Posted by Foobooz on November 26th, 2012
We’ve posted the 2012 Best Bars in Philly list and now that we have had some time to let the list soak in, here are some interesting facts and figures about the Top Bars list.
- 14 first time bars made the list.
- Alla Spina had the highest ranked debut.
- Welcome back to Doobies and McMenamin’s, neither had made the list since 2009.
- Biggest jump, Frankford Hall jumped up from 41 to 10 in its first full year.
- Farmers’ Cabinet saw the biggest drop falling from #9 to off the list.
- Standard Tap, South Philadelphia Taproom and Pub on Passyunk East have been in the top 10 each year of the list.
- Beer dominated the top ten spots but cocktails are a priority in at least seventeen of the establishments.
Related: News, Alla Spina, Doobies, Farmers' Cabinet, Frankford Hall, McMenamins-Tavern, Pub-on-Passyunk-East, South-Philly-Tap-Room, Standard-Tap, Top 50 Bars
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Posted by Victor Fiorillo on November 16th, 2012
Subsequent to yesterday’s story on Union Trust closing its doors, probably, in part, because they can’t legally serve booze, we’ve learned about quite a few bars and restaurants whose liquor licenses are, like Union Trust’s, listed as “inactive” with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Read the rest of this entry »
Related: News, Farmers' Cabinet, PLCB
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Posted by Foobooz on November 15th, 2012
The Butcher and The Brewer will be closing after business on Saturday, November 17th. The successor to the Boilermaker was only open since October 28th. The Boilermaker had replaced the Blue Bear Tavern in March of this year.
A press release from the company says a “recent and unforseen sale of the building” is the reason for the The Butcher and The Brewer’s closure. Staff will reportedly be “absorbed into other ventures” which includes Farmers’ Cabinet.
This is far from the first bit of drama from the Farmers’ Cabinet crew. Shortly after Farmers’ Cabinet opened Matt Swartz and company suddenly closed Fork and Barrel in East Falls as well Tap and Table in Emmaus. Farmers’ Cabinet has seen more of its share of front and back of the house shakeups, not to mention its Virginia brewery.
The press release hints that the concept may pop up somewhere else but you never know.
Related: News, Center-City-East, Closing, Farmers' Cabinet, The Butcher and The Brewer, Washington-Square-West
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Posted by Jason Sheehan on September 28th, 2012
Oh, Boilermaker, we hardly knew ye… And tonight, that doomed concept (which replaced a different doomed concept, the Blue Bear Tavern), will be washed from our collective memory with the opening of The Butcher & The Brewer–another project from the Farmers’ Cabinet team, which should tell you all you need to know about our confidence level in this new iteration.
But still, we should be hoping for the best, right? So here’s what to expect from the cocktail lounge, beer bar and meatery being run by Jennifer Choplin (ex of Watkins Drinkery) in the kitchen and star barman Jeremy Osslund on the floor.
Read the rest of this entry »
Related: News, Boilermaker, Farmers' Cabinet, Jennifer Choplin, Jeremy Osslund, The Butcher and The Brewer
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Posted by Foobooz on September 7th, 2012
Late last night Michael Klein reported that the Grainery Restaurant Group’s (Farmers’ Cabinet, Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse) The Boilermaker would be closing to reconceptualize as The Butcher and The Brewer. The new concept will focus on meat and charcuterie as well as the 40 taps it currently offers.
In the kitchen, Jennifer Choplin will be in charge. Choplin is coming over from Watkins Drinkery where she was responsible for the menu that managed to straddle game and vegan options.
This is just the latest note in the saga that involves Matt and Colleen Swartz’s string of restaurants. Just over a week ago it was announced Jennifer Zavala was joining the restaurant group and this week, Eater speculated that Zavala might be running a Matt Swartz owned bed and breakfast in Bucks County.
The last day for The Boilermaker will be this Monday. A reopening date has not been announced.
Exit, Boilermaker [The Insider]
Related: News, Opening Soon, Charcuterie, Farmers' Cabinet, Jennifer Choplin, The Boilermaker, The Butcher and The Brewer
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Posted by Foobooz on August 27th, 2012
One-time Top Chef contestant Jennifer Zavala has joined the culinary team at the Grainery Restaurant Group (Farmers’ Cabinet, The Boilermaker). She will be collaborating with Executive Chef Chris Allen. Zavala has most recently been at Interstate Drafthouse in Fishtown and previously had stints at El Camino Real and Xochitl, spots with a decidedly Latin influence on the menu. This is the latest change for the Farmers’ Cabinet/Boilermaker team that has recently gone modernist in the cocktails and witnessed several staff defections.
Tonight Zavala is hosting Hens Revenge, a female focused industry night at Prohibition Taproom.
Related: Events, News, Farmers' Cabinet, Industry Night, Jennifer Zavala, Prohibition Taproom
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Posted by Jason Sheehan on July 13th, 2012
As we reported yesterday, chef Steve Forte left Farmers’ Cabinet on Wednesday night–departing for points unknown after just 7 months behind the stoves. And this, of course, set off a storm of speculation, rumors and trash-talk about Matt and Colleen Swartz‘s Walnut Street bar. We heard everything from tales of imminent closure and mountains of debt to stories of bounced paychecks and massive walk-out from the staff.
Some of this is true. Some of it is not. I talked with operations manager Will Pumphrey (who is currently standing in as GM at Farmers’ Cabinet) and while he admitted that there are problems both on the floor and in the offices, a lot of the talk out there right now is “grossly exaggerated.”
So how do things really stand right now at Farmers’ Cabinet?
Read the rest of this entry »
Related: News, Farmers' Cabinet, Steve Forte, Will Pumphrey
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Posted by Foobooz on July 12th, 2012
Chef Steve Forte is out at Farmers’ Cabinet and we’re hearing he isn’t the only one to quit in what appears to be a bloodbath at the embattled Walnut Street bar.
Photo by Steve Legato
Related: News, Farmers' Cabinet, Steven Forte
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