Bolo meshes rollicking rum bar with Cuban paladar
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Bolo is a new Latin American restaurant in Rittenhouse featuring a rum bar on the first floor and Cuban paladars, private homes that open their doors as small family restaurants, on the second.
And top to bottom, it oozes an island vibe.
Chef Yun Fuentes is the man behind the menu.
He grew up in Puerto Rica where his grandfather was a chef. As children, he and his cousins struggled to say abuela, the Spanish word for grandfather, and so his grandfather became known as Bolo.
In naming the restaurant Bolo, Chef Yun wanted to pay homage to his grandfather, who is now 103!
Chef Yun's caught the cooking bug at a French Restaurant in San Juan. He then moved to New York, so determined to work with a chef there who was elevating Latin American cuisine, that he offered to work for free.
He then came to Philadelphia to work with Chef Jose Garces and quickly decided the city would become his home.
In the rum bar part of the restaurant, you'll find a mix of island classics like mojitos and Pina coladas with house made coconut cream.
The Coco Bolo is the restaurant's signature drink, a riff on the fresh coconut drinks sold on the island but with coconut soda and old Granddad bourbon.
The food is a mix of small plates and entrees big enough to share and just like at Bolo's house, rice is always on the table.
Bolo Restaurant | Instagram
2025 Sansom St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
267-639-2741
Nipotina is South Philly's new sandwich-lover's spot
The owners of P'Unk Burger and Slice are now broadening their restaurant group to include sandwiches.
Marlo Dilks and her husband Jay opened Nipotina on West Passyunk in April.
The space is located in the same neighborhood where Marlo grew up.
It is where she fell in love with the business while working at her father's two luncheonettes and watching him run his neighborhood butcher and grocery store.
Now, Marlo and Jay have seven daughters of their own along with three restaurants.
The newest venture features a menu of sandwiches and breakfast from 8-11 a.m.
You will find ribeye steak sandwiches or gut busters like "The Hangover", which tops the cheesesteak with an egg and tater tots.
The namesake Nipotina is a chicken cutlet topped with fried salami and chipotle mayonnaise.
Nipotina | Facebook | Instagram
2238 South 21st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145
Father-son duo combine forces for vegan desserts at Vannah Banana
In the kitchen at Ox's Way, a vegan restaurant in Havertown, George Walker is scratch-baking all kinds of vegan desserts.
His son, Kianu, is there to assist and the one who got him started
Kianu, a former rap artist, had decided to launch his own vegan ice cream line, named Vannah Banana, after his younger sister, Savannah.
One day, his dad joined him on a delivery to Nourish, a vegan cafe that offers a selection of baked goods.
George tried the baked goods being sold there and didn't like them. So he asked the shop owner if he could try to do a better job.
George had never tried baking but after some trial and error, he refined his recipe and figured out the best substitutions.
He now makes everything from cupcakes (the pink champagne are the top seller) to cookies (the mango sugar cookies are the most popular) and a sweet potato brownie that put him on the vegan baking map.
Now his desserts, delivered to a half dozen cafes around the region, sell out daily, and Kianu has put his ice cream production on hold to build his dad's baked goods line.
George's dreams are modest; he simply wants to pay the bills. But Kianu hopes to one day have a brick and mortar that carries his ice cream seasonally and his dad's baked goods year-round.
Vannah Banana | Facebook | Instagram
Baked goods carried at the following locations:
Ox's Way | Facebook | Instagram
28 W Eagle Rd #101, Havertown, Pa. 19083
Nourish Plant-based cafe & Juice Bar | Facebook | Instagram
177 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123
Hibiscus Cafe | Facebook | Instagram
4907 Catharine St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19143
American Vegan Center | Facebook | Instagram
17 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
Cheezy Vegan by Chef Reeky | Facebook | Instagram
604 Fairview Rd, Woodlyn, PA 19094
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Father and son continue namesake legacy at Will's + Bill's Brewery
Will's + Bill's in Berwyn is run by father and son, Will and Bill Mangan.
The two are part of a fourth-generation restaurant family and pride themselves on putting hospitality and quality second to none.
The spacious location off the beaten path near King of Prussia boasts lounge areas, a patio, and an onsite brewery that puts out 12 beers on tap.
The menu has everything from seafood and steaks to pasta and salads and serves late-night bites most days of the week.
Will's + Bill's Brewery | Facebook | Instagram
324 Swedesford Road, Berwyn, PA 19312
484-318-8538
open Tuesday-Sunday, from 4 p.m.
Family, handcrafted drinks come first at Widow's Peak Distilling
In the heart of Ambler, Widow's Peak Distilling Company is a place to get drinks before or after dinner.
The spot was founded by brothers Michael and Mark Ilg.
Mark oversees the distilling, and Michael runs the business side of things, and the brothers say almost everyone who helped get the spot up and running are family members.
The tasting room makes craft cocktails that are designed to showcase the spirits they make - vodka, gin, and whiskey - and they also serve charcuterie boards, from savory to sweet.
Widows Peak Distilling Company | Facebook | Instagram
10 E. Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
267-209-0551
Dad's Hat is putting Pennsylvania rye whiskey back on the map
Bucks County-based distillery Dad's Hat is producing award-winning whiskey out of Bristol, Pennsylvania.
Founders Herman Mihalich and John Cooper started making rye whiskey in 2011, bringing back the classic recipe invented in Pennsylvania.
They use local ingredients from a Bucks County Farm in every batch and age the whiskey in oak barrels made from Pennsylvania trees.
Tours are available at the Bristol facility but need to be booked online.
They opened a tasting room in Bristol Borough where you can choose from an array of cocktails, featuring the Rye whiskey and some drinks that would normally feature a different liquor.
The espresso martini and mojito use the whiskey in a way that might surprise you.
Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey | Facebook | Instagram
Distillery Tours: 925 Canal Street, Building #4, Door 16, Bristol, PA 19007
Tasting Room: 131 Mill Street, Bristol, PA 19007
Axo Tacos takes garage business to a brick and mortar
Back in April, Jose Lorenzo and his wife Maricela Palillero opened Axo Tacos.
The restaurant is the first brick-and-mortar spot for the couple who started making tacos out of their garage during the pandemic.
At first, it was Jose making birria style tacos for a friend.
Work quickly spread and he started selling them.
Lines formed and eventually the couple was asked to sell the food at Clementon Park.
They had such a successful first summer at the park they used that money to open the brick and mortar.
The menu is a fusion of Mexican and Asian flavors.
Jose and Maricela are both from Mexico.
They were born in the same area of Puebla but never met until they were adults living in New Jersey.
The Asian flavors come from Jose's mom who could not find a Hispanic grocery store so she shopped at the Asian market and used those ingredients in her kitchen.
Jose has taken it to another level with birria tacos Korean Al pastor, seafood tacos with a blend of salmon, crab and shrimp, a ribeye rice bowl and eggrolls stuffed with your choice of taco meat.
Axo Tacos | Facebook | Instagram
4 North White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, NJ 08021
Wyeth Artists' Studio tours running now at Brandywine Museum of Art
Wyeth Artists' Studio tours running now at Brandywine Museum of Art
You can peek into the lives of three generations of artists with a tour of the N. C. Wyeth House and Studio and the Andrew Wyeth Studio.
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Amanda C. Burdan, Senior Curator at the Brandywine Museum of Art, calls the Wyeth artists' studios inspiring spaces.
Both are National Historic Landmarks owned and operated by the Brandywine Museum of Art.
Burdan says the tours allow visitors to walk in the footsteps of an artist so they can see the world through their eyes, in the landscape that they lived and worked in.
Andrew Wyeth was a 20th-century American realist painter.
Andrew's father, N.C. Wyeth, is known today as a great illustrator for his work on adventure classics like "Treasure Island."
N. C.'s studio is filled with items to spark creativity.
Visitors can also view a panel from a large mural in his mural studio.
Andrew grew up in the space that would become his studio and he lived here with his wife, Betsy.
His son, Jamie, also used the space as his first studio, creating a piece titled Draft Age here in 1965. Burdan says the piece was his response to the Vietnam War.
You can cap it off with a special exhibition at the museum called Andrew Wyeth: Home Places.
Burdan says that because the works of art in that exhibition were part of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth's personal collection, almost all the work has never been seen before by the public.
Andrew Wyeth: Home Places is on view at the Brandywine Museum of Art through July 30 and the Wyeth Artists' Studio Tours run through mid-November.
The N. C. Wyeth House & Studio | The Andrew Wyeth Studio | Andrew Wyeth: Home Places
Brandywine Museum of Art
1 Hoffman's Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
SHOW EXTRAS
Philadelphia is burnishing its reputation as a foodie city, taking home top honors in three major categories for this year's James Beard Award.
Friday Saturday Sunday was named outstanding restaurant.
Ellen Yin earned the outstanding restaurateur award, and Kalaya's Chutatip 'Nok' Suntaranon won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Friday Saturday Sunday | Instagram
261 S 21st St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
215-546-4232
Fork Restaurant | Facebook | Instagram
306 Market St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
215-625-9425
High Street Philly | Instagram
101 S 9th St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107
215-625-0988
a. Kitchen + Bar | Facebook | Instagram
135 S 18th St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
215-825-7030
Star Fusion Express in Parkside is among a number of local restaurants offering discounted meals for Black Restaurant Week.
Black Restaurant Week runs through June 11 but organizers hope the promotion will attract new customers to Black-owned restaurants, increasing business all year long.
Star Fusion Express | Facebook | Instagram/
5178 Parkside Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 18131
215-307-3111
Black Restaurant Week
Tickets are now on sale for the Change Our Future Foundation's third annual Sneaker Ball, a fashion meets philanthropy event that raises money to empower young people in underserved communities.
The black-tie gala will feature a one-of-a-kind pop-up sneaker museum showcasing some of the rarest sneakers.
Attendees are asked to bring a new or gently used pair of sneakers and school supplies to donate to children in need.
The event is Thursday, June 22 at Vie by Cescaphe on North Broad Street.
NFL veteran, activist and entrepreneur Malcolm Jenkins and actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph are among those being honored for their work.
Sneaker Ball
June 22, 2023, 7 p.m.-midnight
Vie by Cescaphe
600 N Broad St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130