A Couple of New Spots
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Trivia Art and I hit up a couple of new spots last night. First we tried Time, the place where Ludwig's used to be. It was weird being in Ludwig's without pictures of old German leaders on the wall. The setup was still similar, in terms of where the bars and tables were, so I still felt like it was a just a cleaned up Ludwig's. The beer was more reasonable than I had been led to believe, as they have an 11-1 am Happy Hour, so I got a Leffe Brown for only $4. It was a pretty decent spot for a drink, and the only problems I had with the place were music related: it's kind of a dark, mellow, candlelit place where you should talk in hush tones. Therefore, the fact that it has a jukebox kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. Some places should have jukeboxes, some shouldn't. This place shouldn't. Also, this is the kind of place that should be playing jazz or possibly ambient music. It absolutely should not play three straight Styxx songs, like they did last night. There is a time and place for Styxx, and Time wasn't the place (Yes, I know I'm clever.)
Then we headed off to Apothecary for a drink on their opening It was pretty cool. The drinks are definitely interesting, using ginseng, absinthe, cucumbers, and a variety of other unusual ingredients. The one I got, the Booty Collins, employed cayenne pepper, and it was excellent. This is a great "fun drink while you wait for your table at Lolita" spot. The drinks are expensive ($10-$15), but the ambience is fun (the bartenders dress in old timey bartender gear) and they seem determined to keep out Jerseyites, Manayunkers, and other assorted riff-raff.
RELATED:Read more about Apothecary in today's City paper.
Who, other than young singles with jobs, are going to pay those kinds of prices for what appear to be various versions of a Long Island Ice Tea? Strange kind of business to open in these perilous economic times, and if they do not get the Jersey and Manayunk singles you despise, they will fail.
The list of rules is great. The only one I didn't see included was the prohibition on hairy necked Mets fans.
Hey, calm, civil Mets fans, who are as diverse as Parsnip and I (don't mind that small minority that booed Johan Santana in his first home start), are exactly what that place needs. Don't think I'm heading in there to buy a $53 pitcher of sweet alcoholic shit any time soon though, so you probably will get your wish.
Seeing as how you're an expert on everything, PJ, I'm surprised the owners of Apothecary didn't consult you on their concept before opening. If they go under because of their prices, they'll have nobody to blame but themselves for having left you out of the consultation process.
Agreed. Do you make obnoxiousness the point of all your posts?
PJ, I'll sell you a pitcher of sweet* alcoholic shit for $43. And you can keep the pitcher.
* well, my mom thinks I'm sweet.
One thing I like about this comment section is that the role of antagonizing Palestra Jon seems to get passed down from generation to generation, like an old watch. First it was Darth Ern, then it was Bob T., and now BMT has picked up the mantle. It really is quite a tradition, and I can't wait to see who BMT hands it off to when he's done.
Sorry for being mean to PalestraJon. I am passing the watch of antagonism my father wore in his ass while at the Hanoi Hilton to someone else.
Top ten lines to set off PalestraJon:
10. Those Mets aren't going anywhere this year.
9. I think we need more laws to protect panhandlers in Center City.
8. I think global warming is a crock, and Al Gore is full of shit.
7. We should ease handgun laws so that more citizens are licensed to carry concealed weapons.
6. Not only should we not close Gitmo but we should franchise the operation and open more such prisons.
5. The University of Pennsylvania is the most overrated technical vocational school in the country and its graduates are overwhelmingly totally uncool dorks.
4. Balanced budgets are totally unnecessary.
3. Ann Coulter is my favorite political commentator.
2. Rush Limbaugh is my favorite radio personality.
1. Saying anything even remotely uncritical of the Bush administration.
10,8,7 and 4 are pretty good summaries of my positions. 1 is not relevant, since there is pretty much nothing that can be said complementary of this administration. The rest of the list is rhetorical.
However, when someone gets a stick up their butt because I think a new restaurant charges ridiculous prices for sweet fruity drinks, that's when the criticism is just personal.
That wasn't a stick in his butt. That was a watch.
Please clarify, PJ. Are you saying that you agree with statements 10,8,7 and 4, or that you disagree with those statements?
Speaking of Darth Ern, wtf is the story there? The guy retires, so he disappears? What is this? He doesn't give us the benefit of his opinions unless he's at work and getting paid for his time?
10,8,7 and 4 are accurate statements---I agree that taking those positions generally will set me off...although after the first 5 weeks, I am wavering on 10.
I see. I thought maybe you were becoming a sort of closet conservative, walking around packing heat to deal with the panhandlers and global warming alarmists
I know there is probably no legal precedent I can cite to support this notion, but the knee-jerk dismissal of Apothecary's efforts because it offends your budgetary sensibilities seems a bit silly to me. What they're trying to do is something different than merely sweet, fruity drinks. I'm willing to allow them some flexibility before I dismiss them because they're knowledgeable people trying to do something interesting (and make some money, but who isn't?). Just imagine if we dismissed Penn as a fruity, sweet school simply because they charge ridiculous tuition?
No one is asking for legal precedent(by the way, the other discussion for which you are mocking me was a legal discussion, so a legal analysis might have been appropriate there). If Penn made fruity sweet drinks at high prices, it might be an appropriate analogy...by the way, when I went there, tuition was less than $1600 a semester, so times have changed and the selectiveness of the school has drastically increased, so people are willing to pay the money (which is ridiculous).
All I ventured was that I thought this was not the right time to appeal to a very select crowd which is willing to pay the high prices and also willing to refrain from being assholes. Think Bleu Martini if they didn't allow assholes in--there would be no business.
I was being an asshole, I'm sorry.
Wow. Never was I so needed. I'm a lot like Superman, except my cape is usually dirty. The deal here is that the fruity drink place sounds like it's about 50 feet from the front door of McGillin's. Although they cater to different clientele, eventually McGillin's will win out. So let's leave that in the rear viewmirror. Now let's bother PJ about something that really counts. What's with that Geraldo Rivera mustache?
Why would anyone want to travel to that block of Chestnut anyway? Can't wait to hear what Art thinks of Table 31 when I get that opened.
I'm a 19th Century guy living in a 21st Century world. AKA No computer, No Cell Phone, No Phone, No DVD, No TV etc,etc,etc, But every now and then I'll be a Guest Star!
When McCain wins PJ can pay me off at 'Vous prices. (He better bring his credit card)
P.S. I don't have a credit card either. It's tough being a 19th Century Man in this world.