href="http://www.cochonbyob.com/brunch.html">Cochon Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>Cochon<br />
801 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3018<br />
(215) 923-7675</em></p>
<p><strong>2) Carman&#8217;s Country Kitchen.</strong>  I&#8217;ll let Holly Moore&#8217;s review speak for itself:<br />
<a href="http://www.hollyeats.com/Carmans.htm">Holly reviews Carman&#8217;s</a><br />
We actually tried to eat at Carman&#8217;s today but were told that the four open seats at the bar had been reserved.  Let that be a lesson to you!  This place is pretty tiny but call ahead and reserve!  We haven&#8217;t eaten there yet but we have the feeling that it&#8217;s up there in terms of character <del datetime="2009-04-27T16:50:48+00:00">and south-philly authenticity</del>(edited thanks to sage advice from Holly) so much so that it could probably rival Shank&#8217;s and Evelyn&#8217;s.  To get there you&#8217;ll have to head over to 11th street and walk a few blocks south of Washington.<br />
<em>Carman&#8217;s Country Kitchen<br />
1301 S 11th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5601<br />
(215) 339-9613</em></p>
<p><strong>3) Mexican/Chinese</strong>.  What?  You want waffles and scrapple?  Shame on you.  Walk over to 9th street and try some of the tacos al pastor at Los Taquitos de Puebla if you (for some inexplicable reason) haven&#8217;t been doing so for the past year.  It&#8217;s way better than a breakfast burrito and they&#8217;re less expensive here than they are in Headhouse Farmer&#8217;s Market!<br />
<em><a href="http://www.lostaquitosdepuebla.com/articles/media/welcome.html">Los Taquitos de Puebla</a><br />
1149 S 9th Street<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147<br />
(215) 334-0664</em></p>
<p>Yes, I know there&#8217;s better dim sum in Chinatown.  If you want to drive up there, search for parking for 20 minutes, wait at the door in a noisy crowded restaurant and then hope there&#8217;s still food left on the cart when it whizzes by then more power to you.  I&#8217;d rather just walk down to Washington, turn right (for Wokano) or left (for Saigon Maxim), sit down immediately and have nonstop carts roll up in a rather quiet setting.  You can even hear the music.<br />
<a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/354310">I can&#8217;t find recent reviews, so here&#8217;s an old one from Chowhound</a>.</p>
<p><strong>4) Teri&#8217;s</strong>.  Still not satisfied?  You want that american-style brunch but you&#8217;ve been to the Royal and Cochon, done dim sum and tacos al pastor, and Carman&#8217;s was closed?  You need one more?  Or just looking to find that secret hole-in-the-wall?  Well then you&#8217;re just like we were this morning, wandering around south philly, hot and hungry.  Luckily Karen remembered reading about Teri&#8217;s here:<br />
<a href="http://www.citypaper.net/food/restaurants/id/3331/Teri%27s+Restaurant">Teri&#8217;s review in Citypaper</a>.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no pretention here.  No fancy plating or micro-greens garnishes.  When I ordered a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich on white toast that&#8217;s exactly what I got.  It handled the hot sauce treatment on one side just as well as it did the maple syrup dunk on the other.  Karen&#8217;s corncakes with scallion butter and a fried egg on top fit the bill nicely and the salty, crispy bacon and ham sides rounded us out perfectly.  Service was great-very friendly and attentive and regulars were all around.  They like the word &#8220;clean&#8221; a lot and it shows both on the menus and all over the restaurant.  I think it&#8217;s soon going to become another south philly institution (if it&#8217;s not already and I&#8217;m just the last one on the bus).<br />
<em><a href="http://terisdeli.com/">Teri&#8217;s official site</a><br />
1126 s. 9th St.<br />
Philadelphia Pa. 19147<br />
267-761-9154<br />
</em></p>
<p>A 30-minute walk around south philly and we still had an awesome brunch before we would have even gotten sat at some of the other places.  I&#8217;m sure some of the people we saw outside of Sabrina&#8217;s and Sams&#8217; were still waiting, tired and hungry with a slight headache, while my scrapple sammich was energizing me for a day full of bottling beer and playing Wii.</p>
<p><strong>BONUS</strong><br />
<strong>Famous 4th Street and Cantina de los Caballitos</strong><br />
Famous 4th Street Deli is where you go when you want a 15$ bagel/cream cheese/lox/tomato/onion/caper sandwich that will last you all week or some pastrami or matzo ball soup.  Bangin, big, and expensive.  4th Street just south of South Street.<br />
<a href="http://famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com/">Famous 4th Street Official</a><br />
<em>700 S 4th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3102<br />
(215) 922-3274</em></p>
<p>Cantina is The Jam but we were on foot today and didn&#8217;t feel like walking that far south.  Just keep going down Passyunk a while and you&#8217;ll hit it.  Nothing wrong with some killer margaritas and modern mexican for brunch.<br />
<a href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/CantinaMenuBrunch.html">Cantina&#8217;s Brunch Menu</a><br />
<em>1651 E Passyunk Ave<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19148<br />
(215) 755-3550</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ribs (and much more) at Cantina</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2008/07/ribs-and-much-more-at-cantina/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2008/07/ribs-and-much-more-at-cantina/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:54:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexican]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Philly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/?p=52</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We had one of those amazing meals today that leaves you with the feeling that everything&#8217;s right in the world.  I wanted Karen to have the amazing barbeque pork ribs and well, a magarita for brunch isn&#8217;t anything to sneeze at on the 4th of July.  I also wanted to try the pork [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We had one of those amazing meals today that leaves you with the feeling that everything&#8217;s right in the world.  I wanted Karen to have the amazing barbeque pork ribs and well, a magarita for brunch isn&#8217;t anything to sneeze at on the 4th of July.  I also wanted to try the pork wings that were so <a target="_blank" href="http://philadining.blogspot.com/2008/06/if-pigs-could-fly.html">highly recommended</a>, but apparently they were only available as a special.</p>
<p>The tamarind barbeque ribs, called Costillitas, have a killer sear and practically drip off the bone.  The pineapple salsa adds a tangy bite and the jalapenos add the heat.  It&#8217;s just fantastic and Karen agreed.</p>
<p>Ribs by themselves would be a weird brunch so I got the eggs benedict with chorizo and a chipotle hollandaise.  I&#8217;ll just let you marinate on that and tell you that Karen declared &#8220;this is the best eggs benedict I&#8217;ve ever had.&#8221;</p>
<p>For drinks we had a &#8220;City Bike,&#8221; an &#8220;El Dorado&#8221; and Prickly Pear Mimosa.  All three were perfectly balanced and really interesting.  I&#8217;ll let you check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/CantinaMenuDrinks.html">drinks menu</a> to find out what they&#8217;re all about.  This is probably the fourth time I&#8217;ve been in a month and I can&#8217;t wait to go back!</p>
<p>Can&#8217;t wait to check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinadossegundos.com/directions.html">their new venture up in Northern Liberties</a> as well.<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/">Cantina Main Site (with all menus)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantinaloscaballitos.com/directions.html">Cantina Los Caballitos<br />
        1651 East Passyunk Ave<br />
        South Philly  <br />
        (215) 755-3550 </a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Votre Sante! Relaxing at Sofitel</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/sofitel/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/sofitel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>karenstratton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rittenhouse Square]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/30/sofitel/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sofitel Hotel
120 S.17th St.

Sofitel is a french chain of hotels with simple and chic decor.  The Sofitel in Philly has floor to ceiling windows looking out on 17th and sansom street (good for people watching)&#8230;.  The drink menu at La Bourse (Sofitel&#8217;s bar and lounge) feautures a nice selection of french aperitifs, as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sofitel Hotel<br />
120 S.17th St.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471909941/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/471909941_8ef932aef0_t.jpg" alt="La Bourse Sign" height="80" width="100" /></a><br />
Sofitel is a french chain of hotels with simple and chic decor.  The Sofitel in Philly has floor to ceiling windows looking out on 17th and sansom street (good for people watching)&#8230;.<span id="more-22"></span>  The drink menu at La Bourse (Sofitel&#8217;s bar and lounge) feautures a nice selection of french aperitifs, as well as single malts, and wine &amp; champagne by the glass.  Fancy cheese nips grace each table for snacking. Pomme frites served with a gorgonzola sauce, a cheese plate and a nice assortment of olives are some of snacks served until 1am.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471893304/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/192/471893304_ea4ebe44a5_m.jpg" alt="Snacks at La Bourse" height="180" width="240" /></a><br />
The french speaking staff are always accomodating and pleasant.  While sipping on a kir royal my favorite spot to sit is the big comfy couch in the back.  The bar can get pretty busy on the weekends but happy hour or late night it la bourse has a chill atmosohere where you can easily carry on a conversation.<br />
When your regular spot just won&#8217;t do and you feel like classin&#8217; it up check out La Bourse at Sofitel!</p>
<p>What I found&#8230; my favorite hotel bar in the city.</p>
<p>hours:  11am &#8211; 2am</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Brunch with Dean &#8211; Valanni</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/brunch-with-dean-valanni/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/brunch-with-dean-valanni/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:34:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>karenstratton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Center City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gayborhood]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/23/brunch-with-dean-valanni/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[VALANNI
1229 Spruce St.
Philadelphia
19107
Sunday is my favorite day  of the week.  It&#8217;s great day to catch up on much needed rest.  Plus, it&#8217;s the only day of the week when you&#8217;re allowed to drink alcohol for breakfast and no one looks at you funny!  Maybe, that&#8217;s the real reason brunch is my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>VALANNI<br />
1229 Spruce St.<br />
Philadelphia<br />
19107</p>
<p>Sunday is my favorite day  of the week.  It&#8217;s great day to catch up on much needed rest.  Plus, it&#8217;s the only day of the week when you&#8217;re allowed to drink alcohol for breakfast and no one looks at you funny!  Maybe, that&#8217;s the real reason brunch is my favorite meal.  And Valanni is my favorite spot to eat it.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471897231/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/471897231_dce7bf2985_m.jpg" alt="Valanni Sign" height="240" width="180" /></a><br />
<span id="more-23"></span><br />
It&#8217;s not difficult to make eggs and bacon and mimosas taste right. What&#8217;s difficult is making them better than anybody else.  Sometimes, a whole day in advance i try to decide what fabulous menu item i am going to choose.  Many of the usual suspects are on the menu but Valanni&#8217;s versions of them are so much better.  Lemon Riccota Pancakes. The belgian waffles with caramelized black rum bananas, strawberries and toasted coconut is as good as it sounds.  Since i have tried most everyting on the menu i have been able to narrow down my choices to the Grilled Filet &amp; Herb Eggs with Shiitake Mushroom Jus or the Poached Eggs with Lump Crab on Garlic Focaccia.  Of course, it also depends on what Matt is getting.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471894299/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/471894299_aeb714ac1d_m.jpg" alt="Valanni Steak and Eggs" height="180" width="240" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471893409/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/471893409_21bc04cbd8_m.jpg" alt="Valanni Pulled Pork 2" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>In my opinion there is no better place to sit than the bar with Valanni&#8217;s charming bar tender Dean.  People talk a lot about other brunch spots in town but we love the relaxed atmostphere and great food.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not a bad idea to call ahead and reserve, it  gets crowded around noon.  Go to <a href="http://www.valanni.com">www.valanni.com</a> or call 215. 790.9494</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471879064/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/471879064_240354f47c_m.jpg" alt="Valanni Exterior" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>hours:  sat &amp; sunday 11-3pm<br />
outside seating available<br />
why it&#8217;s our favorite: steak and eggs, and we love dean too!</p>
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		<title>Finding (a) Manhattan at Southwark</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/finding-a-manhattan/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/finding-a-manhattan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:17:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Late-Night]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Street]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/04/03/finding-a-manhattan/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When i decided i was going to start this blog i solicited ideas from friends and people i work with.  One that intrigued me was from Jason, a fellow server at Ansill.  He said simply, &#8220;Go to Southwark.  Get a Manhattan.&#8221;

And so i did&#8230;

I liked his suggestion because it was one particular [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When i decided i was going to start this blog i solicited ideas from friends and people i work with.  One that intrigued me was from Jason, a fellow server at Ansill.  He said simply, &#8220;Go to <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;safe=off&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;q=southwark+restaurant&amp;near=Philadelphia,+PA&amp;radius=0.0&amp;cid=39952222,-75164167,5939441199774824214&amp;li=lmd&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;z=14&amp;ll=39.945411,-75.149403&amp;spn=0.02948,0.054932&amp;om=1&amp;iwloc=A">Southwark</a>.  Get a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Manhattan</a>.&#8221;<br />
<img src="http://findingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/manhattan.jpg" alt="Manhattan" /><br />
And so i did&#8230;<br />
<span id="more-19"></span></p>
<p>I liked his suggestion because it was one particular thing at a particular place that was apparently the pinnacle of &#8220;thingness&#8221; for that thing.  That&#8217;s what this blog is all about!  Thingness!  Also it was a drink i&#8217;d never really dug before.  It would be challenging to see if i could overcome that in the face of what was apparently the best Manhattan in town.</p>
<p>You know what?  I&#8217;m not going to keep you in suspense.  The drink is great.  It&#8217;s really effing good and i didn&#8217;t even like Manhattans before this.  I&#8217;ve had three now in the past month and been trying to figure out exactly why so i could write this post.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471883558/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/471883558_dae123dc36_m.jpg" alt="Southwark Manhattan" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>The key component, according to Jason, is the rye whiskey.  Many bars and consumers go with any old whisky, but according to <a href="http://www.iba-world.com/english/cocktails/">The International Bartender&#8217;s Association&#8217;s Official Cocktail List</a> the recipe is:</p>
<blockquote><p>MANHATTAN Pre dinner (martini or cocktail glass )<br />
5.0 cl Rye or Canadian whiskey<br />
2.0 cl Red Vermouth<br />
1 Dash Angostura Bitter<br />
Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled martini or cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.</p></blockquote>
<p>but the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Wikipedia Entry</a> also calls exclusively for rye.  Looks like either/or is acceptable.</p>
<p>So it shouldn&#8217;t be all THAT strange for a place to use rye for their Manhattans right?  But i consulted with some of my bartender friends (i have a lot of bartender friends) and they all concurred that Canadian whisky is generally substituted for rye.  That could be a byproduct of PLCB (you&#8217;re lucky to find one rye in the state stores), or it could even be a local preference (though i don&#8217;t think there is a huge Canadian population in Philly).  I&#8217;m curious to find out if such is the case in other areas of the country.</p>
<p>Then what IS a rye?  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whiskey">The Wikipedia entry on rye whiskey</a> says that it is made from a mash that contains at least 51% rye.  The rest is usually made up of barley and corn.  Seems simple right?  Except the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey">entry on Bourbon Whiskey</a> says it is made from a mash that contains at least 51% <em>corn</em>.  The rest is usually made up of barley and rye.  And Canadian whiskey?  Not regulated as far as the amount of rye.  They&#8217;re all very similar, but different, if you know what i&#8217;m sayin. Here&#8217;s what Southwark&#8217;s collection looks like:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471882920/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/471882920_755aa87f27_m.jpg" alt="Southwark Rye Collection" height="180" width="240" /></a><br />
(Photo courtesy of George!)</p>
<p>&lt;&#8211;<a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E7DE113EF93AA15752C1A9609C8B63">New York Times Article on Rye and its renewed popularity</a>&#8211;&gt;</p>
<p>&lt;&#8211;<a href="http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=11878">Philadelphia Weekly Article on Southwark</a>&#8211;&gt;</p>
<p>There&#8217;s another factor at work -literally- here. Kip and George, the bartenders.  These guys are great.  They work really well together and know their stuff.  They have a great collection of rye whiskey (probably a dozen) and an even greater collection of friendly regulars.  Every time i go in i see somebody i know, meet a friend of a friend or make a new one.  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwark,_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania">Southwark</a> is coincidentally the former name of the neighborhood south of center city.  It&#8217;s comforting that a neighborhood bar with a neighborhood name has such a neighborhood feel.  It&#8217;s a local watering hole with bartenders who care enough to do things right and have the cabinet, knowledge, skills and loyal customers to back it up.  And it all comes together to make the best Manhattan in Philly.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/471898277/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/471898277_9d01075e1f_m.jpg" alt="Manhattans at Southwark" height="180" width="240" /></a></p>
<p>What i found: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_%28cocktail%29">Manhattans</a>!  The depth and breadth of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whiskey">rye whiskey</a>!  A great <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;safe=off&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;hs=gPE&amp;q=southwark+restaurant&amp;near=Philadelphia,+PA&amp;radius=0.0&amp;latlng=39952222,-75164167,5939441199774824214&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=local&amp;ct=authority">place to be a regular!</a> (couldn&#8217;t find an official site)</p>
<p>Southwark<br />
701 S 4th St<br />
Philadelphia, PA 19147<br />
(215) 238-1888</p>
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		<title>Hangin wit da Biz (at Tragos)</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/biz-markie-tragos/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/biz-markie-tragos/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:05:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattohara</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Late-Night]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rittenhouse Square]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/22/hangin-wit-da-biz-at-tragos/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a bit out of line with the idea of findingphilly, but i just gotta post it!  Last night i was lucky enough to catch the end of a set by the infamous Biz Markie at the Rittenhouse club Tragos!
You KNOW i requested Pickin&#8217; Boogies and he played it right before he freestyled [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is a bit out of line with the idea of findingphilly, but i just gotta post it!  Last night i was lucky enough to catch the end of a set by the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biz_Markie">Biz Markie</a> at the Rittenhouse club <a href="http://www.tragoslounge.com/">Tragos</a>!</p>
<p>You KNOW i requested <a href="http://www.lyricsdownload.com/biz-markie-pickin-boogers-lyrics.html">Pickin&#8217; Boogies</a> and he played it right before he freestyled for a good 10 minutes.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/430486871/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/430486871_b8c4a144f6_o.jpg" width="320" height="240" alt="Hangin wit da Biz" /></a></p>
<p>YouTube has a <a href="http://youtube.com/results?search_query=biz+markie&#038;search=Search">whole bunch of Biz Markie videos</a></p>
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		<title>Over the Horizons Philadelphia</title>
		<link>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/over-the-horizon/</link>
		<comments>http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/over-the-horizon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>mattherron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vegetarian]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://findingphilly.com/2007/03/17/over-the-horizon/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Horizons Philadelphia
611 S. 7th Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19147
215·923·6117
Vegan just got a lot cooler.  Looking for a way to get gourmet with your vegan lifestyle?  Check out Horizons Philadelphia.  Appetizers that take you on a journey from simple olive tasting in Northern Italy to an exquisite Yucatan chopped spinach salad tantalizing the taste buds [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong><br />
611 S. 7th Street<br />
Philadelphia, Pa 19147<br />
215·923·6117</p>
<p>Vegan just got a lot cooler.  Looking for a way to get gourmet with your vegan lifestyle?  Check out <a href="http://www.horizonsphiladelphia.com/"><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong></a>.  Appetizers that take you on a journey from simple olive tasting in Northern Italy to an exquisite Yucatan chopped spinach salad tantalizing the taste buds and perfectly presented.  My first 3 visits allowed me the opportunity to sample almost the entire menu.  Portions are medium sized but packed with flavor and zest.  The staff is warm and inviting and the setting is simple yet attractive.</p>
<p><span id="more-17"></span>If you haven&#8217;t stuffed yourself with your tapas style starters, make sure you try one of the following 3 entrees:</p>
<p>1. <strong>Grilled Seitan</strong> &#8211; This dish is everything you want in a vegan &#8216;meat&#8217; dish.  The seitan is tender and delectable, the horseradish cream sauce brings a perfect balance to the dish by adding a little kick but smoothing it out deliciously.  Finally the grilled spinach finishes off the whole experience nicely with a fresh yet mild red pepper tapenade to boot.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Peppercorn Crusted Seard Tofu</strong> &#8211; This dish absolutely captured my senses the second it arrived in front of me.  The aromas were almost too much to handle.  I took a sip of my lager and began to breakdown this wonderfully thought out dish.  The presentation was elegant and inviting.  The first bite of the crusted tofu annd parsnip puree was quite literally amazing.  I never thought a soy bean curd could be transformed into something this enjoyable.  And being that I am not a true vegetarian, goes a long way to demonstrate the thought that went into this entree.  The balsalmic butter sauce made it as devilish as it was heavenly.  If you only visit Horizons once in your lifetime, I would suggest this dish as your primer.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Sopa de Tortilla</strong> &#8211; Finally a soup that really is a meal. (Excuse my pathetic attempt at referencing Seinfeld!) The most unique blend of flavors on the Horizons menu is by far and away this soup.  It consists of traditional latin components with an exotic stew of corn, chayote fruit and red bean.  It is mild at first but irresistable until the end.  The roasted seitan tacos on the side complete the experience and send you home.  But wait, there is still desert.</p>
<p>Before packing it in, you might want to try the best cheescake in Philadelphia.  That&#8217;s right.  Its vegan.  The candy apple cheesecake is absolutely not of this world.  It is a must after every Horizons meal.  Worthy enough on its own to satisfy a late night craving.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.horizonsphiladelphia.com/"><strong>Horizons Philadelphia</strong></a> is a great opportunity for any vegan to enjoy the wonders of gourmet and non-vegetarians to explore what vegan is all about in its most elegant form.  Philadelphia is proud to offer such an innovative view of vegan style cuisine.</p>
<p><u><font color="#0000ff"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&amp;hl=en&amp;q=horizons+&amp;near=&amp;layer=&amp;sll=39.941806,-75.153992&amp;sspn=0.045669,0.081367&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;latlng=39941545,-75153542,9915304028240925918&amp;ei=HxL8RcqEKpjwqwLoxL3_DA">Google Maps</a></font></u></p>
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