Upon entering Salento, a relatively new Italian BYOB, one immediately gets the feeling of warmth and hospitality. A sincere 'hello' and 'welcome' is quickly followed by 'table for … and do you have a reservation?' Efficiency and kindness are two very important traits for a hospitality–based operation to have (read Danny Meyer's Setting the Table to learn more about that). Once seated, your waitress or waiter opens your bottle of wine, asks if you need......

When the United States finally gained its freedom from King George III, the Founding Fathers went down to the historic City Tavern and got wasted on Thomas Jefferson’s special ale and Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Shooters." OK, not really, but freedom from tyranny is a damn good reason to celebrate with a drink. That is why Cube Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is offering complimentary "Cuba Libre" cocktails from Sunday, February 24 to Thursday, February......

Thursday has often been called a day of thirst, probably because we need an excuse to drink on a week night, and the wordplay writes itself. We wish we could refrain from suggesting at least one bar, just to rebel against the 'thirsty' designation. Well, we can't refrain. We just plain can't. But at least we have some music to serve before the booze. THE FOO FIGHTERS AND SERJ TANKIAN AT THE WACHOVIA SPECTRUM......

There are lots of reasons why drinking heavily on Valentine’s Day is probably a good idea, but here’s a new one: University City Kiwanis Club is sponsoring A Shot for Love, a fundraiser at McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon tonight from 9PM-12AM. As you head in, let the nice person at the door know that you are there for the Kiwanis Club gathering, and your $5 cover will be donated to the Second Chance Support Group,......

Chef Steven Petracca...

At first glance, the details about the upcoming Center City District Restaurant Week look the same as always. So does the list of participating restaurants. What has changed, though? The cost of your prix fixe dinner will now be $35 instead of $30. Why? Well, it's not explained. And we certainly can't figure it out, seeing as, from what we can tell, the menu prices at the featured restaurants haven't changed – which means that......

Bottle display at the Waterworks Restaurant. Photo by author, SkyscraperSunset.com, February 24, 2007.......

With New Year's Eve less than two weeks away, dinner reservations at local restaurants are going fast. Many bars and restaurants across the city will be open for business during regular hours; others will keep their kitchens open late to accommodate the gastronomical needs of New Year's revelers. And then there are the select restaurants with special prix fixe menus for the holiday. Some sound far more delicious to us than others, but if we......

Dear Philadelphia: Congratulations! Just a day after The Inquirer reported that violent crime was down across the city, we received a press release from the GPTMC extolling all your other achievements in 2007. You deserve a big pat on the back for the national and international media mentions you've garnered this year. People are paying attention to you. You're like a celebrity now. On the Food front, The Today Show decided that Vesuvio Restaurant's......

Phillyist loves us some grub, and we love the Restaurant Weeks about town. We just heard about another: Kid's Table. Through Sunday, December 16, participating restaurants will be donating a portion of their proceeds to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to fund research and medical treatment. The list of places is on the short side, but hopefully this is an event that will grow with time. Besides, we've always wanted to try Ristorante Panorama, and......

Our new boyfriend is having a little soiree tonight. Should be a romantic affair: roasted chestnuts and warm apple cider (spiked, natch!) by a warm fire. Sounds delightful – perfect for these increasingly cool evening temperatures we've been having of late. Cider and chestnuts not your thing? Howsabout beer and popcorn, also provided by our boyfriend for a nominal fee (the beer, at least), all in the bar and lounge from nine to midnight. Go......

We recently fell in love with Delicious Boutique in Liberties Walk. So imagine how pumped we were when we received an invitation to a fashion show previewing the lines of not only our new favorite store, but our perennial favorite spot, Smak Parlour! Tomorrow night at Valanni, figure out what you'll be wearing for the rest of the season, while sipping on couture-style cocktails. DJ Kevin Kong will spin the ones and twos. Candyland......

Restaurant Week, a.k.a. one more reason that this Phillyist isn't going on a diet until mid-October, starts on Sunday, and reservations are going fast! We had hell finding reservations that fit into our schedule (but were finally able to go with our first choice restaurant!), and advise you strongly not to delay another minute in planning your delicious (and deliciously underpriced!) three-course meal. There are a lot of new restaurants on the list this year,......

Americans might have a volatile relationship with Cuba, but we the people are becoming increasingly enchanted with the tastes of that small Communist island. Think about it: how many of your favorite hot spots serve up Mojitos in the summertime and black bean soup all winter? Yeah, we thought so. Taking advantage of the increase in popularity of Latin-Caribbean cuisine is Chef Guillermo Pernot, whom we were happy to see take the helm at Cuba......

I have been waiting for tonight for a long time. Last time I ate at Bistro Romano, I basically foodgasmed over the lobster ravioli, and then I discovered that they have another lobster experience: a fifteen dollar dinner. I swear to you, there were tears of joy streaming down my face at that discovery. Unfortunately, it's been over three months, and I still haven't made it back. That's all going to change tonight. I......

Mayor Nu... Mayor-elect Nutt... Mayorial candidate Michael Nutter has proposed altering the city's approach to lobbying in Washington. Specifically, he would like to establish a lobbying office on the city's behalf, staffed by lobbyists employed by the city, rather than hiring outside firms to lobby for Philly (which is the way things have been done in the past). Will it matter? Maybe not, but file it in the list of things Nutter would do different......

Finished within the last year, this newly-landscaped part of Fairmount Park lies between the Waterworks Restaurant and the Spring Garden Street Bridge, from which the photo was taken. Photo by author, SkyscraperSunset.com, July 10, 2007.......

Friday night, the boy and I were seeing a show at Johnny Brenda's, and we decided that, rather than the usual food downstairs, we'd branch out and explore the neighborhood. A little bit of internet searching led him to Isla Ibiza, about five blocks down Girard from our final destination for the evening. We'd made reservations, but apparently didn't need them, as the restaurant was almost completely empty. Pity, too, because, as I would find......

Phillyist loves Restaurant Week. Like, a lot. (Seriously, that was only the first three links that came up when searching for "Restaurant Week" in the Phillyist archives.) Unfortunately, Restaurant Week only happens twice a year. And it's not actually a full week when it does happen. So to help us fill the vacancy in our lives, the South Street Headhouse District will present 8 Days of Eats, eight full nights of prix fixe meals at......

Pretty much all the news today is about the six arrests made yesterday in an alleged plot to attack Fort Dix. ABCNEWS.com reveals to us that the terrorist attack was to involve Super Mario's pizza. No lie! The father of one of the attackers owns Super Mario's Restaurant near the base, which often makes deliveries there, and consequently has a map of the place "used by pizza delivery men to find their way around......

Just in case y'all hadn't heard, there's a bloggers meet-up this afternoon. Yeah, it's St. Patricks Day, and yeah you should wear green. Plus it's at Ten Stone. Thanks to Philly Future for the heads-up. Let 'em know you're coming via meetup.com. Seriously though, bloggers only. No groupies. ...Okay, groupies can come too. St. Patrick's Day Blogger Meet-Up Sat, Mar. 17 3:00 PM Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant 2063 South St Philadelphia, PA 19146 (215)......

Even a blinding sun couldn't warm the cold February air around the Waterworks Restaurant. Photo by author (SkyscraperSunset.com).......

We've already told you about the New Play Festival that's been making the rounds at various theaters throughout the city, and will continue to do so until February 18. We do however want to give a special shout out to The Vagabond Acting Troupe's Solo Works Festival. In addition to several full length works (5 of which have already been reviewed by Phillyist), most theaters have a works-in-progress tie-in; this is Vagabond's, and each of......

Editor's note: In the interests of full disclosure, we should mention that two Phillyists - Editor Jill and Associate Editor Katie - are involved with the production reviewed below. I'll be upfront with everyone: I am basically a musical theatre nut case. Going to a play is a very rare occasion and when I do it's usually to something familiar or famous. I am usually so involved in a musical(s) that I don't have time......

Earlier this week, I celebrated Restaurant Week by hitting up Astral Plane with some Phillyists. My food was wonderful, and the dining room’s décor was comfy and adorable. But, trust you me, if there is one room in that place that truly reflects the restaurant’s name, the dining room it ain’t. The entrance to the bathroom is right off the dining room. The door has a big glass pane in it, but they’ve considerately......

Today marks the third day of Restaurant Week, and last night, three Phillyists headed over to Astral Plane for dinner. None of us had been there before, despite innumerable recommendations from assorted friends, but we fell in love with the place the moment we sat down. The food would have had to be terrible for us to change our minds. (Fortunately, it wasn't. More of that after the following digression...) A friend had mentioned earlier......

Restaurant Week started last night. That's really awesome for you and me, the average diners who maybe can't afford to eat at many of these restaurants. It's less awesome for the servers who are really going to be getting stiffed on tips. You see, when you're getting a super deal at a restaurant, you should still tip approximately in accordance with what your meal is worth, not what you paid. So if you happen to......

I'm currently working on a show at L2 Restaurant and Bar. I'm not writing about the show (I know a flagrant conflict of interest when I see one), but I am writing about the upstairs womens ("L2ettes") bathroom there. This bathroom, like the entire place, is beautiful. The walls are painted with gorgeous gold tones, and match nicely with the floral tapestries covering chairs to sit on as you wait for your friends (because, no,......

Twice a year, something amazing happens to make Phillyist happy—and maybe a few pounds heavier. That something is the Center City District's Restaurant Week, and it's coming up January 28-February 2. Thirty dollars (before drinks, tax, and gratuity) gets you three courses at any of 106 top Center City and Old City restaurants. Some of our previous faves include Bliss, Bistro San Tropez, Crescent City, and Fork. But the menu changes every Restaurant Week—and sometimes......

Last month I went to the wackiest wedding ever. I barely knew the couple, but I was still totally pumped because I was ready to get my Hava Nagila on. What transpired during the reception was mortifying. First of all, instead of the traditional Hava Nagila, they chose a terrible techno version that consisted of a continuously looped house beat with a Goldfrapp wannabe singing over it. It gets worse. Instead of boosting the bride......