“Hello Phoodie,

I have a story about Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant. On this past Saturday night, my friends wanted to go somewhere to watch the Denver vs. New England playoff game. Yeah, I must admit, we were caught up in Tebowmania! I have heard great things about PBR and I was able to make a reservation for all 9 of us. When we arrived, they showed us to our table which looked perfect. We were in a corner and we had our own TV to watch the game – which was the only TV we could view from our table. However, the Sixers game was on. I love the Sixers and am super proud of the resurgence they are experiencing, but it’s playoff football and everybody at the bar was reeling over the Niners Saints game.

I spoke to the waitress who told me I had to speak to the bartender. Why she couldn’t do that for me, I don’t know. I spoke to the bartender and he said one guy wanted to watch the Sixers game on the other side of the bar, and that TV and the one near me were connected. So, both TV’s had to be on the same channel. I then spoke to another bartender and the hostess. The bartender refused to change the channel. I told everyone that we were going to leave if we could not watch the game and still no change. So, a party of 9 all ready to eat, drink, pay their bill and tip were denied over one guy who wanted to watch the Sixers vs.Wizards. We all left. It all made absolutely no sense.
“

Jeez. Wow. Well, reader, there’s a lot to address here, so let’s just make the following points quickly and be done with this:

1. You went out to eat in Old City on a Saturday night with a party of 9 and insisted on a table near a TV for an out-of-market football game. What is wrong with you?

2. Seriously, what the fuck is this Tebow shit.

3. It is Phoodie.info’s belief that it is not the server or management’s responsibility ever to placate a patron’s TV-watching desires. If they do it to be nice, great, but unless explicitly promised or advertised, your viewing tastes are just that, and nothing but.

4. It’s people like you that have ruined America. I don’t know if we’ll ever recover. Dear God, the entitlement!

5. Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant, we just gained a whole new level of respect for you. GO SIXERS!

Have you got a spot you used to dig but these days is slipping? And do you desperately want to wake it out of its slumber so that it can once again be a favorite, before it’s too late? Tell us about it at phoodieinfo[at]gmail[dot]com; just put “LOOK ALIVE OVER THERE” in the subject header. And read more LAOT posts here.

“I’d like to submit a LAOT for South Philly Tap Room. I live a block away, so it’s long been my favorite local spot. The place has always had questionable service – staff in general act above it all and unfortunately send a message that no customer is worth their time or a smile. SPTR is not JB’s; it’s not PYT (and actually, all the JB’s and PYT staff I’ve come in contact with have been ULTRA friendly). Nope, Tap Room is a small neighborhood pub tucked away in Newbold. It’s not (in my opinion) a major destination spot in the city. But hey, I’m not saying the staff don’t work hard, because when it’s busy, I know they do. But come on. You can be a little nice, right?

The last time I went to SPTR was January 2nd (in the afternoon) and my two friends and I waited 45 minutes for a server after being seated. We ended up buying our first round of drinks at the bar because we got no respect. When a server finally came round we had to ask for menus – they weren’t automatically given. We were never asked for a follow up drink order, we were never given water. The expediter actually came over and took our order because after the waitress gave us menus she never came back. After the expediter gave us our food a third person, no idea who, came by to see if we wanted anything else, take our plates, give us our check, etc. Besides horrible service the food has slumped. The plates were messy and food was bland. At 2pm they were out of tacos and mac and cheese. Oh, and the place was barely half-full at the time of our visit. Apparently, we had just missed a big rush. Apparently. If it wasn’t in my neighborhood I would probably never go back.”

Thanks for piping up, dear reader. And we know how you feel; we all know what it’s like to be exasperated by a once-favorite haunt. And while we can personally attest to never having an experience like this at SPTR, we’ve never really been bowled over by the place, either. Now, here’s how we’re going to make “Look Alive Over There” not like Yelp. For one, we’re going to be kind to one another, such as the reader above was. For another, we’re gonna open the lines of communication — should SPTR choose to respond to your concerns, we’ll update and post accordingly. You never know: They might be in the middle of re-staffing or making other changes; they could have just had a bad day. “Look Alive Over There” is about rescuing relationships; think of it as your phoodie marriage counselor. If there is peace and repair to be made, so let us have it.

SPTR, the ball’s in your court.

Have you got a spot you used to dig but these days is slipping? And do you desperately want to wake it out of its slumber so that it can once again be a favorite, before it’s too late? Tell us about it at phoodieinfo[at]gmail[dot]com; just put “LOOK ALIVE OVER THERE” in the subject header. And read more LAOT posts here.

Throughout the year, we have our fair share of drinking holidays (St. Patty’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, Any Saturday, etc.) but few hold as much history as Octoberfest. Octoberfest is a tradition in Munich, Germany that goes back over 200 years (and somehow survived National Lampoon’s European Vacation). The cornerstones of the tradition are traditional German beer, food, and good times. These same things will be in full effect at Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant‘s (120 Market Street) inaugural OktoPBRfest on Saturday, October 8th from noon to 6PM.

According to a press release, “PBR’s interior and sidewalk café will be converted into a beer garden stocked with more than a dozen locally-produced German-style craft beers as well as a collection of freshly brewed favorites from the old country.” Food offerings will include: Steamed Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Bauernwurst, Currywurst, Drei Im Weckla, Fasnacht, Schnecken, and soft pretzels with beer mustard.

Guests will be able to purchase commemorative mugs and tickets for beer and food upon arrival.

Photo courtesy of Philly Weekly – Michael Persico

Via Google Street view, the site of Starr’s proposed Bier Garten, which sources say he’d like to open by this summer.

We’ve been hearing tell that Stephen Starr has been snooping around Fishtown for a while now, checking out the neighborhood as the possible site for a number of cogs in his ever-growing empire — variously, there have been rumors of a Stella here, a catering kitchen, and finally, the most developed idea, a new concept that he’s calling Bier Garten. According to our sources, developer Roland Kassis (of Domani Developers, who are said to be working on the project with Starr) met with a group of Fishtown Neighbors last night to discuss said Bier Garten. Here’s what we’ve been able to learn:

· The proposed Bier Garten site would be literally across the street from Johnny Brenda’s, beginning next to the Acropolis Diner (at Frankford and Girard) and spanning approximately 100 yards towards Frankford and Thompson. (See photo above.)
· In traditional German style, it would be a true bier garten, with about 250 seats, both indoor and outdoor. However, as our tipster points out, “the drawings look like you might expect of a Stephen Starr restaurant.”
· Kitchen would be open until 11PM; bar would stay open until 2AM. No exact details on cuisine just yet, but damned if we can’t smell mock-ironic kielbasa on the wind already.
· A formal zoning hearing will occur toward the end of February — and trust us, we’ve been to these Fishtown zoning meetings, and it’s going to be a goddamned NIMBY circus — so good luck with all of that…
· … especially considering that the developer is looking to fast track this one and get it open by the summer. According to our sources, financing and other agreements are already secure; zoning would be the last part of the puzzle and, if granted, construction would begin almost immediately.

We’ll be keeping you posted on this one. And we promise to you now: We will only use the headline “BRAT WORST” once.

. Blueberry Brioche French Toast: Citrus-cinnamon syrup, fresh whipped
cream, toasted hazelnuts ($10)
. Three Cheese Farmers Omelet: Chorizo, wild mushrooms, asparagus,
oven roasted tomatoes ($12)
. Oatmeal Parfait: Granola, yogurt, fresh berries, honey, toasted
pecans ($7)
. Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Caramelized bourbon bananas, toasted pecans
($10)
. Sides: Roasted potatoes, bacon and Italian sausage ($4/each)
. Vegetable Fondue for Two: Cauliflower, asparagus, leeks, onions,
potatoes, mushrooms, turnips, beets, Brussels, white cheddar and brie fondue
($16)

OK, so maybe fondue isn’t your first meal of the day, but you get the drift. Meanwhile, post-game reports from Varga continue to be good; and those 22 taps seem to be helping, too.

VargaBar, 10th & Spruce Sts. (215) MA7-5200

Previously: Evan Turney: An American Hero

Read the deetz after the jump.

When I walked into the space that once housed Azul Cantina, I couldn’t have been more surprised by the transformation. Gone are the overly blue walls, blue bar, and tight space, replaced by stark black and white paisley upholstery, and a muted two-tone cool grey interior. Adorning the ceiling were recreations of namesake Alberto Vargas‘ famous pin-up models, directly above a shiny new black bar that was built from the ground up, with a 20-tap system along the back wall. Nothing that once existed as Azul seems to have made the trip to Varga Bar. I admit, I was a fan of the blue cheese guacamole and the flautas, as well as the luscious drinks, but all of the inconsistencies that plagued the last incarnation of the 10th and Spruce outpost will no longer be an issue. Evan Turney and George Anni will see to that.

“The man is amazing,” Chef Turney remarks about his business partner, the aforementioned Anni. “Things go wrong in a restaurant at the worst times, and George does it all. He can fix anything, and get the right people to work for you. People respect him because he respects them. I couldn’t be happier working with him.” And the proof is in the proverbial pudding. Anni and Turney have worked together on 2 other very successful ventures in Valanni, and one of my personal favorite BYO’s in the city, Mercato.

“When I worked at Audrey Claire with my sister [sibling and also superstar Marcie Turney], it was kind of a thing. We were that team. And it was great when we started out, but once she went on to Twenty Manning, I kind of did my own thing, and started working with George. She’s a great chef, and really successful, but we would always have been attached to each other in people’s minds. Food is in my family. My grandfather owned a place called ‘The Spot’ back in Wisconsin. And my Uncle Burt owned a place right below it called Dirty Burt’s. It’s what we do.”

As we sat outside of the bustle on his opening night, just beyond the doors, we sipped top shelf tequila because we had to. It was that kind of night. By this point, Evan has been up for 6 or 7 days straight, and the nights he did sleep, he says, he stole maybe an hour or two. “I just wanted to get it open, you know? I came in this morning and there were palettes of furniture and growlers, and just random sh*t, and it kind of all hit me. But you push through it, because you came this far and worked this hard.” The hard work has obviously paid off, as the event went well into the early morning. No hiccups, smooth sailing, and drinks flowing. I even caught Anni and Evan sharing a couple of honest “we did it” moments that really cemented the idea of what a good partnership can be in this business.

So what about the menu? “American. I mean American. American ingredients, American concepts. American beer. It’s what we wanted to do. It’s time for it. I’ve done the Mediterranean, I have done the French. And man, I also love cooking Italian food [at Mercato]. But this is what I eat at home. I make wings confit-ed up so they fall off the bone. I like truffling my mac and cheese. And we have two styles of burgers. The regular sliders, and an old school growing-up type burger. When I was young, my mom would mash up the ground beef with the onions and all that crazy stuff and make one of those meatball type deals that would soak through the bread. That’s what our other burger is gonna be,” Turney says in full-on reminisce mode.

When I saw the concept of the SPAM dish originally, I really felt that the menu was pushing kitsch too much, but Chef explained the idea.

“That was definitely family dinner night stuff. We would have SPAM night at home. Dad would put cloves in the SPAM and work it up. So I figured I needed to bring SPAM night here. The one we’re doing is a little more refined, but the spirit is there. Tried it last night, and it tasted like candy. Candy,” Chef repeats with a huge smile.

As we finished a plate of truly spectacular ribs and our third tequila, a smock-wearing, hard-working-middle-of-my-shift Chef Konstantinos from Kanella popped over to congratulate Evan on his launch and wish him luck.

“He’s a great guy. I love just sitting outside his place and talking about anything and nothing with him,” Turney remarked about his new neighbor. He also quipped that they worked together in a previous kitchen, so they already have some history. But with the opening of Varga Bar tonight across from the already successful Kanella, it seems a bright future is assured for both men.

As we finished our discussion with a cold Flying Fish, Evan finally let go of a little stress. “Well, it’s done. And we’re ready. It’s gonna be a good time. Every time you open a new place, you go through the concern of whether people will get it or not, but I think they’re ready.” I’d say. After 3 successful restaurants and a quickly rising star, I am definitely ready for seconds of whatever he’s sending out. Because after all, I’ve always been a SPAM and potatoes kind of guy.

– Collin Flatt

Varga Bar, 10th & Spruce Sts. (215) MA7-5200