Photo courtesy of Schmear It.

If you’re tired of following around the Schmear It truck for your daily bagel fix, here’s some good news. Philly’s only bagel truck has finally found a brick-and-mortar home in University City at 3601 Market St. in the uCity Square complex along with other businesses, such as Herban Quality Eats. As of last Wednesday, the store is officially open to the public.

Thanks for an amazing opening, everyone!! We are sold out but look forward to much more schmearing tomorrow!

— Schmear It (@Schmearit) November 2, 2016

Currently, their store hours are as follows: Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday – 8 a.m – 2 p.m.  Continue Reading

Here’s some great news for local wine lovers: Both The Bottle Shop at Local 44 and Clarkville bar & restaurant began selling affordable take-out wine this week. Here are more details for each establishment, which as you may know are owned by the same people.

The Bottle Shop (44th and Spruce) is featuring a small but well curated list of ten red, ten white and two sparkling wines by the bottle. Arguably the best beer sales force in the city are now also “aspiring wine geeks” and will help guide you through their wine assortment.

Clarkville (43rd and Baltimore) is making all of the wines that pour on draft available for take out in a branded 750ml growler. You can buy one in house, or bring your own jug in for a refill.

In addition, a special November “Wine School” featuring The Artisan Cellar’s Sean Faeth is happening in the Bottle Shop at Local 44 on Wednesday, Nov 16 at 5 p.m. This is a free opportunity to get to know some of the bottles they are so excited about. As always, a donation to No Kid Hungry is required to attend Beer/Wine School. RSVP to bottles@local44beerbar.com to secure your seat.

(Photos courtesy of The Bottle Shop at Local 44)

West Philly entrepreneurial sisters Kelly (right) and Jorrae Beard will appear on “Shark Tank” tonight.

Shark Tank keeps casting Philly entrepreneurs, and it’s especially nice to see West Philly-based teams presenting their products on the show. This Friday, Oct. 28, tune in to watch sisters Kelly and Jorrae Beard pitch “Lulu Bang” BBQ Sauce to the “sharks.” There will also be the show watch party tonight at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.), beginning at 7:30 p.m. (this event has been sold out).

Kelly and Jorrae are co-owners of Joyce’s Soulful Cuisine, a restaurant and catering business located at 59th and Chestnut that was named in memory of their mother, Joyce A. Beard. The sisters are also manufacturers of  “Lulu Bang” BBQ Sauce, which comes in four flavors – Asian Persuasion, BBQ Fusion, Bourbon Baby, and It’s Just HOT.  It’s now available in local shops throughout the Northeast region.

The name of the sauce is a tribute to Kelly and Jorrae’s brother, Michael “Lulu Bang” Beard, a National Guard veteran, who was murdered at the age of 32 in West Philadelphia, according to an article by Philly Mag.  Continue Reading

We all know how much we love food in West Philly – lots of folks like eating and making quality food. Restaurants like Dottie’s Donuts, the expansion of Mood Cafe and Ice Cave have cropped up just in the past year. But what about homemade cooking? That’s what Silverfork Club is all about. It’s for the cooks in the neighborhood who want to share some of their signature dishes and make a little bit of extra money on the side. I mean, wouldn’t you want to share your batch of spicy seitan instead of leaving it to go bad in the fridge?

Here’s how it works: You can join either as a cook or a customer. If you’re a cook you can add your specialties to the “menu” and if you’re a customer, you can browse the list of available tasty home-cooked dishes in your neighborhood.  Continue Reading

One of Greensgrow Farms Winter CSA shares (Photo courtesy of Greensgrow).

For those of you who prefer locally grown veggies and want to support local farmers during winter months, there’s a new winter CSA (City-Supported Agriculture) program in the area. Greensgrow Farms, located in Kensington, is “really happy” to be offering it for the first time in West Philly this season.

Greensgrow West’s new home at 5123 Baltimore Ave.

Greensgrow West has recently moved to a larger, more permanent location – at 5123 Baltimore Ave. – and Winter CSA share pick-ups will be available there from early December through mid-April.

To become a Winter CSA member, interested individuals can sign up online by November 26. Winter CSA shares include more than veggies; various share options are available – you’ll receive a choice of dairy or vegetable protein; milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, tofu or seitan. Seasonal fruit, fun specialty prepared items and a few pantry staples will also be included. Meat, vegetarian and vegan share options are also available. Check out a photo gallery of the Winter CSA here.

More information about the program is available here. Greensgrow CSA hotline is (215) 380-4355. You can also email: csa@greensgrow.org

To explore other CSA programs in the area, check our earlier post here.

Mood Cafe’s second location will open this fall at 126 S. 45th Street. (Photo by West Philly Local)

The popular Indian/Pakistani chaat restaurant on Baltimore Ave, Mood Cafe, is expanding to a second location in the area – 45th and Sansom – with plans to open in two to three weeks. Owner Hasan Bukhari wanted to make sure customers knew he wasn’t shutting down the old location. “It’s not a new location, it’s an expansion,” he said.

The new location will have more menu offerings with hot food favorites such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Biryani and Lamb Rogan Gosh. “I’d like to introduce the people to really good food. The cooking style will be closer to homestyle cooking, we’re going to have a very selective menu… Over there, I’m thinking we’ll start delivery at some point. But for now, we’ll only offer takeout and a place for people to sit,” Bukhari explained.  Continue Reading