Weekend Wrap Up

With the end of Philly Beer Week and the consistency of warm weather, handfuls of events happened this weekend. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend all of them but I just wanted to give you all a brief overview.

On Saturday, June 7, the Great Philadelphia Craft Beer Crawl took place in Fairmount from 1:00-6:00, hitting around fourteen bars with free beer samples at each and a complimentary mug. Also, the Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show took place on both Saturday and Sunday. I was lucky enough to be able to check it out on Sunday and it was awesome. The weather was perfect for it. It was advertised as a museum without walls.

Also on Sunday, the Pride Parade and the Odunde Festival were taking place. While I was in the midst of it all, the city was booming with activity. I had grabbed some delicious lunch at Perch Pub right around the Pride action and got to watch the parade for a little bit from my chair in the restaurant. On the other side of the city, Dock Street Brewery was celebrating the last day of beer week with some free live music and of course, beer.

I wanted to leave all my readers with some options to check out for the upcoming days because there is so much going on now that summer is almost in full force.

Check Out:
Philly Beer Garden Series, Friday for happy hour 
The 30th St. Craft Market, Friday, June 13, 11am-4pm
University City Dining Days, July 17 through July 27
InLiquid Block Party, June 13-15
The Awesome Fest, June 19 through August 17
Center City Sips, Wednesdays for happy hour 

Philly Beer Week Kickoff: Craft Beer Day & Italian Festival

So I’m dubbing this week my favorite of the year. There are so many awesome events going on!

On Sunday, June 1^st, East Passyunk Ave was full of people enjoying the perfect weather, music, food and of course beer. Not only was the day reserved for the Craft Beer Festival but the Italian Festival was also taking place. I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy both.

The Craft Beer Festival included eight participating bars along E. Passyunk Ave with some beer specials specifically picked out for Philly Beer Week. The first stop on my list was Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E). There I had Shawnee Double Pale Ale that was delicious. I wanted to make sure I only drank beers I never had before. The bar was just getting crowded as I moved on to my next destination and the sun was heating up too. The next stop was Birra, where I didn’t stay long as it seemed a little bit crowded, which was expected. I moved onto the Italian festival that was right down the street.

The Italian festival was full of good food and good music. Beer tents and food trucks lined the street as well as a band and a DJ playing classic Italian music as well as contemporary hits. It was the perfect length to stroll up and down in the warm sun without getting too tired or hot.

After two beers at the festival, a 21^st Amendment and a Sly Fox, Lucky 13 was the next stop. It was close by and not too crowded so I grabbed a table near the bathroom, where I desperately needed to stop by! After enjoying a delicious Victory beer, I stepped back out into the late afternoon sunshine. There were still many people enjoying the festival(s), however, I was getting tired.

Four beers deep, I was satisfied and ready for a nap.

My Trip to the Garage

It was a long day but once I heard the suggestion of trying out a brand new venue, I was sold. I had no idea what to expect as I trekked through the streets of South Philly to my destination in the darkness.

Bright neon lights started to cloud my vision and I realized we were close. The Garage is literally right next to the famous Pat’s and Geno’s Steaks (is Pat’s really better?) so the lights were abundant. As we approached the bar, I came to realize that it was literally an auto body shop turned into an awesome spot with open front windows to let in the pleasant night air.

At first glance upon walking in, it seemed pretty average. People gathered around high top tables or huddled by the bar. However, that was inaccurate. I realized that there is an old-time food truck complete with a lit up sign parked right in the middle of the bar cooking up a variety of food for everyone’s different taste buds. Offered at the food truck were the traditional hot dog but also vegan and vegetarian options. I even heard once they made rib-eye steaks! Unfortunately, I wasn’t very hungry or else I would have grabbed a dog for sure.

Aside from the exciting food options at the bar, the beer menu is to die for. The menus are actually in three ring binders scattered throughout on the bar top or tables. I had no idea so much beer even existed. The menu was sorted according to the brewing companies and listed the alcohol percent. It was very well organized and made it easy to read through. Choosing was a different story though; I’m extremely into craft beers so I wanted to make sure I was making the right decisions. For the first round, I chose a Six Point beer called Bengali Tiger.

As we scooted down the bar, I came across a crowded pool table along with three skeeball games and a pinball machine. Skeeball?! My favorite. This bar was quickly moving up on my list. Another awesome factoid: I never had to wait in a line for the bathroom. This is important because I am known to have to use the bathroom at least four times in a night. And it was a Saturday night, after all. For my next beer, I chose a Ballast Point called Big Eye. After I received this beer, I realized that all of their beers are canned. I’m not sure how you all feel about this but I’m a fan of canned beer, mostly because of the can art and the fact they are less likely to spill.

Overall, my experience at the Garage was pretty much perfect. The atmosphere is great and the bartenders were incredibly friendly and quick to serve. The beer selection is out of this world and there are arcade games and a food truck! I will definitely be back plus Beer Week is coming up! Perfect excuse to head to this amazing beer bar.

SPOTLIGHT: Dolphin Tavern, 1539 S. Broad St.

Do you love to drink beer and whisky? Do you love to dance? Do you love the 70’s and 80’s? If you said “YES” to all of these questions, then you will love the Dolphin.

I recently discovered this bar just this past October when I went for a friend’s birthday. I went once and was quickly trying to make plans to go back. Everything from the atmosphere to the dance floor neon lights to the drinks is exciting. And it’s literally across the street from the Broad Street line, making transportation easy.

The Dolphin has live music, usually a DJ set, from Wednesday to Sunday every week. The bar is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Some music sets are loyal to the Dolphin, happening every week on their given day but also, some are rare and exciting for fans. For example, Animal Collective has come to the Dolphin a few times to do a DJ set drawing in crowds of people. With that said, there is a door fee that may turn off some people ranging from $5-$15, depending on whose playing that night.

As soon as you get past the doormen, the bar is dimly lit with black lights and lights from the dance floor. The actual bar itself isn’t huge, leaving room for a sit down area with tables and most importantly, the dancing. Just because the bar isn’t huge though doesn’t mean the drinks aren’t endless. Aside from the traditional beers and liquors, the Dolphin has a unique cocktail menu that they paired up with Art in the Age to make. And let’s not forget their happy hour (8:00-10:00pm) when EVERYTHING is HALF OFF!!!

The dancing and music are the best part of this bar though. Hands down. If you don’t like to dance, this isn’t the place for you. The dance floor is equipped complete with a disco ball and surrounded with light up walls with squares of different colors. And the music? It isn’t your typical Top 40, EDM crap. It’s mostly oldies with a unique spin on it, thanks to the talented musicians that stand overlooking the whole dance floor. Some examples of songs that I’ve danced to are: Once in a Lifetime by the Talking Heads, The Name Game by Shirley Ellis. You get the picture.

If you’re looking for a fun and new place to check out, and maybe get kind of sweaty in the process, the Dolphin Tavern in South Philly is a great option.

104.5 Summer Concert Series @ The Piazza: Phantogram, CHVRCHES and Cherub

The Start of the Day

The sun was shining on Saturday, May 3 and spirits were just as high as the temperature. I could quickly tell that it was going to be a great day in Northern Liberties even if I hadn’t started the trek that way just yet.

After meeting up with the two friends I was attending the free concert with, we started towards the subway. It turned out the subways were swarmed with people and there was not an inch to spare in the tight, sardine-like transportation method. A minor setback, we made it to the Spring Garden stop in one piece. It’s just a quick walk from the station to the Piazza.

PYT

We arrived at about 2:15. The show didn’t begin until 3:45 but people were already forming a crowd in front of the large stage. We decided to grab a beer from the restaurant, PYT that is right in the heart of the Piazza. I’ve never been to PYT but have been dying to go so needless to say; I was excited about this decision. We ended up eating at PYT as well, which is a topic for another post.

           

The Show

The show had already started by the time we wrapped up at PYT so we scooted our way through the crowd that had grown significantly since our time inside of the restaurant. The first band to play was CHVRCHES and while I had never really listened to them prior, they were quite good. Their energy was contagious and made you want to dance so that’s what we did. After they wrapped up, a DJ took their place as they set up for the next act. Inside of the crowd, a 21 and older section allowed you to buy and enjoy a variety of domestic beer and a refreshing cocktail that resembled pink lemonade.

The next band to play was Cherub and again, I wasn’t very familiar with them except one of their songs. However, they were very fun and energetic as well, no matter if I knew the words to their songs or not! The next band to play was Phantogram; the one I had been waiting for. I just recently became a fan of them and I was excited to see them live so shortly after. And they were awesome. They delivered to the fullest extent and were just super fun. The only setback of the day was the bathroom break where the swarm of people was way more hectic than the actual concert itself.

The whole day was a blast and I encourage everyone to check out the rest of the 104.5 Summer Concert series held every month until September. I’d love to hear what everyone else though of the first show!