Results tagged “cubalibre”

Its official, Philadelphia is hosting the Olympics.

It’s time for PW's Music Issue, and they're loving on the blogs. Also, check out the top 100 Philly songs ("Love Train" will be in our heads All Day).

When the United States finally gained its freedom from King George III, the Founding Fathers went down to the historic City Tavern and got wasted on Thomas Jefferson’s special ale and Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Shooters."

At this point, I guess most of you readers out there know that I don't eat to live – I live to eat. So it stands to reason that I've had a few dining experiences this year that have been especially memorable. Some of them appeared on Phillyist, and others did not. But gourmets and gourmands alike rejoice: they're all here, in all their mouth drooling glory.

We'd been meaning to patronize Cuba Libre since word of former ¡Pasion! Chef Guillermo Pernot's takeover of the kitchen first reached our ears – and our palates. Last month, we got an invitation to try the "15 Tastes of Cuba" tasting menu at Cuba Libre. (You can read our preview of it here.) It seemed like the perfect excuse to check the restaurant out, and Sunday night, we finally got to cash in on the offer. Clearly, Phillyist has arrived.

Americans might have a volatile relationship with Cuba, but we the people are becoming increasingly enchanted with the tastes of that small Communist island. Think about it: how many of your favorite hot spots serve up Mojitos in the summertime and black bean soup all winter?

Phillyist has always been a big fan of Guillermo Pernot, and with good reason. All of his endeavors have been, in our opinion, palate-worthy if not concept-worthy. He has won awards, written a book and Pasion has always been a consistently great dining mainstay. His standards precede his reputation, which is probably why he has such a good one.

One drink turned to many which then turned into some food and all we can say is our experience was magnifico.Attention to detail in the place – from the Havana-inspired décor to the cigar holders as check presenters - was extremely appreciated.... Edible items worthy of note include the tamales cubano ($11) , a shrimp and crab filled tamale topped with crisp calamri (we question the authenticity of Cuban calamari, but it was still really great), the perfectly cooked guava ribs ($11) which were topped with black beans and jicama and all of the sides at $5 sounded so great it was hard to choose. We went with the tostones with a tangy garlic mojo and the maduros.Sadly, we have had better Cubanos, however the Cuban coffee was everything it should be – not too sweet, yet not too bitter which made the memory of a mediocre Cubano completely history. We highly recommend giving Cuba Libre a shot because unless you’re a Canadian, it’s pretty tough to actually get there and back hassle-free these days.

You've probably heard of it before - the mythical Rejection Hotline, whispered about in local bars and college parties as the savior to sexy Philadelphians (and their misguided suitors) everywhere. Philly's Rejection Hotline number, 215-618-1505, directs you to a cheerful recording voiced by a man that sounds like he stepped out of an Enzyte penis-enlargement commercial: "You're probably boring dumb, annoying, arrogant, or just a general weirdo!” "This person would rather play leapfrog with unicorns!" (Which, of course, could also characterize the kind of people that buy Enzyte.) We at Phillyist have heard of the number, too - not because, uhm, we were actually given the number or anything, but, you know, we were talking about it at a Phillyist happy hour. Or something. Ahem.