Labor Day is nearly upon us. While we love the extra day off work, what we don't love is the fact that we'll soon be hurtling toward cold temperatures, icy streets, and a severe shortage of our favorite produce varieties. So for those of us who want to cling to summer as long as we possibly can, City Food Tours of Philadelphia will be offering a “So Long to Summer” Food Tour on Sunday. The......

Pepper is summer beach music. So we weren't sure how they would play out on a cool October night in the northeast. When summer-style music is played indoors in the autumn or winter, it can bring a touch of warmth to a cold night, or it can just sound horribly out of place, like Bing Crosby at your Uncle Jon's Memorial Day barbecue. So we were a little apprehensive, but still excited for the show.......

We are dumbfounded as to why the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column has been following the saga of the love life of KYW’s Alycia Lane, but it has provided some odd entertainment since the spring. In case you don’t know, the tabloid broke the story of Lane sending e-mails containing bikini photos of herself to NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen which were intercepted by his wife, ABC Sports reporter Suzy Shuster. Yesterday, Page......

We love Steve Martin. We love just about everything he's ever done – Cheaper by the Dozen notwithstanding. One of our favorite Steve Martin flicks? My Blue Heaven, also starring Rick "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" Moranis. Phillyist re-watched the movie recently and were struck by two things: (1) It's exactly as funny as we remembered it being. (2) Despite the funny, it's beginning to show its age. Case in point, a dialogue between Vinnie......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

It's the Fourth of July. You should be out, bedecked in red, white, and blue, and doing something kind of patriotic. Like getting drunk at a barbecue. We're not sure how that's patriotic, but we say it is. And anyway, that's what we're probably doing. So do us a favor, would you? Step away from your computer and enjoy your day off. We'll be here tomorrow. Promise. Image via kevinv033™.......

I'll bet you thought I was going to write something about barbecues, in honor of the Fourth of July, right? Wrong. I already covered where and what to barbecue, and frankly, I don't like potato salad or cole slaw enough to come up with recipes to provide you with, because then, I'd have to try them. And we're giving pretty decent coverage to the Fourth of July on Phillyist, anyway. We're patriotic like that. And......

Ah, Fourth of July! It's time for parades, fireworks, and barbecues. Lots of barbecues. But surprisingly, barbecues, those gatherings amongst friends and family which serve no purpose other than to feed and, perhaps, inebriate one's nearest and dearest, can be a hotbed of rudeness – and around a hot grill, rudeness can equate to a certain degree of danger. Following are tips for having a polite and safe Fourth of July barbecue, whether you're......

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they......

Memorial Day is next Monday. This means very little in the scheme of commercial holiday celebrating, of course, except for the fact that it means a day off and, for whatever reason, official permission to wear white. And how, whether clad in white or not, do most people celebrate Memorial Day? With a barbecue. Duh. Unfortunately, five years in Philly haven't taught us any good spots to grill. We have our little Ikea grill that......

If people ask me, I definitely self-identify as Jewish. But if you know me, you know that I'm not terribly observant. I remember the Sabbath, but certainly don't keep it holy. I light candles on Chanukah. I even go so far as fasting on Yom Kippur and pretty much cutting carbs out of my diet for a week every spring. But that's the extent to which I keep kosher. I don't hesitate to combine......

We'll be the first to admit that we're a little addicted to watching the Food Network. It's not that we have it on all the time. It's just that once it's on, hours and hours will go by before we can even think about turning the television off. (It's probably more like televised pot, than televised crack, in that regard.) Hell, we even kind of like Rachel Ray. (Sure, she can be annoyingly chipper, and......

Just over nine and a half hours, five home-city teams, and three games made for one crazy Saturday of men’s college basketball in Philadelphia. It is not often that hoops diehards get an opportunity to attend a trio of games in one day, but December 2, 2006 brought just that. Unfortunately, I was only able to go to the nightcap due to a massive amount of work and no access to a car. But in......

We submit, not much. And check it out, there's one going on tomorrow, Saturday the 21st! It's The Clark Park Picnic and Mid-Fall Music Festival, and it's happening in Clark Park's lower bowl at 43rd and Chester in West Philly from 11:30AM-7PM. Like we said, the event is free, but if you shell out $20 you can also get access to an all-you-can-eat barbecue featuring food and beverages by some of Philly's most skilled chefs,......

Sometimes, it's too easy to make the obvious association. If you're already tired of Saumel L., scroll past the first two cities. Houstonist wants this mothaf***in' snake out the mothaf***in' playpen! Gothamist wants these mothaf***in' rats off this mothaf***in' plane! Austinist: We are so jealous. So. Jealous. SFist: John Street would never do this. Thank God. Londonist: We're also guessing you won't see this whisk(e)y as an ingredient in a barbecue sauce being served at......

On Memorial Day Weekend, Americans all over the country gather together to remember those who have died in service of our nation...by getting a really good deal on a pair of shoes, and then going outside and partying in them. Hey, we're Americans; buying and partying is what we do. Oh, and eating a lot of barbecue. Anyway, here's some stuff you can do in Philly to celebrate your Memorial Day Weekend - some of......

As part of their new summer drinks launch campaign, Starbucks is treating the first 1,0000 visitors at the zoo this Saturday by purchasing their tickets giving them gratis entry and they will be giving away samples of their new line of delicious drinks all day.... Used to be mocha flavor was best on the block, then Starbucks delighted us with the addition of the caramel machiatto (a personal fave both hot and cold) and a slew of frozen blended coffees, but they have truly outdone themselves this time.From now until August 30th, thirsty customers can get a banana coconut or a banana crème Frappucino for a refreshing non-alcoholic taste of the tropics. It’s delicious, guaranteed to lift ones spirits and costs less than airfare to Costa Rica.To loosely quote Gwen Stefani, this sh-t is bananas and we hope the sampling table at the zoo isn’t anywhere near the monkey cages....

Austin might seem far away and foreign to some of you, but you might be surprised how many Philly music folk end up at SXSW, the huge annual music festival that our sister site, Austinist, has been buzzing about. Among other Philadelphians leaving the area for a week of barbecue and indie rock will be Plain Parade's Maria Tessa Sciarrino. Not only will Maria be appearing on a panel at the SXSW Music Conference,......

To get the sauce to cheese ratio harmoniously balanced, the spiciness of the sauce flawless, the dough consistency just so , never mind any type of toppings it’s a wonder the industry makes 32 billion a year. Two Red Boots, a knock off of the East Village-based pizzeria combining New Orleans and Italian type fare, happens to be a great slice. There are sauce options (mild, house, calabria or marinara)to please every palate, a whimsical array of toppings (andouille, tasso, barbecue shrimp and Creole chicken in addition to all the staples) and the delicious cornmeal crust lends itself to a chewy, crunchy and satisfying texture . Located on 21st and Chestnut, they are open seven days a week 11:00 AM until 10 PM – until midnight on Friday and Saturday -- and they deliver (in more ways than one)....

From July 13th to July 15th, guest cookbook authors are paired with local host restaurants as part of the 7th Book and Cook Summer series http://www.thebookandthecook.com/ to celebrate the bountiful produce season. A sampling of highlights include an evening of Blueberries at RX http://local.google.com/local?q=rx&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&sa=G&near=Philadelphia&rl=1&sc=1&radius=0&latlng=39952222,-75164167,9971527084790700624 with Author Linda Dannenberg and Chef Tim Olivett on Thursday, Memphis Barbecue Champion teams up with host Chefs Adam and Keith Gertler at The Smoked Joint http://www.smokedjoint.com/smokedjoint.cfm and Matthew Kenney and Sarma Meingaiis pair up with Chef Kevin Klaus at Farmicia http://www.farmiciarestaurant.com/ to showcase an all raw menu on Friday.... Here’s a full list of events to eat, drink and be merry this weekend....

Markets have been a part of Philadelphia’s history since the city’s development by William Penn in the late seventeenth century. Phillyist went to the Reading Terminal Market to see what culinary treats were ‘in store’ and got some groceries for the long holiday weekend. Ribs, for a family barbecue, were on the top of the list, so L. Halterman’s stand was the first stop.......