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Tags: Comfort Food Restaurants / Restaurants / Food Travel / Philadelphia Travel / → All Tags

All Mac-and-Cheese, All the Time

Here's a restaurant only the recession could create. Swallow Bistro opened a couple years back in Philadelphia's up-and-coming trendy neighborhood, Northern Liberties. But when the economy tanked last fall, the bistro's $15 entrees got a little hard for Philly diners to swallow, and the restaurant made a recession-era decision: they went all mac-and-cheese, all the time.

Yep, Swallow Bistro now exclusively serves this comfort food classic, made with your choice of cheeses, from good ol' American to foodie-r choices like gorgonzola or goat cheese, and topped with some pretty oddball options, like gyro meat, shrimp, and peas.

Some of that sounds a little kooky for us, but we could go for a bacon spinach and garlic plate, stat. Fortunately, you can design your own mac. Cheez fanatics can pair it with a side of nacho cheddar cheese fries, and if you're still craving comfort, there's brownie a la mode for dessert.

Related Stories:
· Swallow Bistro [Official Site]
· The Five Best Comfort Food Restaurants in New York [Jaunted]
· Recession Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Callahan]

Tags: Philadelphia-Music-Venues / Music Venues / Live Music / → All Tags

Philly Music Venues: The Manhattan Room

For a city that's constantly trying to distinguish itself from NYC, it's unclear why Philadelphia went with the name The Manhattan Room for its newest hipster bar and music venue.

Whatever the reasoning, the spot has quickly established itself on the Philly music scene. Set in the increasingly hip-but-still a little sketchy Fishtown neighborhood, "The M-Room" is a new go-to spot for the city's indie rock fans.

The venue hosts live events every Tuesday through Sunday. The schedule is heavy on local acts like Johnny Action Figure and Red Ox, but also includes DJ dance nights, art openings and indie film screenings. In addition to a healthy roster of cheap brews, there's also a dinner menu of burgers, sandwiches and full plates.

Related Stories:
· The Manhattan Room [Official Site]
· Philadelphia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tommy Draper]

Tags: Philadelphia Field Trip / Art / Shopping / → All Tags

PhillyStyle: Art Star

At behest and via the courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Jaunted spent the weekend in 6th Borough for a sleepover and tour--meaning this trip was on Ben Franklin, Rocky, and Boyz II Men--or something like that. Our thoughts are scattered below. Enjoy.

Art Star is an art gallery/design shop on Liberties Walk, a retail and residential development within Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood. The Walk is home to several other independent shops--no chains are allowed--and a built-in wifi signal. If those aren't good surroundings, we don't know what are. The shop is dedicated to local and emerging artists and whatever their wares may be: paintings, sweatshirts, plates, you name it.

Currently featured are the works of illustration whiz Jason Sho Green, in a show called "Mustaches & Other Musts." Exhibits rotate every six weeks, so you only have until November 19 to scope out and scoop up one of Green's works in person. Whether his bigger pieces are out of your budget or not, we recommend getting your holiday card shopping done during the show too. Green produces hilarious greeting cards with blank insides and faces that feature sentiments like "Thanks for Not Putting Babies in Me." For lovers of illustration and graphic art especially, his show, and Art Star itself, equals home.

Related Stories:
· Philadelphia Field Trip coverage [Jaunted]