Yes, Sabrina’s is pretty good. There’s an extensive, creative menu and it’s great for kids. Considering the crowds they get the service is pretty quick and very friendly. Heck, it’s even BYOB, which we’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’ll see 30-40 people standing outside waiting for their table. 30 minutes is considered a short amount of time to wait.

Butcher’s Cafe, across the street, always played a second fiddle to Sabrina’s but now it’s closed. Now Shank’s and Evelyn’s has closed up shop and moved to center city. The first thing to come to mind is Sam’s Morning Glory Diner at 735 S 10th St, just a couple of blocks away. Though lesser-known Sam’s is just as popular as Sabrina’s. The food is typical American breakfast/brunch, just like Sabrina’s, but it’s in a quieter setting. It’s well worth the wait, but there you are again. Starving family? A bit of a headache? You’re going to need one of the other options. The best part is that they’re all only a quick walk away.

1) Royal Tavern and Cochon. Did you know that two of Philly’s most respected eating establishments serve brunch? I don’t think anybody else in Philly knows, because when I go to these places they’re practically empty. It’s a travesty of brunch. From either Sabrina’s or Sam’s just walk east a couple of blocks until you hit Passyunk. North takes you to Cochon and south you’ll see Royal’s coat of arms.

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’s plenty of light coming into this little BYOB. They may be putting tables outside again soon and East Passyunk’s trees are one of Philly’s better outdoor dining options. The only drawbacks here are that Cochon doesn’t open until 11 and Royal opens at 10. But we’re talking about *you* after all and your main problem is that you didn’t get up early enough and you’re still waiting outside of Sabrina’s or Sam’s!

Royal Tavern Brunch Menu
Royal Tavern
937 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2943
(215) 389-6694
Cochon Brunch Menu
Cochon
801 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3018
(215) 923-7675

2) Carman’s Country Kitchen. I’ll let Holly Moore’s review speak for itself:
Holly reviews Carman’s
We actually tried to eat at Carman’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’t eaten there yet but we have the feeling that it’s up there in terms of character and south-philly authenticity(edited thanks to sage advice from Holly) so much so that it could probably rival Shank’s and Evelyn’s. To get there you’ll have to head over to 11th street and walk a few blocks south of Washington.
Carman’s Country Kitchen
1301 S 11th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-5601
(215) 339-9613

3) Mexican/Chinese. 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’t been doing so for the past year. It’s way better than a breakfast burrito and they’re less expensive here than they are in Headhouse Farmer’s Market!
Los Taquitos de Puebla
1149 S 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 334-0664

Yes, I know there’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’s still food left on the cart when it whizzes by then more power to you. I’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.
I can’t find recent reviews, so here’s an old one from Chowhound.

4) Teri’s. Still not satisfied? You want that american-style brunch but you’ve been to the Royal and Cochon, done dim sum and tacos al pastor, and Carman’s was closed? You need one more? Or just looking to find that secret hole-in-the-wall? Well then you’re just like we were this morning, wandering around south philly, hot and hungry. Luckily Karen remembered reading about Teri’s here:
Teri’s review in Citypaper.

There’s no pretention here. No fancy plating or micro-greens garnishes. When I ordered a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich on white toast that’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’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 “clean” a lot and it shows both on the menus and all over the restaurant. I think it’s soon going to become another south philly institution (if it’s not already and I’m just the last one on the bus).
Teri’s official site
1126 s. 9th St.
Philadelphia Pa. 19147
267-761-9154

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’m sure some of the people we saw outside of Sabrina’s and Sams’ 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.

BONUS
Famous 4th Street and Cantina de los Caballitos
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.
Famous 4th Street Official
700 S 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-3102
(215) 922-3274

Cantina is The Jam but we were on foot today and didn’t feel like walking that far south. Just keep going down Passyunk a while and you’ll hit it. Nothing wrong with some killer margaritas and modern mexican for brunch.
Cantina’s Brunch Menu
1651 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 755-3550

Wanamaker Organ Facade

More pics and trivia in the extended…

The Wanamaker Building currently houses an outpost of Macy’s Department Stores but it once was home of a famed group of department stores founded by John Wanamaker way back in the 1860s. It was in fact the first modern department store and many things that we take for granted now like price-tags were innovations of Wanamaker. Truth in advertising, something we would love to be able to take for granted again, was one of Wanamaker’s guiding principles.

The building famously houses the largest working pipe organ in the world. Throughout the regular year it is played twice daily Monday through Sunday; it is played more often in the holiday season.

The best time to visit is now, obviously! The multi-storied facade of the organ is the stage for the annual light show. It’s timed to match with the music and is quite a sight. It occurs every hour from 10AM-8PM and lasts about 15 minutes. This year will see the debut of a Magic Christmas Tree with LED Lights so if you’re like me and a fan of both Magic Christmas Trees AND LED lights you’re probably prety excited. Go soon because it only lasts until New Year’s Eve!

Other things that are cool about the Wanamaker Building:

The Giant Eagle Statue

The Crystal Tearoom

Wanamaker “Firsts”

Wikipedia Entry

If you’ve ever thought about brewing your own beer and you live in Philly read on for the good news…

Home Sweet Homebrew is located on 20th and Sansom, right beside Fat Jack’s Comic Books and just over from the Capogiro and Tinto. It’s one of the best blocks in the city for just that reason.

Even if you don’ brew your own beer you should stop in the shop some time to meet Jake and Elwood. The two ginger tabbies have what must be the best job in the city-if you’re a cat. They get to hang out with a really nice and relaxed group of humans (my experience with other homebrewers has been nothing but good) during the day and at night use their finely-honed feline senses to hold at bay the hordes of rodents that would love to get into the shop and chomp on all of the grains in the shop.

The shop itself has all of the things a homebrewer could want. It has hops, grains, malt extracts, cleaning supplies, buckets, carboys, winemaking supplies, caps, corks, spices, kegs, bottles and books. If there’s something they don’t have I’m sure they would be more than happy to order it for you. They also ship everything. But the real selling point is the proprietor George Hummel.

George is an amazing resource not only to any homebrewer, from beginner to expert, but also to the city’s non-homebrewing beer drinkers. Why? Because he’s helped create recipes at Nodding Head and other brewpubs, consulted with Tom and Fergie, and been a driving force behind Philly Beer Week! If you’re an afficionado and been in the city for a while you have most likely drunk from the cup of his knowledge and not known it.

For the experienced homebrewer you should know that George and Nancy started the business back in 1986, have been writing and speaking on the subject since then, and George is a regular contributor to the Mid-Atalantic Area Brewing News, often writing on subjects in Delaware and New Jersey as well as Pennsylvania. This guy knows his stuff.

For the neophyte, fear not! They’re also extremely nice! When I was just getting started I was lucky enough to have some extra cash and I was able to buy a nice set of equipment. George made sure to point out that was not necessary, however, and I could have started brewing for a lot less. He’s more than happy to sell you anything in the store but he won’t try to sell you things that you don’t need. They put together their own ingredient kits instead of relying on other people’s pre-packaged ones. The first recipe I made was one of theirs called Amber Waves and it was absolutely delicious.

If you’ve ever thought about brewing your own beer before, or even if you’re just thinking about it right now, do yourself a favor and go down to the shop and talk to George. It’s a very easy process that just takes some good old-fashioned time. You’ll be surprised with how good the results can be and all the possibilites that exist.

The best thing about this shop is George’s willingness to share his knowledge and that’s why I’ll keep going back. Thanks George!

Home Sweet Homebrew
2008 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
phone: (215) 569-9469
Website

For those of you in South Philly you may find
Barry’s Homebrew Outlet to be more convenient. The shop is a bit smaller but still has a large amount of equipment and ingredients available.
Barry’s Homebrew Outlet
101 Snyder Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-755-4556

I have to say that, for its size, Philly has a varied and well-stocked set of sneaker stores. I’ve rounded up a selection of my favorites, along with a map and some commentary on each. Hit the link below for the goods.

[flickr matt.ohara 72157605452514947]

The first stop is South Street. There’s a lot of footwear goodness to be had here. There are two places that will airbrush Biggie or Bob Marley or Elmo onto your sneakers. There’s bunches of clothing stores that sell sneakers. And there are plenty of exclusive sneaker stores.

Between 5th and 6th you’ll find Samsun, Olympia, Afficial and The Adidas Store. Samsun is a nice shop and all about sneakers. You will find sneakers and only sneakers there. The help is not extremely helpful but the sneakers are displayed on the walls by brand and I’ve found Lavers here for 40$ so there are some good finds. Olympia is practically right next door and they’ve got some great deals too. There’s always some deal going on where you get two pairs for about 70 bucks, so look for the ones with the round stickers on them. They get a lot of the Adidas Originals a month after the official store has them and Olympia’s prices are always much better. They also have a nice selection of branded clothing. These are both serious shops where you can find some great deals.

Afficial is on 5th between South and Bainbridge. It’s a tiny little hole in the wall that stocks almost exclusively Nike and BAPE, so it’s not really my thing but I dig it nonetheless. You will get your Nike exclusive rocks off here and if you’re into patent leather then you’ll love the BAPEs (I only like patent leather when it’s on my Adidas). They also stock some laces and some clothing. So hip it’s almost a knee.
LINK to MySpace page (sorry, can’t find an official site) LINK to article

The official Adidas store on a weird little block right between Passyunk and 5th. Cool little building. Rather than going off on a long rant about how despite being an official store they never seem to have the exclusive stuff they say they’re supposed to (always the one pair I’m looking for that they never have) and how it’s lame that you’re not allowed to take photos in the store, I’ll just let the photos spell it out. It’s a fun store and the staff is very helpful. They once had to order a pair from the NYC store for me. DJs play on the weekends as well. I love seeing the exclusive and new goods and I’ve bought a lot there, but like I said most of the stuff can be found in Olympia a bit later.
LINK to crappy, slow-loading flash site

There are a couple of other shops in the area that have sneakers but I’m going to skip up to WTHN. This is really a shop that you would expect to find in NYC so it’s fresh to have it letting it all hang out in Philly. They have vinyl toys, books, clothing and sneaks. It’s street fashion with design sensibility and a playstation by the front window. I would hang out here if I lived up in Olde City. Owned and operated by a dude who used to work at UBIQ. I will try to get back in here for more pics.
LINK to official site LINK to article

Speaking of UBIQ, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it. It’s in the ritzy shopping area that’s Walnut Street west of Broad. It’s another hip joint mostly filled with Nikes but has also a whole floor filled with Vans. Again not my thing but Respect Due. Just a couple of doors down from the Puma shop too (Adi Dassler’s brother’s brand). Check out the cool displays, the mini-sneakers and the giant pair of vans in the pictures above.

I’m sure there are a couple of hot spots that I missed so if anybody has any recommendations please leave them in the comments. Oh and there are two other Samsuns. One’s on 17th and Chestnut and one’s on 12 and Chestnut. 12th and Chestnut also has some sneaker-hunting. Check out the MAP!

(These pictures will be added to as I take more and move pics over from different flickr sets, so check either my flickr page or back here to see a lot of other philly street art!)

[flickr matt.ohara 72157602211191670]

My friend David once told me an old neighborhood joke. It goes like this:
“Don’t stop to tie your shoe in Bella Vista.”
“Why?”
“You’ll have a mirror attached to your ass when you stand back up.”

For anybody that doesn’t know, Isaiah Zagar is a mosaic artist. If you’ve been to Philly before and visited South Street/Bella Vista you may have noticed that the neighborhood is sprinkled (some might say covered) with mosaic murals created out of ceramic, mirror, bottles, bicycle wheels and more. Take the time to explore the neighborhood and you’ll see doors, walls and whole buildings covered with mosaic tiles. I’ll add a whole bunch more photography of his work to the set above in the coming weeks.

Philly is also the home of a huge mural art program. Everywhere you go in the city you’re bound to run into some murals. Here’s a nice photoset on Time’s website.
Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell (Amazon)
They’re all different shapes and sizes and styles and subject and places. Many deal with famous locals. Many more are focused on positive messages for the community. They all provide a nice bit of visual stimulation when you round a new corner and find a piece that you haven’t seen before. There’s one artist I like particularly and that’s David Guinn. His 4 seasonal pieces are abstract and depict simple, colorful cityscapes in each of the four seasons. I’ve found three (all in the photo slideshow above), but I can’t find the fourth! If anybody can help me locate it please let me know in the comments. Update:Thanks Art from Foobooz for the spot, now I’ve just got to go get a pic of it!

My favorite artists in philly are a lot less well known than Zagar or Guinn. They’re El Toro and Bob Will Reign and they work with markers, stickers and paint. They work on train cars, signs, newspaper boxes, sneakers, vinyl records and well, anything you can put a mark on. They’re two of the first artists I found when I first moved to philly. They have more coverage than Zagar and Guinn put together but I’ve talked to a lot of people who have never seen any of their stuff!

El Toro on flickr

A Bob Will Reign slideshow on flickr

Toro has huge horns and giant toofs. Sometimes he’s wearing a gasmask. Bob Will Reign (AKA Bob) has a big head with eyes way out on the side and sometimes some arrows. Try walking around philly and looking for Toro and Bob pieces (they’re together a lot of the time). Soon you’ll be spotting them everywhere! Give yourself more points for non-obvious ones (like newspaper boxes and stop signs). Look in the photoset above for the painting of El Toro as Captain Ahab (it’s hanging in my house).

Philly has a ton of other street and sticker artists. It’s really fantastic that they keep their work in the city on signs and boxes and dumpsters, as opposed to marking up any of the old buildings we have around here. It’s illegal art for the most part but they have respect for the older art and architecture. And each other! Check out the box in the photoset above and notice how nobody has stickered over somebody else’s piece. If you have any other favorites that you’d like to share please let us know in the comments!

Brown Betty Dessert Boutique
1030 N. 2nd Street # 601 (Northern Liberties Walk)

215. 629.0999

Elizabeth Ruthie Hinton passed down a valuable gift to the women of her family in her vintage cake and pie recipes. I have always had a weakness for a good cupcake. And since baking sweets does not come easily for me, I thank the lord for the women of Brown Betty Dessert Boutique!

[flickr matt.ohara 72157601599630284]
My first visit to Brown Betty was on their one year anniversary. I’m not sure why I was on the guest list, but the invitation said there would be pastries and champagne, so I brought my friend Harmony and we started sampling all the goods. At first we were only interested in the generous pours of bubbly, but once i had my first bite of vanilla sourcream cupcake, I knew it was a million times better than any cupcake i have ever had. You can order vanilla, almond, lemon, strawberry, pineapple, chocolate red velvet, coconut, and carrot. My favorite is vanilla. They are not stuffed or sprinkled or fancy, but they are for real, and they are huge! You can order on line at www.brownbettydesserts.com. If you’re in need of more than a dozen of these perfect treats call two days ahead for special orders. The store front in Northern Liberties Walk is closed on Mondays.

On a daily basis I am also lucky enough to walk past Naked Chocolate Cafe . These cupcakes are nothing to sneeze at. Quickly becoming one of their signature sweets, the bakers spread pistachio icing on vanilla cupcakes and stuff mammoth keylime cupckaes with lime curd. Excellent idea! It seems like they have new flavor every week.

An honorable mention must go to Flying Monkey Patisserie located in the Reading Terminal Market . It seems by the time I get there most of the cupcakes have vanished. But, I managed to select two, and then let them melt in the back seat of the car. My picks were a dark chocolate cupcake with lavender buttercream icing, and a poundcake covered in cream cheese, with a pinapple wedge. Next time, I hope I am lucky to try the peanut butter jelly dot on top…pound cake stuffed with strawberry preserves covered in peanut butter buttercream. Their website’s cupcake map can help you along with your decision and if you still can’t decide they offer the cupcake fleet.

Matt surprised me with the most darling accessory, an individual cupcake holder from Grocery on 13th and Chestnut.

A Walk to Work in Philadelphia (Google Mapped)

Here’s a link to the slideshow on Flickr:

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It’s great day to catch up on much needed rest. Plus, it’s the only day of the week when you’re allowed to drink alcohol for breakfast and no one looks at you funny! Maybe, that’s the real reason brunch is my favorite meal. And Valanni is my favorite spot to eat it.


It’s not difficult to make eggs and bacon and mimosas taste right. What’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’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 & 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.

In my opinion there is no better place to sit than the bar with Valanni’s charming bar tender Dean. People talk a lot about other brunch spots in town but we love the relaxed atmostphere and great food.

It’s not a bad idea to call ahead and reserve, it gets crowded around noon. Go to www.valanni.com or call 215. 790.9494

hours: sat & sunday 11-3pm
outside seating available
why it’s our favorite: steak and eggs, and we love dean too!

Fat Jack’s (google local)

Fat Jack’s is great. It’s over on Sansom and 20th right across from the west-side Capogiro , around the corner from Tinto, right beside the Homebrew store and down the street from some cool BYOBs, a great movie theater, a sushi joint and a music store. Basically one of the coolest shopping blocks in the city! The shop is nicely laid out and has great product and a large back issue selection.

Atomic City Comic Books (AKA Showcase Comics) (google local) is right on the heart of South Street. Another great couple of blocks of shops and stores! I don’t have pics yet but will very soon (I wanted to get a new post up this week).
Update!

You’re waiting for the meat of the post right? You want to find out about the secret comics stash in Center City? Here it is:

Can you see the street signs? It’s at 12th and Market. Admittedly it doesn’t have a huge selection and it’s mostly the mainstream stuff, but here is a little newstand guy making it happen! Can you dig it!?

What I found:
A lone ranger on the comic book scene. A maverick newstand that sells comics in Center City. Support and Respect due!

More pics as I edit this post later in the week.