Press Release

PHILLY’S MORE FUN...WHEN YOU DINE ALFRESCO
One Of Philly’s Greatest Warm-Weather Pleasures Takes Place On City Sidewalks

PHILADELPHIA, March 26, 2007 - In 1998, Rouge opened the first sidewalk cafe in Philadelphia’s posh Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Less than 10 years later, Center City is now home to nearly 190 restaurants with outside seating, and that number continues to grow.

Lolita

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

For all of Philly’s foodie scoop, visit gophila.com/dining, where an interactive map features more than 130 BYOBs across the region. The restaurants can be sorted and viewed by cuisine and neighborhood, and visitors can even find the nearest Wine & Spirits Store location for each spot.

Here’s a look at a dozen of the hottest seats outdoors in the Philadelphia region:

BYOBs:

• Jamaican Jerk Hut – Chef-owner Nicola Shirley brings the spice and warm hospitality of her native Jamaica to South Street, recreating island specialties like jerk chicken, curried goat and oxtail stew. Bring some wine, Red Stripe or rum to mix into housemade fruit drinks, and chill in the grassy back garden, where occasional live jazz or reggae music gets an irie vibe going on weekends. 1436 South Street, (215) 545-8644
• Lolita – This contemporary Mexican BYOB, owned by chef Marcie Turney and her life partner Valerie Safran, offers house specialties like grilled Hawaiian waluu over chayote jicama and hearts of palm salad, chipotle-garlic grilled beef tenderloin and soft corn tortillas with orange-glazed pork. Sidewalk dining spills out onto lively 13th Street, where people watching is prime. Diners can even bring their own tequila for freshly made margaritas. 106 S. 13th Street, (215) 546-7100, www.lolitabyob.com 
• Mercato – The emphasis is on fresh, local ingredients at Mercato, where Chef R. Evan Turney infuses the slow cooking traditions of Old World Italy with an experimental style at this airy, neighborhood cash-only BYOB. Large floor-to-ceiling windows open out onto the street, where a convivial atmosphere reigns. 1216 Spruce Street,
  (215) 985-BYOB, www.mercatobyob.com 
• Rx – Much loved by locals for its homespun charm, friendly service and commitment to locally sourced ingredients, this apothecary-turned-café is an oasis of comfort food in West Philadelphia. It’s also home to one of the city’s most comfortable sidewalk cafes, thanks to spacious sidewalks, antique French washtubs filled with flowering plants and a leafy canopy of shade provided by a stately oak tree. Standout dishes include local heirloom tomatoes with fresh Italian Market mozzarella, sweet potato soup with chili peppers and hanger steak with regional spinach and potatoes. 4443 Spruce Street, (215) 222-9590
• Spring Mill Café – Tucked away on a side street in Conshohocken, the romantic Spring Mill Café is part art gallery, part French bistro. Housed in a 19th-century former general store, the restaurant showcases local artists, along with rustic French and international fare created by chef/owner Michele Haines, who learned to cook alongside her grandmother in the Touraine region of France. 164 Barren Hill Road, Conshohocken, (610) 828-2550, www.springmill.com

Full-service Restaurants:

• Alison At Blue Bell – Cobalt blue umbrellas, lush plants and white terraced fencing sequester outdoor diners at Alison at Blue Bell, chef Alison Barshak’s contemporary American bistro about 30 minutes west of Center City. A cash-only BYOB since it opened in 2003, the restaurant now has a liquor license, giving diners the option of bringing their own or ordering from the bar. Her globetrotting approach to cuisine includes dishes like chili-dusted skate with citrus brown butter and jicama and avocado salad, along with tender baby lamb chops served moussaka style with tomato, eggplant and oregano. 721 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, (215) 641-2660, www.alisonatbluebell.com 
• Dilworthtown Inn – Located 30 miles west of Philadelphia, the elegant Dilworthtown Inn was built as a private home in 1754. Nearly destroyed by the British in the 1777 Battle of Brandywine, the residence became an inn in 1780, and was restored by proprietors Jim Barnes and Bob Rafetto in 1972. Well-crafted New American cuisine, a romantic Old World setting, including a lush, beautifully lit outdoor dining patio and a 900-hundred bottle wine cellar make this destination restaurant truly something special. 1390 Old Wilmington Pike, West Chester, (610) 399-1390, www.dilworthtown.com 
• Le Jardin – Reserve a seat in the romantic secret garden, located off the bar at Le Jardin, a French Mediterranean bistro nestled within the Historic Wetherill mansion that also houses the Art Alliance on Rittenhouse Square. Chef/owner Athmane Kabir delivers topnotch bistro staples like bouillabaisse, scallops with parsnip purée and grilled pork loin with blue cheese-smashed red potatoes. 251 S. 18th Street, (215) 545-0821, www.lejardinsquare.com 
• Moshulu – While fine dining prevails in the upscale dining rooms, the mood is casual at the Bongo Bar, where patrons can soak up river-front views and enjoy steaks, Kobe burgers and chicken grilled on the six foot-long barbecue aboard this century-old, four-masted ship anchored at Penn’s Landing. 401 S. Columbus Boulevard, (215) 923-2500, www.moshulu.com 
• M Restaurant – M Restaurant shares a secluded courtyard with the Morris House, a new boutique hotel in a restored 18th-century Georgian landmark just off of Washington Square. Chef David Katz’s elegant American cuisine includes seared scallops, with roasted beets, hearts of palm and vanilla bean vinaigrette and gnocchi, with spicy wild boar ragu. 231 S. 8th Street, (215) 625-2946, www.mrestaurant.com 
• Pond Restaurant/Cassis Bistro – The bucolic entranceway and outdoor views at the luxe Pond Restaurant and informal Cassis Bistro in Radnor are straight out of a fairytale. Guests meander across a painted bridge that spans a creek beside a shimmering pond with its family of graceful swans. Lush gardens add to the highly photogenic exterior views. Chef/co-owner Abde Dahrouch distracts from the view with excellent French-Med specialties. 175 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, (610) 293-9411
• Twenty Manning – A wrap-around sidewalk café embraces Twenty Manning, a stylish restaurant much loved for chef Kiong Banh’s Asian-inspired menu and its lively bar scene. Popular menu items include dim sum, black tea house-smoked tuna, one of the best burgers in the city and oven-roasted shiso salmon. 261 S. 20th Street, (215) 731-0900, www.twentymanning.com

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Caroline Bean
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com

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