Entree is a unique Italian BYOB Bistro in Philadelphia. The food is more Northern Italian style so if you are looking for red sauce and pasta this should not be your destination. I visited Entree on a Tuesday night with a friend and it was very busy. The space is small and you can see right into the kitchen from any seat in the house. The decor is very modern, but at the same time maintains a rustic look because of the brick walls. Entree has a terrific ambience if you don’t mind a restaurant to be a little loud. By the way there is nothing better about the Philadelphia restaurant scene than all of the BYOB’s, it allows for anybody to open a restaurant without having to invest so much for a liquor license, because of this it raises the competition among restaurants and challenges each chef and restaurant to always be exceptional. I cannot wait to comeback and visit this spot in warmer tempatures and they open their large windows where I will …

Growing up in a large Italian-American family makes me really appreciate this restaurant. It is a family business and has been for years. Villa di Roma also makes me yearn for the times spent with my family of about 30 in a townhome getting together to eat Sunday dinner. Villa di Roma has a great mix of homemade Italian-American cooking and cozy upbeat atmosphere. I truly felt welcomed by the staff like I was coming into their home to eat. The decor reminds me of all of the Italian restaurants I remember going to as a kid in the 80’s and kind of makes you feel like Tony Soprano is having dinner at the table next to you.  I ordered up a glass of house red, you know when you are in an old school traditional restuarant, be it Italian, Portugese, Spanish, etc., when the house red gets poured out of a gallon jug. Some people look down upon this type of wine but I absolutely do not, it tastes great and is perfect …

There is nothing that reminds me more of March in the Northeast than having a snow day and going to a bar and watching golf. Hopefully this snowstorm was our last because I cannot wait for warm weather, but since the snow storm did give me a day off I decided to take advantage of it and head to one of my favorite hunker down bars, Bru. Bru’s atmosphere is top notch, the service and TV’s make it a location you can stay all day and not feel the need to jump to another spot. I drank the Staropramen Premium Lager the whole time I was at Bru. This is a Czech Pilsner that really is one of my go to beers when I know I am going to be drinking for a long time. I started the day with the fried pickles, these are fried in a beer batter with Westphalian ham and served on top of a mayo relish. If you like beer food, this is for you, greasy, tangy, salty, crunchy. After …

I visited this joint on a Wednesday because I wanted to let all of you know about the great deal they have here on Tuesday and Wednesday’s. I have been to Rex’s many of times and my favorite dish they have is their brisket. Their brunch is also spectacular, as well as their Sunday night Baltimore special Pit beef sandwich with $2 Natty Boh’s, so pretty much anytime you visit Rex’s you will leave with a smile on your face. Their Tuesday and Wednesday special consists of the burger of the week which is created by a special guest chef, the majority of these special guest chefs come from other great restaurants around the city, a shot of Buffalo Trace bourbon and a pint of the Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Newbold IPA for $15.  I started the night with a glass of the Trilogy red wine and an order of the Escargot and Andouille Cornbread Stuffing. For those of you that have never had escargot I would describe it as a cross between the consistency …

Sports fans looking for a place to eat, drink or watch a game before any event down at the south philly complex this is your place. The Xfinity Center is fun if you are just looking to drink and watch games and don’t mind big loud crowds, but if you would like to try some truly magnificent food and be able to have a conversation with the people you are with, this is the destination for you. Before we headed down to Lo Spiedo, we checked out Founding Fathers, which is a new local sports bar for me. While the TV’s could be better situated in this bar, it is a fun place to come and grab a bite, watch some games and drink some beers. I had a couple of the Ballast Point Pale Ale’s and a cup of the menudo soup that was on special. The beer was crisp and the menudo really surprised me, it was delicious and had a great kick at the end.    At this point we decided to …

I was beyond hyped for this event, it was a late seating at 8:45 pm, but I did not care, the menu looked like a rainbow of flavors; salty, savory, sweet, fresh, rich it was all there. Unfortunately, the menu did not come together as I hoped and some of the dishes were just not executed precisely enough to be able to taste as well as they should have. With an event like this the Chef is usually swinging for the fences so it is usually a home run or a strike out.  Before the event I decided to meet up with some friends at Smiths, this is a great place for lunch, after work, or watching a game, or even a late night dance party (if you are into that sort of thing), whenever your are in Philadelphia. I ordered the Goose Island Honkers Ale, this has A refreshing crisp taste, and we also downed some shots of Crown Royal apple. When it was time for me to head to dinner I ordered an …

I am not usually a fan of restaurant weeks, because unless you are a big dessert fan the deals you get are not normally that terrific. If I do go to a restaurant week though, I usually try to go to a steakhouse, these are where you normally fine the best deals. That is why I decided on Palladino’s. The outside decor of this happening new restaurant on one of the best foodie streets in the world makes you feel like you have been transported to the 1970’s and are about to have dinner with Old Blue Eyes and Dino.     Once inside I decided to sit at the bar, they have three TV’s, two of which are hooked up to a continuous play of Italian countryside locations (during the middle of winter in Philly, this really makes you dream of a vacation). I ordered a Peroni to start the night off, if you are in the mood for a light refreshing beer, this should be your choice. After a few of these and …

If you are looking for a causal atmosphere  with a unique menu to enjoy Sunday brunch Alla Spina is a great place to visit. This Italian Gastropub gives you an array of Italian inspired brunch options to choose from and the beer and wine lists are plentiful. I frequent this establishment mainly when I am in the mood for delicious cooking and there is only one sporting event on TV that I want to see, the lounge area is a perfect spot to relax on a sofa sit back order food and drinks and enjoy the game. The spring and summertime is even better because the large garage doors open up and allow you to breathe in the fresh air.   I started the morning off with the chilled cafe corretto, this is a cold shaken espresso with grappa. For anybody who has ever had grappa and espresso separately, you may understand that this drink is like somebody waking you up in the morning by pouring a cold bucket of water over your head, but …

Cheu has created an exciting concept with this joint, I would call it hipster/Asian fusion. This is a great place to come for a quick bite, it does get extremely crowded though so make sure you try to go at off-peak times unless you don’t mind waiting. I decided to make the trip to Cheu during the afternoon because I had a sore throat and to me this is the perfect sick day destination. I drank the spicy bourbon cocktail the whole time I was at Cheu, I did this because I was sick, it does has a great selection of beers as well. The Spicy Bourbon is a mixture of 4 roses bourbon, ginger, green tea, cayenne, mint and lemon, this is basically the recipe that you would get if you asked your Italian, Asian, Irish grandmother from the south for a homemade remedy to cure a sore throat, not to mention it tastes delicious. To start the meal I ordered the BBQ pig tails, these are the perfect bar food, if you like …

If you are an adventurous eater the private dinners at Kensington Quarters are the best deal in town. Not only do you get to try the different cuts of the animal cooked that night but you are able to see the various techniques the chef utilizes to put together a 5 course meal, not to mention each plate is paired with a glass of wine. Besides it’s fun to get the animal confused with another animal you usually eat like lamb which happened a couple of times during this meal. The Goat Dinner started with a thinly smoked piece of goat leg garnished with some radishes and pickled jalapeños while spiced with charred garlic and chili pepper. After one taste of this starter I knew I made the right decision to attend this dinner. This dish could be served on the same plate as some of the best charcuterie boards in the country. The salty smoky taste of the thinly sliced goat leg with a delicious punch of heat at the end provided by the …