· We’ve got Korean: hoagies, BBQ tacos and fried chicken. Now you can add Korean BBQ short rib burgers to that list. The Korean BBQ short rib burger is PYT‘s Burger of the Week (but word of the street is that they usually have extra and offer them until about Tuesday the following week). It’s topped with kimchi and spicy Asian mayo and is served with fries. Get out there and tell us who’s boss: The fried chicken? Or the short rib burgers?
PYT, The Piazza at Schmidt’s, 215-964-9009
· If you’re tired of those standard popsicles, get a rumsicle (just say it, it’s fun). It’s Cuba Libre‘s latest frozen cocktail on a stick that comes in flavors like Watermelon, Mango, Blueberry and Raspberry. They’re $4-$5 each during happy hour, but even better? Get a free one on Aug. 16, or National Rum Day (if you’re not already passed out clutching an empty handle of Mount Gay). They’re giving free rumsicles out to the first 100 people who hit up any of their locations (though the others are in A.C. and Orlando, so…).
Cuba Libre, 10 South 2nd Street, 215-627-0666
· Xochitl has just launched a $23 three-course menu named El Sabor. It means “the flavor,” but whatever, this is what’s important — first: fresh guacamole; second: choice between Empanadas, sweet corn, chanterelle mushrooms, jack cheese and mulato salsa; Queso Fundido, Chihuahua cheese with mushrooms, pickled red onions and shishito peppers; or Chiccarones, house-fried pork rinds with radish, mint and salsa verde; third: choice of tacos, Mary Tierra, ancho-marinated veal tongue, tuna confit, tomato-parsley pico de gallo and fried capers; Baja, achiote-marinated mahi mahi with grilled pineapple, avocado and watercress; Arrachera, marinated hanger steak a la plancha with caramelized onions, tomatoes and salsa ranchera; and Calabacitas, summer squash with their blossoms, mole verde, Swiss chard and pickled fennel.
Need more? For an additional $9 per person, get a ceviche, such as Cangrejo, crab salad with heirloom tomato gazpacho, chipotle, basil and garlic. For an additional $5 per person, get a dessert like Melocoton, peach-almond crisp with goat’s milk cajeta and cream.
Xochitl, 408 South 2nd Street, 215-238-7280
The short rib Burger of the Week at PYT is OK, but you should warn ppl about the actual experience of eating at PYT. The Piazza is nice and all, but at a certain point a collective “we just don’t give a rats ass” mentality takes over at slacker heavy eateries like PYT. My unsolicited advice: stick to the drinks.