Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Sips, Week Ten - Fado

I've dragged my feet in posting this blog because Week Ten wasn't everything that the nine that came before it turned out to be.  Off we went to Fado this week for a bit of soccer and some good wine.  Yes, good wine at an Irish Bar.  If those had been my only expectations, then Fado exceeded them.  Soccer was on nearly every television in the bar and the Riesling was (dare I say...) the best I've had in the city this summer.  My hat's off to you, Fado, for the unexpected surprise.  However, for whatever reason, the rest of the Philly Sipsters weren't as excited to walk through the dark wooden doors of Fado.  The places was nearly empty for a good portion of Sips.  Womp, womp.  

I suppose that Sips doesn't have the same appeal as Union games on the tv, St Patrick's Day or a Friday post-work happy hour - all of which I highly recommend at Fado.  

So, we did what any good Sipsters would do and maximized the time that we had remaining in the Sips evening by heading over to Corner Bar.  If you remember, we tried to hang at Corner in Week Seven (If you don't remember, feel free to read it here:  Sips, Week Seven), but it was too crowded and too muggy to really enjoy their amazing roof deck.  However it was none too crowded and none too hot to enjoy the Boom Swagger Sangria this week.  So there I stood at Sips bar #2 for the week taking in the scenery, and that's when I realized "Am I getting too old for SIps?"


If you've read even a sentence of this blog since it launched, you know how much I love Sips.  Its a couple of hours where I know that I'll see my amazing friends and try out some amazing drinks at reduced price.  I'd venture to say that Sips makes me fall in love with Philadelphia all over again for thirteen weeks.  However, as I looked around Corner, I realized that the crowds were getting younger and younger, and I was feeling more out of place without the standard PBR pounder or Miller Lite bottle in my overly tanned, Jersey shore hand.  (Yes, that most certainly is my jealousy of their youth and their tan shining through.  Mature, I know.)

Anyway, I've been pondering this thought for the past week.  No one can be too old for happy hour, right?  (The 50-somethings that I am so lucky to come across don't think so....) I mean, maybe in our effort to try out the entire Sips list, we're hitting the wrong bars.  Or, maybe the city is changing a bit and we need to find new bars to spend our happier hours.  All I know right now is that I'm seeing a lot of girls that should have their ID's double and triple checked, and a lot of guys who are rockin' the Nantucket Red shorts and boat shoes rather than a navy power suit.  Is there actually an age when jetting out of the office at 4:45 to maximize the Sips hours becomes juvenile?  Eek, I hope not.  Because we have three more weeks of this, and I'm looking forward to every one.  Fall will be here before we know it and the life that is Wednesday Sips will fade away for another year.  

I will gracefully turn another year older before Sips rolls around in 2013, so I guess I will need to figure these things out before then.  BUT until then, bottoms up!  

Monday, August 6, 2012

Sips, Week Nine - Smokin' Bettys

Some say love is patient, some say it is kind. All girls (and probably some guys...somewhere...likely in Idaho or Alaska) dream of their one true love: growing old together and holding hands until you're 90. Anyone who knows me knows that it's likely that I think about (read: fall into) love more than most girls. I have long dreamt of that day when I'm swept off of my feet and spend the rest of my life in a perpetual state of happiness. Nine weeks into Sips, I believe this day has finally come. SIPSonthis has fallen in love with Smokin' Bettys.

Smokin' Bettys has been a potential suitor for the past nine weeks. A little background: Each week a couple of us select a Sips bar for the week. Then, an email, complete with witty commentary and a link to this blog, is sent to a group of about 35 friends via a Google Group. Yes, we're Sips OCD. Yes, we're overly organized. Yes, we're serious about Sips. Yes, we recognize all of these things. Anyway, Smokin' Bettys has been like that guy that's been your friend for a while but you've never thought to give him a chance. ...until that one night. From that night on, you just can't get enough. It's love. It's forever. It's the best relationship one can ask for: always up for drinks and dinner, a good night in front of the tv or hanging out with your best friends.

So, maybe this is all a but extreme, but Smokin' Bettys IS a great Sips spot. With two floors of bars, lots of space/tables and friendly bartenders, who can go wrong? The only unsolicited recommendation that I can offer is a better Pinot Grigio. I didn't try the food, but have heard mixed reviews. If anyone can contribute constructive criticism, I'm all ears, but please know that just as in every other new relationship I'm not really listening and I don't really care.