Santa Fe Meets Ireland

Moriarty's Pub

Moriarty's Pub on 11th and Walnut is a Logan staple and one our favorite places to go. With it's great atmosphere, food and drinks and service, you can never go wrong with this Irish bar! My family always returns here because of those reasons and it is always one of our "go-to" places to eat..

This time, I thought I'd try something different and get the Santa Fe Burger. This burger  has monterey jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce and tomato served with french fries. I haven't had a burger in a while and was craving one. This one definitely hit the spot!  The meat was so juicy and what made this meal was the fresh guacamole. It gave the burger a refreshing, lively taste.

If you haven't gone to Moriarty's yet, I highly suggest  that you make a point to! They are voted best wings of the city and have a great list of craft beers!

Chicken & Waffles

Varga Bar

Varga Bar is such a great place to go to on any occasion. I've been for happy hour, brunch and now dinner & drinks while rooting for the Eagles during the play off game against the New Orleans Saints (sad to say they lost though). It was still a great time!

I went with my sister because we haven't seen each other since the new year came and Varga is always one of our favorite restaurants to go!

Varga Bar is a bar and restaurant that's known for it's craft beers and comfort food. The theme has a fun twist to it, which is pin-up girls! 

The biggest reason why I wanted to go there was for their entree, Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Pumpkin Spiced Waffles. It was a unique combination with such great taste! There was three pieces of chicken placed on top of three sections of waffles. The waffles were smothered in whipped butter, and cinnamon orange syrup. This has to be one of the best dishes I have ever had of Philly!

The biggest reason why my sister wanted me to come here with her is for their one dessert: Cereal Ice-cream! She's had it before and said I had to try! In three separate bowls, there are three separate flavors of ice-cream consisting of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp and Fruity Pebbles. Each had actual pieces of cereal on top. You would never think to have cereal as a dessert but I highly suggest you try it!

Varga does have a great list of craft beers as well. I had a Yards Centennial Dry Hopped IPA. This IPA was hand-pumped which made it taste so refreshing!

If you haven't gotten to Varga Bar yet, you should definitely get on it! Like I said it's great for any event or gathering :)

Farm to Table

The Farmer’s Cabinet

Yay, the best time of the year is here…Restaurant Week in Philadelphia! My first reservation was for lunch at The Farmer’s Cabinet on 11^th and Walnut Street. This restaurant has always been on my list to try and I thought it be great to go for Restaurant Week!

Restaurant Week includes participating restaurants with pre-fix, three-course meals. Dinner is $35 and lunch is $20. You get a great quantity and quality of food for what you are paying for. It’s a great deal! It goes from September 20^th-25^th and September 22^nd-27^th.

The Farmer’s Cabinet, has an old rustic, 1800s era feel to it. When you walk inside, you first notice the bar with many craft beers on tap and candles lit in Mason jars. Straight back, you see long wooden tables or barrels to sit at. It feels like you are stepping back into time!

For my first course, I got the Smoked Beet Salad which included watercress, almond vinaigrette and crumbled goat cheese. The goat cheese was so creamy, it truly made the salad. And what I loved was the beets were thinly sliced and it was a different texture than used too.

For my second course, I got the Butternut Squash Ravioli which was goat ragout, sage cream, shaved parmesan. The raviolis were on a bed of the goat ragout, which is shredded goat meat. It was a great compliment to the taste of the butternut squash. The dish was three fairly large raviolis and it was the right amount!

For dessert, I got the Goat’s Milk Ice-cream. Now the flavor changes daily. But today’s was vanilla with chopped chocolate covered pretzels! The ice-cream made with goats milk truly makes a difference. It was so smooth and creamy! Add with the crunch of the chocolate covered pretzels, this is probably the best ice-cream I’ve had in a while.

I highly recommend coming to The Farmer’s Cabinet or any of the other participating restaurants for Restaurant Week. Here is the link to the website to see a full list of the restaurants and their menus! Make your reservations fast!

http://www.centercityphila.org/life/RestaurantWeek.php

Need a new Philly local spot?

Milkboy

Milkboy on 11th and Chestnut is where it’s at!

Besides being a restaurant and bar, Milkboy is a music venue which brings in cool local bands trying to make it big! With all these combined, it’s a fun and relaxing atmosphere.\

I met up with my dear work friends for happy hour at Milkboy and we had so much fun! There was a great drink selection and the bartending staff was very friendly. It’s important to feel welcomed and have a knowledgeable staff that can get you to try the out of the ordinary and have a great experience to make you want to come back.

I started out with a Pimm’s Cup with spiced nuts. I got a little of the sweetness with my Pimm’s from the cucumber and lemon and then the savory from the spiced nuts!

To eat, I got the Meatball Grinder and the pomodoro sauce is what really did it for me. What’s great about the menu is all the items are comfort, American bar food, also vegetarian friendly! So there is something for everybody!

Happy Hour is served from 4pm-7pm. All drinks are $2 off featuring a great beer section, specialty cocktails and daily specials!

Happy Hour at an Unbeatable Price!

Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar

Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar which is “southern bistro” located right on Washington Square Park inside The Curtis Building, is a great place to go with coworkers after work or catch up friends! All food items are only $5 with great craft beers on draft for $3 or house wine and mixed drinks for $5!

got the BLT sandwich which was served on a 9 multi-grain bread with a special twist: pesto! I am not a big fan of mayonnaise, so the pesto gave the sandwich a fresher and better taste that really held the sandwich together.

Ever go to a bar or restaurant for happy hour where your hunger was not satisfied? I have a place for you where you’ll receive a great bang for your buck!

Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar which is “southern bistro” located right on Washington Square Park inside The Curtis Building, is a great place to go with coworkers after work or catch up friends! All food items are only $5 with great craft beers on draft for $3 or house wine and mixed drinks for $5!

I got the BLT sandwich which was served on a 9 multi-grain bread with a special twist: pesto! I am not a big fan of mayonnaise, so the pesto gave the sandwich a fresher and better taste that really held the sandwich together!

All items are served with potato chips so you are really getting a full meal! Happy Hour is served Monday-Friday so be sure to stop in!

Un-wined at Happy Hour

Tria

Have a stressful day at work? Come “wine’d “down at Tria Wine Bar! Tria, located in Washington Square West or Rittenhouse Square is a wine, cheese, and beer bar that has a knowledgeable staff to enhance your food experience!  They have an extensive menu of regular priced wines, beers and cheeses to choose from, but I tried the

5 great tastes for $5 each—white wine, red wine, cheese plate and two beers.  It’s part of  Tria’s  very reasonable Happy Hour served Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 pm:

For my happy hour, I got Rosemary and Fennel Marinated Olives with Olive Oil Rosemary Potato Chips with Herbed Aioli with a glass of white wine! The rosemary and fennel in the olives really brings out the flavor if the olives. The herbed aioli beats any kind of veggie dip!

So if you’re looking for locally grown food with great wine and beer, Tria is the place to go!