123 Chestnut St. Philadelphia PA 19106
www.reservephilly.com

Fresh, organic, made daily menu options are a big hit at Green Soul in North West Philadelphia. The new spin on soul food sparked the interest of Akil Collins, one of the owners at Green Soul. “The idea of offering healthier food in an area that doesn’t have it was interesting to me…I didn’t know if it would fly but it did.” Said Collins.
The neighborhood was a bit reluctant at first, with a bit of a learning curve. Some patrons, who had never had a salad prior, are now repeat customers.
Collins is proud to be “A catalyst for people to come in and eat healthy.” The locally grown produce and fresh to order items are full of flavor, while staying nutritious. You won’t see any heat lamps in this kitchen. Some of the most popular items include the Salmon BLT, Sugar free pound cake, and the Peach Cobbler.

Mouth Watering Cajun Salmon BLT.

A dessert lovers dream. Moist, and sweet, you can have fooled me that it is sugar free.

What is most surprising about Green Soul is the price point. Typically hormone free, and organic menu options are a bit pricier. Green Soul’s reasonable menu does not have an item that is over $9 dollars. Instead of slopping down $8 super-sized burger, you can feed your body with a Mango Jerk Chicken Salad , Down Home Turkey Chili or some Collard Greens.

Roundeye Noodle was conceptualized by longtime buddies Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh. Ben has been manning the stoves at Matyson Restaurant for over four years and Shawn has extensive food and retail marketing experience. The combination of their respective backgrounds, along with their obsession for everything noodle, generated the idea behind their new venture. Roundeye Noodle is a hip noodle spot run by two white boys from the suburbs. The menu will feature inventive spins on classic noodle dishes like pho, ramen and soba, enhanced by local ingredients. Currently, Roundeye is in the beginning stages of development. We will be holding a pop-up restaurant on Jan. 29, 2012 at Matyson with hopes to create buzz and draw any potential investors and/or landlords.

View The Roundeye Menu

Like Them On Facebook

 Three-course lunch, $20. Three-course dinner, $35. 100+ Restaurants

Center City District Restaurant Week presented by TD Bank. Participating restaurants offer three-course dinners for only $35* per person. In addition, many of the participating restaurants will also be offering a three-course lunch for $20*.

The next Restaurant Week will be January 22-27 & January 29-February 3, 2012.

Keep up on Center City District Restaurant Week presented by TD Bank events throughout the year by following our Twitter feed- @PhilaRestWeek.

By Kim Karcher

Everyone has their opinions about the best cheese steak, but we can all agree Philly has the best choices!  Let’s clear one thing up: How to order a cheesesteak in any Philadelphia restaurant.  This very important, if you order differently, many cooks will be offended, frustrated, or in the worse case send you to the back of the line.  First you pick the cheese whether its whiz, American, etc.  Second, you either say with or without meaning with or without onions. Finally, you can include and separate condiments you want added.  Example if you wanted a cheesesteak with whiz on it and no onions, you would say “Can I get a whiz without?”

We would love to hear your favorite cheesesteak to finally come to the conclusion ofPhiladelphia’s Best Cheesesteak.  The following are some places my friends and family love.  Let us know!  Tweet it at @onlyinphilly.

Jim’s Steaks
                400 South Street

Geno’s Steaks
               1219 S. 9th Street

Pat’s King of Steaks
                9th Street & Passyunk Avenue

Tony Luke’s
               39 E. Oregon Avenue

John’s Roast Pork
                14 Snyder Avenue

#lunchtime

Xochitl, pronounced “so-cheet,” is the perfect place if you’re looking for one fantastic margarita, according to new owner, Pete Leontaras. With over 50 kinds of tequila, I can’t help but take his word for it. New general Manager, Adam Solomon, quickly agrees with Pete, adding that at Xochitl you get nothing but good times! “It’s about the overall experience,” according to Adam, who is able to keep the conversation flowing at an amazing rate, which leads me to believe that his staff must be just as friendly and refreshing. Adam also adds that if it’s just a quite night out to eat for two that they are more than happy to oblige and let you have that intimate date night you’ve been planning.

Their food menu is just as impressive as their drink menu. Who couldn’t resist the mouth-watering Pollo Frito? Just the thing for a dinner for two, the Pollo Frito is a three and a half pound chicken that takes three days to prepare, starting with a 24 hour brine, and then steamed, followed by flour dusting then fried to perfection and drizzled with sweet chili sauce. Add a Sangria or beer per person, all for just $40! Could you ask for anything more succulent for such an incredible price? Also, be sure to stop by Xochitl for Happy Hour every Monday thru Friday from 5-7 pm. Who could turn down a $5 Margarita with fresh limes that they squeeze right in front of you? Their Happy Hour also has $3 draft beers and $2 snack bites that change daily.
Xochitl is having a Drink Contest! Go to their Facebook page and “like” them, and then submit your favorite tequila drink recipe! The person chosen as the winner will have their drink, along with their name, added to the January menu, and will receive one complimentary version of their drink with each visit!

Xochitl is located at 408 S. 2nd Street.
Hours are Sun-Thurs 5-10
$5 discount parking!
Friday-Saturday 5-11, open until 2 am
$10 Discount parking!
(Parking lot is located at 2nd and Lombard, on the right hand side.)

Ring in the New Year!
• Five course meal for $70, with open reservations
• Drinks served all night
• Watching the ball drop at midnight
• More entertainment that is strictly “under wraps” at the moment!
www.xochitlphilly.com

Only a limited tickets are available to make sure it is not too crowded you cannot get beer samples – do not wait to buy them as they are sure to sell out in advance.

VIP Tickets Include: (3pm – 8pm)

• Extended 2-hour VIP pre-party from 3:00-5:00pm
• Breakout sessions featuring seasonal beers paired with food/desserts. Provided by Rolling Barrel and GiGi  Find out what pairs best with pumpkin beers, stouts, and holiday ales – then sample for yourself!
• First-Taste on all the different beers of the festival
• A cool custom tasting glass – yours to keep

General Admission Tickets Include:  (5pm – 8pm)

• Beer samples from multiple craft breweries
• A custom tasting glass to keep
• Light food buffets Provided by GiGi
• Live Music

Tickets are just $30 (early bird until 11/4), $35 (after 11/4) for General Admission and $40 (early bird until 11/4), $45 (after 11/4 or at the door, if not sold out).  Tickets are available for purchase on this website only.  Tickets will only be available at the door ONLY if the event is not sold out.  We recommend purchasing advance to save money and assure that you can get a ticket.  Last year, tickets sold out in advance.

Be sure to tell your friends.  It is going to be a great time!

For Information and Tickets Click Here!

Philly’s ever popular restaurant mogul, Stephen Starr, who brought us Continental, Buddakan, Parc, Jones, El Vez, and many more, now brings to Philly a new Italian restaurant, Il Pittore, opening at 2025 Samson Street this month.

This time around, Starr opens the establishment in partnership with Chef Chris Painter, who is Starr’s corporate chef. Painter has assisted Starr in several of his other restaurants, including Frankford Hall and Pizzeria Stella.

Il Pittore will feature modern Northern Italian cuisine, along with an extensive wine list, featuring Italian winemakers, to match. Only dinner will be served.

Prior to Il Pittore, the space was taken by Noble, whose owners decided to close their restaurant and lease the spot to Starr instead.

Similar to Noble, Il Pittore will be spread amongst two floors with 80 seats. As far as décor, Starr never disappoints, as atmosphere is always one of the major ingredients in his restaurants’ success. At Il Pittore, patrons will feel as if they are surrounded by the Italian countryside.

As a fan of Italian food and Stephen Starr, I am more than excited for this opening! Review to come soon, of course.