08/10/09

Great cooking, but sloppy presentation

by HeleneJolley

Specialty drinks are way small for $8.00, but having one with brunch is acceptable. My favorite day is Sunday there and my favorite meal is Brunch, but the last 3 times I have been there, the over-easy eggs were served with broken yolks and running down the plate. Acceptable in a diner, maybe, but at these prices, certainly not! One of the Eggs Benedict had a curious bubble in it and when poked, it was full of vinegar which made my daughter sick. I can't figure out why a chef would take the trouble to prepare such nice meals and then send them out so sloppily presented. It's as if their attitude is, OK I cooked it, now eat it and shut up! Maybe next time we eat first and just go for the sesiun and beers.

• Pros: Free Irish Music Sesiuns on Sundays
• Cons: Way too overpriced and undersized drinks

05/01/09

Good time in Old City

by WittyPhrase

It might seem like a contradiction to say that a place has "space" as a pro and "no room to move" as a con, but it's accurate. Plough and the Stars' biggest problem is that it draws so much of a crowd. The staff at Plough are great. Most are very knowledgeable about beers on tap, as well as what each beer is and what food it might go well with. If you roll through there a lot, the bouncers will definitely remember you. The bartenders are no joke. You can give them a five drink order and it's very rare you'll find anything isn't right. They also pour a pretty heavy drink; there are no watered down drinks at Plough.

Before the crowd arrives, there's ample room on two floors to enjoy yourself. You can find plenty of space to sit as well as stand or dance to the good range of music they play. Some may not like it, but I personally enjoy not feeling like I have American Top 40 on in the bar all the time.

On the down side...well, it does get damn crowded. And when it gets crowded, it's hot, especially upstairs. There are also certain times when you go to close out your tab and have to pick your jaw up from the ground. But just remind yourself that each of the drinks had more liquor in it than, say, Mad River, and you suddenly don't feel so bad. Did I mention that they don't have a cover, but do have a gigantic TV to keep the game on while you're there?

• Pros: Liquor-Mixer Ratio, Staff, Music, Space
• Cons: Prices, no room to move on weekends

03/14/08

Love the Special Cocktails!

by marsala

My friends and I stumbled upon this place in October, and loved the way it looked inside, so we grabbed a little table by the fireplace to have a few drinks. They had a nice special cocktails list for the season and each of us got a different drink - all were fantastic. We went again a few weeks ago and they had an updated St. Patrick's Day style drink list, and all the ones we tried were great!

Although we haven't tried the food there, we love the way that we can go in and relax by the fireplace with a few drinks. Both times were during the week (a Wednesday and a Thursday night) so I'm guessing the same might not be true for a Saturday. Drinks were a little pricey, but this IS Philadelphia. Definitely hope to try the food soon!

• Pros: fireplace, ambience is great, cocktails
• Cons: pricey, semi-hard to find