Plans Brewing in Brewerytown
The Brewerytown Neighborhood Plan has been released and it's a pretty insightful read. The Vision section paints Brewerytown as a "gateway to North Philadelphia and Fairmount Park bottom up - a model for grass-roots community redevelopment in Philadelphia, one community of tolerance, respect, and diversity."
The plan also announces Brewerytown's upcoming community website, which will serve as a resource to communicate ideas and keep track of developments and changes in the neighborhood. The list of initiatives includes hosting events, organizing block watches, and neighborhood cleanups and litter-free zone efforts. It goes into detail of land use and intentions to reclaim untended spaces and improve the streetscape. And of particular excitement to locals? The push for a grocery store on West Girard and the role of Girard Avenue as a destination in Brewerytown's future.
If you don't know much about the Brewerytown neighborhood, reading the plan gives you a much closer look and a hopeful glimpse of its future. And if you have suggestions? Let them know what you think.
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Soapy Smells on Girard Avenue
What does Fishtown wash their hands with?
Beekman's Copa Soaps has been crafting sudsy bars on Girard Avenue in Fishtown for quite a long time. If you've ever walked past the storefront, you can smell the clean, herbal scents emanating from the building. The all natural, cold-processed soaps are made from various oils such as coconut, olive, palm, and almond - hence the name, C.O.P.A.
Soaps can be purchased online and are available in lush avocado, soothing honey oatmeal, several types of lavender, rejuvenating seaweed, and exhilarating peppermint. And that's just to name a few. We like the spicy zing of the ginger carrot. Bars range from $1.25 to $4.00. You can also pick up large quantities in boxes. Order 10 bars, and shipping is free. And the nice clean feeling of knowing where your soap comes from? That's a pure bonus.
Copa Soaps
438 E Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
800-315-569
Wrenches, Saws, and 24 Taps: Visit Kraftwork in Fishtown
If eating is the plan, then dinner and drinks at Kraftwork is one of the finest projects to take on in Fishtown. At the corner of Girard and Montgomery, Kraftwork has the makings of a real neighborhood bar with elevated food, from owner Adam Ritter and chef Michael Thomas. Ritter also owns the Sidecar Bar in Graduate Hospital.
On a recent Saturday evening, we headed over to Kraftwork and waited for a table at the bar. The place was packed with locals, immediately drawn to the center wraparound bar. The giant saw hanging over the bar? That's just a tribute to the working man. The rest of the space was decked out with industrial and tool inspired objects. It felt airy and inventive, and the volume was exciting. The kitchen doors swung open behind the bar every now and then, with the smells of awesome wafting out and plates of shareables and things that are too delicious to share carried forth by servers.
The drinks menu was laid out in a schedule with all of the particulars, making it a breeze to select your beverage. Selections from Flying Dog, Slyfox, and Founders, and maybe any beer you've ever loved, they're all here.
Oysters, ricotta dumplings, vegetable or charcuterie boards, and sandwiches like the Beer Can Chicken and the Falafel are on the agenda. For the finish? Pork Krispy Treats with chocolate, marshmallow, and bacon. Communal-style wooden tables make eating here a group effort, rewarded in deliciousness.
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Mexican BYO Heating Up in Brewerytown
MM Partners reveals that they've just signed a Letter of Intent with an unnamed chef for a Mexican restaurant at 2711 W Girard Avenue in Brewerytown. The BYO will offer cocktail mixers and authentic Mexican cuisine. Plans include a a communal table in the 40-seat space and prices in the $20-25 per person range. Tentative hours are: 4 pm to 10 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
Explore more about Life in Brewerytown.
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Feeling Cheesy on Girard Avenue
Reason to cross Girard Avenue # 649:
A vintage picnic basket packed with goodies from Quince Fine Foods on Girard Avenue in Northern Liberties.
Reason # 650:
The cucumber-infused water, one of Quince's summer drinks guaranteed to soothe parched throats.
We could go on, and we will. The tiny specialty market that is Quince has a number of gourmet foodstuffs and lunch specials, all priced quite finely (sandwiches and salads are in the $6 range, a lunch combo with a drink and chips is $8). Examples of specials include Goat Cheese and Grilled Veggie Quiche, Tortilla de patatas with aioli and piquillo peppers, and a panini of Prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto and roasted red peppers.
Most importantly, perhaps, is the cheese selection at Quince, making it the cheese plate enthusiast's one stop shop. Since Quince clearly knows it strengths, cheese tastings are held every month.
May's tasting is on the 22nd, at 4 and 6 pm, and is $12 per person, which includes 3 picnic cheese samplings - a marinated chevre, a Basque-style cheese, and a runny French cheese. To reserve a spot, email quince@quincefinefoods.com or call 215-232-3425.
Quince can also cater your event, and will create the ultimate cheese spread for your guests, with more quince paste than you could possibly dream of. They stock carefully selected products from Spain, Di Bruno Bros, Stonewall Kitchen, and Metropolitan Bakery.
Quince Fine Foods
209 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
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It Must Be Fishtown Friday: Kraftwork Opens on Girard Avenue
Find yourself at 541 East Girard Avenue and have yourself an extremely cold beer for the neighborhood of Fishtown. Tonight marks the opening of Kraftwork, a 24-tap bar that we've been anticipating for some time.
Promising growlers and pork krispy treats, oysters, and terrines from former Bar Ferdinand chef Michael Thomas, tonight's 5 pm reveal is a big thing for the neighborhood. Meal Ticket has the menu if you want to plan ahead, and we particularly love the layout of the beer list itself, which really breaks it down. No more "can you tell me about this beer" convos with your bartender. We also vouch for the Ben Franklin quote "There cannot be good living where there is not good drinking."
Fishtown, today is all you, man. Cheers.
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A Walk in Fishtown: Changes Abound
There's a lot going on in Fishtown these days, and every time we walk through, it's clear that the anything-goes vibe continues to lend the neighborhood its distinctive look. The intense focus is still on Frankford and Girard Avenues, with cafes, pubs, and restaurants entering the foray. Yet there's plenty of changes happening in the center of Fishtown, too.
One of our favorite blocks is where Wilt Street cuts into Belgrade, with a dusty, romantic path that appears to go on forever into some kind of mystic Fishtown. Every time we walk by Whipped Bakeshop and come to this odd alley, we stop and wonder what would happen if we walked down it. But we never do.
What a neat balcony the first building has, overlooking a woodsy patch of green. The 1300 block of Wilt used to be called "Pig Alley". We're not sure what to call it now, but it'll come to us.
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What’s up with…Fishtown
Fishtown is a northern residential neighborhood next to the Delaware River. The river ward has changed dramatically in recent years with its proximity to Northern Liberties and has drawn many students and artists to its small, triangular territory of rowhomes. The Market-Frankford line borders the neighborhoood on one side, with the river bounding it on the other side. Penn Treaty Park is one of the largest community spaces here. Johnny Brendas is a popular bar and music venue that is notable throughout the country. Girard Avenue has experienced strong growth in local businesses and dining establishments. On the other side of the neighborhood, the Frankford Arts Corridor is home to many galleries and small businesses.
The neighborhood is made up of rowhomes and small, tight-knit streets where residents come together for block parties and chat with one another from their stoops. You will find artists biking along the avenues or bands meeting up for coffee at a nearby cafe. The First Friday crowd from Old City now stops in Fishtown to check out the galleries and artwork displayed here. 2424 Studios on York Street combines offices, gallery space, and venues to give the community a creative hub.
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Love on Girard: Get Sweet on Local Shops
Now that Romancing the Walk and other Northern Liberties specials are in full swing, we'd like to point out that Girard Avenue is also vying for your Valentine-time attention.
Love on Girard is coming on strong this week with the independent businesses and neighborhood anchors that line West Girard from Frankford Avenue to Franklin Street. So if you're still in need of gifts or beauty treatments, you'll find plenty of options here. Members of Hyperion Bank should enter the drawing to win a $50 gift certificate for nearby restaurants. Quince Fine Foods will include a handmade card with an order of chocolates. It's a Cupcake has recently moved its shop to Girard Avenue and will celebrate its grand reopening today. Enjoy 10% off a dozen and take them in for your coworkers. Our favorite? At Bonnie & Clyde Tattoo, if you purchase one tattoo, your partner's tat will be half price. That sure beats a dozen red stems.
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Kitchen Nightmares Invades Fishtown's Hot Potato Cafe
Last year, Gordon Ramsay's gotta-love-it restaurant makeover show, Kitchen Nightmares, took over Hot Potato Cafe on Girard Avenue in Fishtown. The episode, which kicks off the show's third season, is finally airing on Friday night at 9 p.m. on FOX. Check out the preview here.