Food & Drink
Cajun Comfort
If that bitch Katrina has made you long for a fix of New Orleans, Zanzibar Blue has just what you need.
Live jams and yams
Past Delilah's and Finnigan's Wake, down 3rd Street in Northern Liberties, lies a nondescript building on a desolate block, identifiable only by a blue hand-painted sign.
World cuisine
You don't need to go to the Electric Factory for live music, nor do you need to break the bank for a decent meal.
It's French, you fat-ass
Europeans don't do brunch. The concept of one huge meal that's supposed to merge breakfast and lunch -- but really provides an excuse to eat enough food to take care of dinner too -- was invented by us gluttonous Americans.
Wine Snob 101
Neatly tucked one block south of Rittenhouse Square, the wine bar Tria provides a relaxing alternative to the mundane al fresco dining options and watered-down drink specials of University City.
Sweedish fish at sunset
We may have our own Marbar here on campus, but we could definitely use a Sunset Happy Hour like the one at the Market Street location.
Sausagefest
"We are a Philadelphia institution," boasts Bill Di Bruno, manager of the newest branch of the Di Bruno empire.
Honey Ricotta Nectarines
The George Foreman grill may just be the best thing to hit college campuses since the Internet. Sure, if you're all fancy, you can make these nectarines on your spiffy new gas grill out back.
Schuylkill Sushi
Nestled in the posh Left Bank apartment complex, Ajia is easy to overlook on a stroll into Center City.
Big history, big drinks.
LT's, a campus staple since 1966, has reopened after its much-lamented summer hiatus. They have a wide selection of beers, and the generous and potent well drinks are certainly worth your two bucks.
What the hell is an Osage?
This semester, we at Food and Drink are making it our mission to get you off of your collective ass, to stop ordering delivery from the same places two blocks away and to realize that Philly has some really good eating to offer.
Doctor's orders
Those who may believe there is nothing enticing west of 40th street clearly haven't been to Rx. Located within walking distance of campus, Rx serves some of the best brunch around. Everything about it is eclectic, from its diners to its decor and cuisine.
Better than your mom
There comes a point when you've placed just one too many orders with campusfood.com and eaten one too many meals on the stack of Franzia boxes that serves as your classy coffee table.
An exploration of the human spirt
Freshman girls -- they're everywhere, I swear to you. Pert, chic first-year lovelies: waiting in the stir fry line, strolling the salad isle, perusing the pizza; in jean skirts, tank tops, large, buglike sunglasses; exuding perfumes, floral shampoos, body lotions of melon, berry and cocoa butter.
Rehydration station
There's something about lemonade that feels nostalgic. Maybe it reminds you of the stand you used to have, or your grandparents, or something equally untainted.
Friday night fights
Located on the street that bears its name adjacent to the Ellsworth-Federal subway stop on the Orange Line is a diner that separates itself from the pack in areas beyond its round-the-clock service. Upon entering the diner, an unaccustomed visitor would wait for the host or hostess to seat the new arrivals.
Melrose place
I don't sleep -- that's the problem." That's how Rita, pouring our coffee at the Melrose around midnight last Friday, responded to my inquiry about her night shift's effects on her sleeping habits.
Ain't nothin' but a g-fling
Whether you're hosting your drunken colleagues or looking for some alternative mid-day munchies, easy snacks are the way to everyone's heart, including your own.
Brunch, bump & grind
Bump is the only eatery at which I have ever experienced a brunch with a bass line. This lounge and restaurant, which serves as Philly's best attempt to do Chelsea, or, heck, anything New York, is a see-and-be-seen hotspot on a prominent Gayborhood corner.
