‘Philly’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: The Famous Rocky Steps {Philadelphia, PA}

March 31, 2015 · Narrative

If you’re a fan of the Rocky movie franchise, or Sylvester Stallone in general, a visit to the famed Rocky Steps in Philadelphia is a must.

And when my friend, Beth, and I had a Girls Weekend in Philadelphia last August, this was a definite on our list.

Right after eating our way through Reading Terminal.

#priorities

The 72 stone steps are located at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is relatively easy to find.

Parking, on the other hand, was not.

It was like the work-out before the work-out, if you know what I mean.

There were a few crews cleaning up from some sort of art show the evening before, and some areas were under construction, so between finding a good parking space, and navigating how best to get to our destination … well, we were determined and we got it done.

It was a warm, gorgeous day with beautiful blue skies. Which means hello photo op!

Because, besides perhaps running up and down the stairs and channeling your best Rocky moments, what else would you do?

At the bottom of the steps, there were a few, um, entrepreneurial types offering to use your camera to take your picture, for your donation of a few dollars, of course.

It’s the American way.

And there were also a few people selling t-shirts. I wanted one, but had left my wallet in the car.

Next time.

…

Review: Tony Luke’s {Philadelphia, PA}

October 28, 2014 · Narrative

Heading to Philly? A stop at Tony Luke’s for a cheese steak and fries is just the thing you need.

Who goes to Philadelphia, the “cheese steak capital of the world,” and orders a cheese steak with roast pork and broccoli rabe, instead of the steak, yellow cheese, and caramelized onions legit version that everyone covets?

… meekly raising my hand ….

That would be me.

Partly because I was trying to be virtuous. And a friend raved about it. And the kids aren’t fans of broccoli rabe, so when it’s presented as an option, I’m all …. GIMME.

Which is exactly how I found myself sitting in my car on East Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia, underneath an overpass, parked in front of Tony Luke’s, and delving into a little dashboard dining.

Delicious in the most ridiculous sense.

This was the kick-off to a Girls Weekend in Philadelphia back in August. In that, it was our first stop. Because we pretty much planned to eat our way from one end of the city to the other.

And I think we did.

The restaurant is a blink-and-you-miss-it type place.

In fact, it was so non-descript, it wasn’t until I was standing in front of a poster inside that I realized it was owned by Tony Luke, Jr., one of the guys on Frankenfood, a show on Spike TV. And then I quickly texted Nick to tell him where I was, because it’s a show we all watch together.

And then I, of course, bought him a t-shirt because I felt bad he wasn’t there to experience the moment with me.

#momguilt

Opened in 1992, the place is small, with a handful of tables inside and a long counter to order from. There is an adjacent parking lot, as well as on-street parking. They actually didn’t sell cheese steaks when they originally opened, but added them about six months in, based on customer demand. Now they have 22 locations, as far reaching as Bahrain, and even have a few of their menu items available to be shipped frozen straight to your door.

…

Visit: Oyster House {Philadelphia, PA}

September 30, 2014 · Narrative

Looking for a slightly casual, but slightly fancy restaurant in Philadelphia? The Oyster House is a not-to-miss visit.

A friend and I took a weekend girls trip to Philadelphia last month, with pretty much one thing in mind.

To eat our way through the city.

And I’m pretty sure we managed to accomplish that.

Although we were only there for one night, we made the most of our time, which pretty much means our weekend was packed with epic proportions of food deliciousness.

Say oysters and I’m there.

No questions asked.

Our hotel was pretty centrally located, and within walking distance to Reading Terminal, the famous LOVE sign, and the Oyster House restaurant, which we planned to visit for our starters that Saturday night.

Because, you know, oysters.

The restaurant is slightly on the small side, so if you’re going during the height of dinner time, and especially on the weekend, call ahead for reservations. Luckily we were there early and managed to snag a small table, but it was crowded at 5 pm, and packed when we left.

Dimly lit, and simply decorated, I could not love the décor more. Rustic and brick throughout, the walls were focused on one theme: oyster plates. Modern ones. Colorful ones. Sparkly ones. There are over 100 of the vintage plates throughout the restaurant, and they are part of the owner’s collection. Each one more beautiful than the next, I loved this out-of-the-box idea for decorating, and it was, obviously, perfect for the restaurant.

I can’t post the photo here because of its width, but this shot gives a great view to the place. …