Bar Hopping

Bainbridge Street Barrel House, Philadelphia, PA
I recently made my second visit to Bainbridge Street Barrel House (BSBH) at 6th & Bainbridge in Philadelphia's Queen Village neighborhood. This spacious corner bar opened about a year ago and has since become a popular spot for folks in the immediate neighborhood, if not a destination for the city at-large. So far, reviews of the Barrel House have been lukewarm, mostly because the gastro-pub scene has become so competitive...click to keep reading

Royal Tavern, Philadelphia, PA
Although it is not a whiskey-focused bar, and doesn't pretend to be, Royal Tavern in Philadelphia's Queen Village neighborhood is a great neighborhood watering hole that also happens to have a very nice whiskey selection....click to keep reading

Village Whiskey, Philadelphia, PA
Last Friday I made my first trip to Village Whiskey - the Rittenhouse Square restaurant and bar that has received rave reviews since opening last August. Village Whiskey, the fourth Philly restaurant opened by Philadelphia's celebrity chef du jour Jose Garces, has quickly established itself as one of the best places in Philadelphia to get a hamburger. A taste of that burger will have to wait for another time since my visit to Village Whiskey was on one of the hottest days of the year so far, and I just can't think about big juicy hamburgers when the temperature is over 95 degrees at 6:00pm. A nice refreshing whiskey however was just what I needed on such an evening...click to keep reading


List of Philly's Top 50 Bars Includes Some Whiskey Joints

Philadelphia Whiskey Week at Fiume
Beer week has grown into a huge to-do in Philadelphia over the past few years. Dozens and dozens of bars participate, there are endless events every night for more than a full week, and beer lovers come from all over to soak it all in. Well that all had to start somewhere, and now one bar is trying to start small and build a whiskey week for Philadelphia. Based on my visit last night I'd say they're off to a great start...click to keep reading

Longman & Eagle, Chicago, IL 
The window at Longman & Eagle, the hip whiskey bar in Chicago's up-and-coming Logan Square neighborhood, says simply: "Eat Sleep Whiskey." That seems like a pretty simple slogan, but it concisely captures most of what's going on at this watering hole where I had dinner last weekend...click to keep reading 

Whiskey Dinner at Percy Street Barbecue, Philadelphia, PA 
Last night I had a chance to attend an American Whiskey Dinner at Percy Street Barbecue here in Philadelphia. I had heard great reviews about this relatively new restaurant, and the whiskey dinner featured five courses paired with five different whiskeys so what better time to try it for myself! It even featured some very entertaining and educational commentary by whiskey and beer writer Lew Bryson...click to keep reading 

List of Philly's Top 50 Bars, 2011