The ultimate neighborhood guide on where to eat, drink, and play in South Philly’s Point Breeze
Don’t sleep on American Sardine Bar, Point Breeze’s watering hole for tinned fish aficionados. Perfect for a relaxed post-work bite and drink, its back patio — with comfy lawn chairs and string lights — invites cozy chats among locals. Inquirer.com
122-Year-Old Atlantic City Property Turning Into Apartments
For the past decade, the former Morris Guards Armory at 10 S. New York Ave. has sat vacant, but that is set to change over the next couple of months. John Longacre and his real estate development company, LPMG Companies, expect to put about 32 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment units, along with other retail spaces, on the real estate market by the end of the year. PressOfAtlanticCity.com
North to Shore Festival is coming to Atlantic City with the Losers Lounge, Jazmine Sullivan, and more
The inaugural North to Shore Festival is happening this month in New Jersey up and down the Garden State Parkway, with music and cultural events in Atlantic City, Asbury Park, and Newark. Atlantic City gets into the swing of things on Thursday, with an opening night dance party at the Anchor Rock Club with Joe McGinty & the Losers Lounge. Inquirer.com
This old movie house is now Newbold Exchange, a modern, fun workspace for remote workers
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Newbold Exchange is a new space for the new normal. They offer an affordable way to rent a bright, modern workspace in the expanding Newbold neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Co-working spaces go from as simple as a seat at a shared desk with a hotspot, to conference rooms, and everything in between. The lounges and kitchen offer areas to take a break from working, and membership allows access 24/7. As a former silent movie house in the 1920s, the image of silent movie star Theda Barra was chosen as the company logo, also seen on the outside of the building. 6ABC.com
Shows are coming back. Here are six new-ish venues to keep an eye on.
The thing about live music in Atlantic City: it happens, and it’s often quite good. Scan the calendar and you’ll find shows by Erasure, Erykah Badu, and Mandy Moore in the coming months. Thing is, those are all happening at casinos, which aren’t necessarily the most appealing environment to watch a concert. Enter Anchor Rock Club: a 650-capacity space that got its start in fall of 2019, and closed up shop six months later. In its new life, former Johnny Brenda’s talent buyer Chris Ward is steering the ship, along with his old cohort Greg Mungan, as well as former Franklin Music Hall marketing guru Reid Benditt and South Philly Taproom’s Adam Garbinski. –WXPN
An indie venue is coming to life in Atlantic City
Just off the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, in a casino town where cover bands rule and Shoobies go home at summer’s end, an independent music venue that plans to operate year-round is getting ready to open, bringing in buzzworthy acts that regularly play Philadelphia showplaces like Union Transfer and World Cafe Live. The room, a relaunch of the Anchor Rock Club that opened briefly pre-pandemic, is located steps from the beach on New York Avenue. The 650-capacity venue with deep Philly connections is being booked by Chris Ward and Greg Mungan — veterans of Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown — and is part of Atlantic City’s “Orange Loop” entertainment nightlife district, named after the street’s identifying color in Monopoly. –The Philadelphia Inquirer
Vines to bines: Second life for vineyard in Wayne County
For the past couple of years, Scott Kurtain has been working hard at Second District Vineyard and Hop Farm, tucked away in northern Wayne County. The vineyard was purchased back in 2015 by Scott’s boss John Longacre who wanted to grow hops for his brewery, Second District Brewing, in Philadelphia, but there’s been so much happening since then. –WNEP
The Little Poconos Town That Accidentally Got Cool
A bunch of young, entrepreneurial cool kids are shaking up the rural northeast Pennsylvania town of Honesdale and turning it a hot spot that could very well be the next Catskills. But with a now-cutthroat real estate market and an influx of city-weary crowds, how long can this charmingly small town stay … small?
Scotty Kurtain, meanwhile, was lured to Honesdale by Philly real estate developer John Longacre, who owns American Sardine Bar, South Philly Tap Room, and Second District Brewing. Longacre is perhaps best known for investing in Point Breeze and Newbold when most of his peers were staying far away, so it probably bodes well for Honesdale that his latest venture is a spot called Second District Vineyard, located just 20 minutes outside of town. Longacre bought the place in 2014 and eventually recruited Kurtain, a former barback at South Philly Taproom, to transform it into a farm for his restaurants. Kurtain didn’t know much about agriculture when he arrived, but he’s turned the place into a thing of beauty. –Philadelphia Magazine
Philly chefs are cooking some exciting dishes for vegans
“Few bar chefs, though, give as much consistent attention to creative vegan options as much as Doreen DeMarco, who oversees three local pubs. At South Philadelphia Taproom (1509 Mifflin St.), she gives an American take on jackfruit, an ingredient often used in the nearby Indonesian restaurants. She marinates chunks of the meaty tropical fruit in Buffalo sauce and then fries them in seasoned breading for a hoagie roll with lettuce and vegan ranch. She uses crab cakes as inspiration for a version made with artichokes and faba-naise at Second District Brewery (1939 S. Bancroft St.). At American Sardine Bar (1800 Federal St.), meanwhile, she skips past the usual faux-meat vegan cheesesteak by transforming sheer slices of roasted eggplant — salt-cured, dehydrated, marinated with liquid smoke, soy, and mushroom powder then griddled like meat on the flat-top — for an eggplant Parm steak drizzled with a parsnip whiz reminiscent of Vedge’s rutabaga fondue masterpiece.” –Craig LaBan, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly’s 20 Essential Patios for Drinking and Dining Outdoors
With its lawn chairs and picnic tables, American Sardine Bar’s outdoor space in Point Breeze feels like hanging out in a friend’s backyard — a friend who put together a great beer list for the occasion.