FYI Philly visits BlackHen, Rivertown Taps, Bardea Steak and other great spots
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hosts Ducis Rodgers and Alyana Gomez check out a new restaurant to cluck about, head to the 'burbs to experience a self-serve tap wall and a unique take on the steakhouse.
BlackHen highlights the hen with all things fried chicken
A variety of fried chicken is on the menu at the brand new BlackHen in Old City.
Located just a few doors from Amina - the Southern cuisine spot from the same owner - imagery of the lady hen is prominent throughout.
Felicia Wilson is the restaurateur behind both locations, with future openings of even more restaurants in the works.
Chef and business partner Darryl Harmon, of The Waterworks and numerous New York establishments, brings his special spice blends, barbecue sauces, and some family recipes to the mix.
BlackHen opens on April 18, and will have extended hours on weekends until 3 a.m..
120 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-555-1212
opens April 18th, 2024
Pour your own craft beer or wine at Rivertown Taps self-serve bar
Rivertown Taps is Phoenixville's first self-serve drink tap wall.
With 36 taps to choose from including hard-to-find craft beers, kombucha, seltzer, mead and wine.
The tap wall allows guests to taste without committing to a full pour, with each ounce calculated on your tab.
Owner and chef Lewis Leiterman created an approachable but elevated gastropub menu featuring familiar dishes made to fit the setting.
His duck wings are an alteration of duck confit, preparing the wings in a similar fashion but plating them in a more bar friendly wing form.
There are pork belly burnt ends upgraded with a fresh ginger and cucumber salad to balance the bite.
The restaurant is along Phoenixville's historic district and the building dates back to 1880.
Throughout the space, the owners saved some of the history and put it on display. There is a wood underbar, exposing the original brick and using nails made at the original Phoenixville Foundry to hang their beer flight boards.
Rivertown Taps | Facebook | Instagram
226 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Bardea Steak flips traditional steakhouse dining on its head
Bardea Steak has created a menu that is a little different than the traditional steakhouse experience.
Chef and owner Antimo Dimeo gathered prime cuts from six different cows, each offering a different profile.
They have a wood-fired grill for cooking the steaks, each aged in-house.
They also offer a tasting menu that the chef created as a flavorful journey through experiences and dishes that have impacted him along the way.
There is a risotto inspired by fajitas. Venison artfully plated but motivated by his grandfather. And tiny tacos, carefully created after Dimeo watched his team of chefs eat their crew meal.
Bardea Steak is the third restaurant along the block joining Bardea Food & Drink and the Bardea Steak & Garden.
Each space provides a different setting with a menu to match the vibe.
Bardea Steak | Facebook | Instagram
608 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Cake & Joe, Laine's, Amigos offer 3 unique styles of baked goods
A triple-threat of bakeries around town are ready to satisfy your sweet tooth.
In Fishtown, Cake & Joe just opened their second location which specializes in French-style mousse cakes.
In South Philly, the original Amigo's Bakery was the first of four for this family business celebrating 10 years this month.
For gluten-free and dairy-free treats delivered to your door -- or picked up at local farmer's markets -- Laine's Gluten-Free Bakery is based in King of Prussia and can take orders from Allentown and Reading in addition to the Philly metro area.
Laine's Gluten-Free Bakery | Instagram | Facebook
lainesglutenfreebakery@gmail.com
Cake & Joe - Fishtown | Facebook | Instagram
2012 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125
267-239-0139
Amigos Bakery - South Philadelphia | Facebook | Instagram
2327 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-462-7320
LuvOnFire Candle Company is selling the scents of love
Ayinda Wallace Hopkins is the owner of LuvOnFire Candle Company, selling hand-crafted candles that are inspired by the different moments of love.
She started making candles in her home in 2021 to decompress.
In May 2023, she opened her first brick-and-mortar.
The store holds additional products like room sprays, incense, reed diffusers, mist diffusers and wax melts.
At night, Wallace Hopkins hosts a candle making class called Candles After Dark.
Each class holds six people and offers light refreshments.
To purchase candles you can visit her storefront in Queen Village or on her website.
LuvOnFire Candle Company| Instagram
716 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Main Line Health's anti-inflammatory salmon cakes recipe
We've all heard of the Mediterranean Diet.
Main Line Health joins us to share a salmon cake with yogurt sauce and greens recipe that will help you follow the principals of an anti-inflammatory diet.
Rheumatologist Suneetha Jasty says chronic low-grade inflammation can cause pretty much all of the major diseases, and the foods we eat play a major role in triggering that inflammation.
When it comes to reducing joint inflammation, specifically, registered dietitian and nutritionist Amy Deahl-Greenlaw says canned salmon has a trifecta of nutrients your body needs omega-3 fatty acids along with vitamin D and calcium.
While this dish is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients, our experts at Main Line Health say you should focus on a diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
If you add turmeric to your cooking, you'll get its natural anti-inflammatory benefits, thanks to a substance called curcumin.
The experts also say it's important to avoid foods that cause inflammation.
Think snack foods, sugary drinks, cakes and pastries, highly processed meats and processed grains like white bread.
Dr. Jasty warns these foods might not bring about immediate joint swelling, but it can accumulate over the years.
Salmon Cakes with Yogurt Sauce & Greens
Yield: 2 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 7.5-ounce can salmon, skin removed
- 1/4 cup plain, dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons horseradish
- Cooking spray
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups mixed greens, washed
Instructions:
- Mix salmon, bread crumbs, red onion, dill, egg, mayonnaise, and horseradish in a medium-sized bowl.
- Form into 4 equal-size patties.
- Coat a medium nonstick pan with the cooking spray; heat over medium heat.
- Cook the salmon cakes on both sides until golden brown.
- Mix lemon juice, yogurt, chives, salt, and pepper.
- Top salmon cake and serve with mixed greens
Nutrition (Salmon Cakes Only):
Serving: 2 patties, Calories: 280; Total fat: 11g; Saturated fat: 2.5g; Cholesterol: 155mg; Sodium: 300mg; Total Carbohydrate: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Protein: 27g.
Walnut Street Theatre Presents Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical tells the story of the prolific songwriter's life.
Matthew Amira plays King's husband, Gerry Goffin.
Amira says audiences will see King's journey, "from aspiring songwriter to when she found her voice and became a solo star."
"The Walnut Street Theatre is doing a brand-new take on it. There's a lot more dance," he says.
"The music everyone will love, but I think people will be surprised by how touching her story is and how much heart there is in this musical," says Kathryn Boswell, who plays songwriter Cynthia Weil in the show.
It follows two songwriting couples in New York City - King and her husband, Gerry, and Weil and her husband, Barry Mann.
Amira plays opposite his real-life wife, Boswell.
"And there's constant competition between these two couples to churn out the best songs of the time," he says.
King navigates her tumultuous marriage, while continuing to write hit songs.
Boswell says audiences will see how the music that she wrote was influenced by her sadness.
Weil becomes a friend and source of support for King.
Boswell says both women had the same goal of writing songs and becoming as successful as their male counterparts.
"And they were both truly revolutionary," she says.
Their songwriting produced hits that helped boost other groups to stardom, like the Shirelles.
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow was Gerry Goffin and Carole King's first number one hit," says Amira. "And there was this lovely symbiotic relationship between these writers and incredible Black artists."
The Drifters had a hit with Some Kind of Wonderful.
Boswell says they were a part of so many iconic songs.
"People come away saying, 'I had no idea that she wrote all these songs,' so you're gonna be surprised," says Amira.
The arc of the show lands audiences at Carnegie Hall.
"You see her transition to when she found her voice and released her first solo album, Tapestry," he says.
"The music will make you feel so much joy. It is so beautiful," says Boswell.
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical runs through May 5 at the Walnut Street Theatre.
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical Tickets
Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
SHOW EXTRAS
Date Night Re Do on April 26
Looking to spice up your relationship or just have a fun night out with your significant other?
Marriage and Family Therapist Dr. George James is hosting what he calls "Date Night Re Do" on April 26. He describes the event as therapy meets dancing and music meets fun times with friends.
Dr. James says he started the annual event in 2017, realizing the importance of date night in his own relationship.
Date Night Re Do | Tickets | April 26, 6:30-10:30 p.m.
The Inn at Villanova in Wayne
601 County Line Road Wayne, Pa. 19087
PHILADANCO! Staging annual spring show
PHILADANCO! is staging its annual spring show called Director's Choice: Roots & Reflections.
It's a program of four ballets, all favorites of both audiences and PHILADANCO! according to Founder Joan Myers Brown.
Among them is a a work by Ronald K Brown called Gatekeepers is about interconnectedness, family history and perseverance; the dancers will also perform George Faison's Suite Otis, celebrating the music of Otis Redding; Harold Pierson's
Roots & Reflections, which reflects the 100-year history of Black dance in America.
Talley Beatty's Pretty Is Skin Deep, Ugly to the Bone, which Joan Myers Brown says the company just performed in New York to 'rave reviews."
PHILADANCO! Roots and Reflections | Tickets
Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater | April 12-14
300 S Broad St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102
Dine Latino Restaurant Week runs April 7-13
You can get dinner at one of the two dozen participating restaurants for the annual Dine Latino Restaurant Week and you'll get a free dessert or an appetizer with the purchase of two entrees.
The Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce started the promotion during the pandemic.
This is now the eighth installment.
The Chamber is also hosting a tasting event at Brazas BBQ Chicken on Thursday, April 11 from 6-8 p.m.
Participants will be able to taste Chef/Owner Juan Andres Placencias' Peruvian fusion flavors, including his popular BBQ chicken and ceviche.
Dine Latino Restaurant Week | Participating Restaurants | Instagram
Chef's Tasting Event | Tickets
