A Pinch Of Neighborhood Hoppin’

The award-winning best sous chef celebrated her second birthday this weekend. Lucy asked for a great weekend of weather for all the time at the dog park and plenty of treats with new and old friends. (So you can all thank her for the beautiful weekend.) I haven’t ventured into making dog-friendly goods, so I Ieft those to the neighborhood shop.

This weekend was packed with lots of bouncing around to different neighborhoods, starting it off in South Philly at Stina Pizzeria with some friends for a nice dinner out. This Mediterranean spot shot way up my BYOB list, and even without that factor, everything was delicious. Love a small neighborhood gem that packs flavors for a great sharable meal. So what’d we get:

• Mediterranean Dips – hummus, tzatziki and melitzanosalata (Greek-style eggplant salad) with pita and vegetables

• Moroccan Chicken Kabab

• Moroccan Glazed Carrots – give me carrots over labneh with pistachio any day, and the honey for a little sweetness. Perfect.

• Anchovie & Tomato Pizza – this was my recommendation. The salty anchovies is perfect with the red sauce.

• Spicy Soppressata Pizza

• Merguez Pide – spiced lamb sausage, mozzarella and tabouleh. I’ve never had a pide, but I loved the vessel.

• Chocolate Layer Cake – layered with lahini buttercream, covered with espresso and dark chocolate ganache. There’s ALWAYS room for dessert.

And of course we had to stop in to Triangle Tavern on the walk back home for a couple nightcaps (so add East Passyunk to the neighborhood list for those keeping track).

Saturday was the full day, so we rested Friday (how brave). Early morning to celebrate the birthday girl, then off to Fairmount I went on a little side quest to photograph some friends getting engaged. (Congrats Ellen and Kyle 🎉🎉) Then some great afternoon time at the Schuylkill River Dog Park.

Now some rapid fire for the neighborhoods: Washington Square West to celebrate the two above, back to Lucy celebrations at home, then up to Fishtown for a friend’s birthday, back over to Fairmount, then rounding the night out in Center City. Phew.

Sunday was my long run day… was I mostly on my couch binging mindless television? Perhaps. And did I wait until just about the last minute to get running? Also perhaps. But the weather was great, and the sunset at the end of the night was fantastic. Plus, a little Sunday Dinner treat from Mahalo Hawaiian BBQ.

A Pinch Of Favorites Map

It’d be a miss to not call out a few additions to the A Pinch Of Favorites Map after this past week while they’re all places I want to get back to and would recommend to everyone.

1. Stina – Some more chatter because it’s new to the map. Not only was the food fantastic, but the setting was just like sitting in a home with friends, maybe just a little closer to others. But it didn’t feel like other places that you feel like you can’t talk at all without interrupting the table next to you. Very reasonably priced. Potentially #1 for my BYOB list… we’ll see.

2. Four Humours – This was stop number one up when I met up with friends in Fishtown. While I would’ve already said it was long over due for a visit to a place they’ve hyped up, it exceeded expectations. The cocktails were fantastic and very impressive.

3. Star|Bolt – talk about an unassuming place (or maybe I’ve just lacked knowledge). This Fishtown bar and full-on venue underneath the El covered so much space that I can only imagine what it’s like when it gets busy, whether that’s for an Eagles game, a music show or just a nice night out. A NEED to get back to soon.

4. Bok Bar – I didn’t get here this week, but it’s one of my favorites that I realized wasn’t on this map already?? If you live in Philly, you know of this rooftop bar that sits on top of an old school, overlooking the Philly skyline. A summer favorite for many. Of course I must say that I did have Machine Shop already on the map.

If anyone has any tips on how to sit still, I’ll be accepting them at any time. Joking, joking. I do love being able to jump around when it’s within reason. Plus, if you’re looking to explore more neighborhoods around the city, check out all the new neighborhoods pages on Visit Philly and our new map. Shameless plug for more website (and city) visits.

Enjoy these summer days 🤘