Menu Close

Sips and Eats: Philly’s best food and drink picks for Jan. 16-20

Featured Bars and Lounges 

This Week in Cocktails: Art in the Age’s The Mocktail: Dry January – Wellness Cocktail Workshop

(Art in the Age’s Faux-groni)

Dry January is a mantel that several people take up in the new year. Plenty of people enjoy a healthy reset to spring into a new season. Art in the Age offers up The Mocktail: Dry January – Wellness Cocktail Workshop” on Thursday, January 24th from 6pm-8pm. The class will teach patrons “will learn how to combine herbal remedies, nutritious ingredients, and practice professional bartending techniques to make amazing booze-free cocktail concoctions.” You’ll get access to three non-alcoholic cocktails (the Non-hattan, the Faux-groni, and the Corpse Reviver, Number Zero), a Q&A with our cocktail specialist Lee Noble, a mixology demonstration and a hands-on workshop.

Center City Restaurant Week Picks: Bai Wei, Chez Ben Bistro, Giuseppe and Sons

(Bai Wei)

Center City Restaurant Week will continue to run through Friday, January 25th.  Several restaurants across Center City offer three-course dinners for only $35 per person. In addition, many will also offer three-course lunches for $20. Here are some dinner picks or this week: 

Bai Wei: This Race Street BYOB is offering up great options such as a Hot & Sour Soup and Wonton Soup first course. You can choose between Scallion Pancakes, Rock Shrimp, Veggie Dumplings, and several other options for a second course. Take home a Sizzling Japanese Tofu w/ Shrimp, Shredded Duck w/ Scallion & Buns, a Stir-Fried  Veggie Udon, and much more for an entree.

Chez Ben Bistro: Chez Ben Bistro has a Tomato Bisque, Tuna Tartar, and a Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad for their first course offerings. Pan-Seared Salmon, Chicken with carrot-honey puree, cannelloni beans ragout, roasted chicken jus, and Beef Short Rib will be the featured second course through the restaurant week. They also have featured cocktails and desserts.

Giuseppe and Sons: Italian eatery Giuseppe and Sons allows you to choose two options from a list of eleven first course options. The list includes several staples such as Tomato Pie, Meatballs & Gravy, Buffalo Mozzarella, Braised Tripe, and more. Any evening during CCRW, you can try Wild Boar Bolognese, Gnocchi Basil Pomodoro, Crabs & Macaroni, Pollo Parmigiana, Salmon Oreganata, Veal Sweetbreads Marsala, and a bounty of other third and fourth courses. There are also ample side dishes as well.

Weekly Events

Travis Scott: Night At The Rodeo

Each week, Philly Influencer picks the best parties, events, and social gatherings the area has to offer.

 Chris’ Jazz Cafe Initiative Dinner: Chris’ Jazz Cafe will seek to raise money for undocumented workers in Philadelphia this Thursday night. The pay-what-you-wish dinner includes tacos dorados (crispy fried lamb tacos),  Garnacha oaxaqueña (slowly roasted tortillas filled with chopped meat), and several other dishes curated by local chefs. There will be tequila cocktails flowing all night and live music by Conjunto Philadelphia.

Vikings Feast: This Thursday night, the American Swedish Historical Museum will be hosting a Vikings feast. The meal will this meal will feature Nordic-inspired food and drinks by Swedish chef Henrik Ringbom. Come out for a night of mead, cider, artifacts, discussions, and food.

90’s Night Happy Hour: Howl at the Moon will be hosting a  90’s Night Happy Hour this Friday. There will be buffet-style appetizer hours, a live band, drink specials all night, and more at this throwback party.

Night at the Rodeo: The Foundry at The Fillmore will be hosting a Travis Scott night this Friday night. Courtesy of DJs Astro 8000, Muddy Taylor, and Taybanger, this will be a night of thunderous hits by the Texas rapper.

Hair O’ The Dog: The 25th Annual Hair O’ The Dog is this Saturday, January 19th. This blowout party will feature a 5-hour top-shelf open bar featuring additional brands from the Diageo portfolio like Captain Morgan, and Don Julio, and beer including Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Light and more.  Grammy Hitmaker T-Pain will be performing at this amazing party in which a portion of proceeds will benefit the Morris Animal Refuge.

Throwback R&B: Voltage Lounge will be hosting a throwback R&B party this Saturday night. The best R&B cuts from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000’s will be blasting all night long. ’90s themed attire is suggested at this event where the dance floor will be packed.

Bordeaux Wine Tasting: This Sunday, The Rittenhouse Hotel will be hosting a high-end Bordeaux wine tasting. You can sample 70 kinds of wine from the Bordeaux region of France. There will be winemakers at the event, snacks, and more.


Featured Event

‘Winter Warmup’ Craft Beer & Festive Cocktail Celebration

Philadelphia Winter Craft Beer & Cocktail Festival

Where: 23rd Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd St.
When: Friday, February 1st and Saturday, February 2nd

On the weekend of February 1st and 2nd, 23rd Street Armory will be filled with a tremendous craft beer selection and several festive cocktails. The Philadelphia ‘Winter Warmup’ will feature three drinking sessions of winter brews and seasonal beverages. There will be 30+ breweries and 15+ specialty drinks on location. The lively event will also have food trucks, entertainment, fun activities and games, and plenty more. There will also be a winter coat drive hose less fortunate this cold, winter season. This will be an amazing and exciting sampling event that you don’t want to miss.

For more information, click here.


You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].

Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer),Facebook and Instagram.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.