Free Museum Weekend from BoA

Present your Bank of America credit or debit card this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PAFA or the Constitution Center and get in FREE! Really! Get some culture, and we're sure they won't mind if you also present that same get-in-free card at the gift store...

August 2 and 3, 2008.

Eat Boobies For a Cause in NoLibs

Seriously. The restaurants of Northern Liberties will be holding a fundraising event for the fight against breat cancer tomorrow, Friday, August 1. North 3rd, Bar Ferdinand and The Franklin Fountain will all feature specialty dishes (ahem) inspired by the afflicted body parts. Sounds like great fun for a great cause!

Musikfest Starts This Weekend!

Musikfest, the 25 year concert series in Bethlehme, Pa., starts its run Friday with over 300 performers on 14 stages. Here's the main stage lineup, courtesy of Digphilly.com:

August 1: Avril Lavigne - $25-$54
August 2: Live/Collective Soul - $24-$44
August 3: Kool & The Gang - $18-$34A
ugust 4: Boston - $24-$47
August 5: Poison - $22-$44
August 6: Earth, Wind & Fire - $22-$44
August 7: Jethro Tull - $22-$44
August 8: Stone Temple Pilots (sold out)
August 9: Lonestar/Diamond Rio - $20-$34
August 10: John Fogerty - $24-$46

Jilladelphia is all about the Poison show...

More Jose Garces News!

We'll just rename the blog Joseadelphia for the day, as we move onto our next cool tidbit.
Check out Jose going against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, August 17th, 9PM!!

Distrito = Delicious!

The Pepto-pink walls may blind you a bit at first, but at Jose Garces' new Distrito that's the only Pepto you'll need. It's HUGE - 200+ seats, and a giant leap from tiny Tinto and Amada. There are visually stunning effects, such as the wall of Mexican wrestling masks, and of course the now-famous VW Bug booth in the front window.

But it's the food (and drinks!) where Garces makes his mark, totally differentiating himself from Steven Starr comparisons. The steak nachos are excellent - cheesy, spicy, but not overstated, and the homemade guac just sings. The only low-note were the tacos. Not bad, just not up to the rest of the menu. Crab and cactus huaraches were a welcome departure from usual Mexican standards of shrimp, steak and chicken. The ceviche list is long - try them all over time! And the carne asada with fried tomatillo is out of this world.

Also take some time to indulge in the margarita list - the Jefe is a great twist on the classic, whereas the Hemingway is a spicy (spicy!) reinterpretation that reminds one of a good bloody mary.

Go - go soon and go often. Oh, and go before the college kids come back. You can still get a table.

PS- Chef Garces was RIGHT behind us all through dinner, running the line. It's cool to see someone actually involved in the operations!

Tonight We Hit Distrito

and we'll tell you all about it tomorrow...

Congrats and Condolences

Jilladelphia is torn over this post - wholehearted congratulations go to Camden's own Aaron McCargo Jr., winner of Food Network's "Next Food Network Star"- his show Big Daddy's House will premiere at 1:30 PM on Sunday! Go Aaron - you've got it going on!

At the same time, we feel very sad for South Philly's own Adam Gertler, who didn't quite entertain us as much as McCargo did, but he sure is pretty! We'd watch your show, Adam - you can put one on for us. ;)

Fly to Lehigh, See Birds for Free

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again - training camp. Gotta love watching full grown (and more!) men moving into the dorms, all excited for that back-to-school, back-to-ball feeling. This year's camp hasn't been without injust though - Samuels has already hurt his hammy, and today Chris Clemons (dback) was taken to the hospital for dehydration. Nice to know they leave it all on the field. B Dawk has been quoted as saying he feels just like he did in 2004. Not too shabby and here's hoping. 6 weeks till 9/7, and counting!

Apologies, apologies

Sorry folks, Jilladelphia has been off the ball. But we're back! And it's our birthday. Stayed tuned for some actual posts shortly...

And sorry again.

Christmas in July in the Hill(s)

Chestnut Hill, that is. Thursday, July 24th kicks off a weekend full of family friendly pre-pre-holiday fun. Activities include a block party with Christmas tunes and an appearance by Summer Santa. There will also be a tree-lighting fundraiser and a huge sale. Ho-ho-ho and Merry July!

Adobe Cafe Coming Into Town

Roxborough's beloved Adobe Cafe is opening a south Philly outpost at 1919 E. Passyunk. Known for it's authentic and super tasty Mexican, this place also rocks some serious margs. Should be open in about a month!

Distrito has Cars and Songs!

Getting ready for the opening of Distrito, Jose Garces' newest at 40th and Chestnut in University City. It's got a classic VW which is used for seating, and our favorite bit of news - a purple karaoke room that accomodates up to 20 people! Yay!

Spectrum to Close - Awesomeness to Take it's Place

This Flyers season will mark the end to the iconic Spectrum, where we all remember Sixers, Flyers and Phantoms games, countless Billy Joel concerts, and of course, annual home to Barnum and Bailey's. Sad news indeed, but preliminary plans were annouced earlier this year that include a huge entertainment complex with shopping, arena space, music/movie performance area and a possible hotel/apartment area as well. Ah Philly - it's only getting better.

Franklin Fountain a Trip Back in Time

Today DigPhilly reminds us of a hidden gem in Old City - the Franklin Fountain, a retro ice cream shop, with all kinds of handmade sodas and ice cream sundae recipes. Check out their story here:
http://www.digphilly.com/portal/site/digphilly/menuitem.4b65d33d5b38a62e27b80d3233b0a0a0/?vgnextoid=0f2ba18fcf12b110VgnVCM1000006dc1d240RCRD&vgnextfmt=do&type=RESTAURANTS&cId=0f2ba18fcf12b110VgnVCM1000006dc1d240RCRD

And let's go tonight!

Parc Opens - TODAY!

Stephen Starr's hotly anticipated Parc opens today at the Parc Rittenhouse. Huge amounts of outdoor seating (huge amounts of indoor seating, too!) Check it out starting tonight!

Chifa is Official

Chifa, the moniker for Jose Garces just announced takeover of 707, is named for the cuisine that will be served - Asian Latin cuisine that originated from Peru after an influx of Chinese immigrants. Set to open early next year, and we like the idea of lo mein and queso!

Quick Hit

Stephen Starr's Parc opens Monday, 7/14! On Rittenhouse, in old Potcheen, lots and lots of outdoor seating. Enjoy!

Lyons Den Loses the Smoke, Gains a Menu

Lyons Den, the small tappy at Second and Christian, will become a gastropub under the ownership of Fred Kellerman. There's a sneak preview open house tomorrow from 6-8PM. Grub hours are 3-10PM, but will expand around Labor Day.

Kite and Key Open for Business

The former Savannah's has new life and a totally different look as Kite and Key, a new gastropub at 18th and Callowhill. Outdoor seating, flat screen TVs. There should be something for everyone on this newly bustling Franklintown block!

French Fling Bar Crawl

Fairmount's French Fling Bastille day celebration kicks off with a bar crawl through the Art Museum's many drinking holes, including London Grill, St. Stephen's Green, Trio, the Collar, and Rembrandt's. Come out at 7 for some Kronenbourg 1664 specials!

Tiffin Expands!

Munish Narula, the owner of Tiffin, and long-ago, Jilladelphia's boss at a summer job, is planning to open multiple outposts of the delish, quick delivery Indian restaurant that has taken Philly by storm. Look for a new place to serve Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, a South Philly location, and most importantly, a Center City location, most likely 11th street near Jefferson. Color us vindaloo!

R Kelly Likes Working Out, Blueberries, Not So Much

R Kelly was in town last week for reasons unknown, but while here was able to spend some quality sweat time with Jilladelphia at our local PSC. That's right, Mr. Kelly likes to stay in shape. But he does not seem to like blueberries, which is sad. He had in his entourage a blumpy looking kid in his late teens whose main job seemed to be standing behind R and watching him work on the elliptical. And then to pick the blueberries out of a package of mixed berries and put them in a separate plastic bag. We at Jilladelphia will be holding auditions soon for our own berry picker. Please leave all eligible resumes in the comments.

Anyway, Dan Gross says R also showed up at G on Saturday. That means he was here all week. Weird - is he even from here?

Bastille Day Info

This year's Bastille Day celebration will be held Saturday, July 11th on Fairmount Avenue. Sponsored by Londond Grill, come out and "Let them eat (tasty)kakes!"

All day, free admittance. 1667s and Stellas are extra!

Taste of Philly

For only $5 get a taste of Philly's best eats as part of the Welcome America celebration. Taste dishes from Joe Pesci and Cuba Libre for rock bottom prives at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing. July 5th adn 6th, 11AM - 7PM.