Photos from Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival

Typically, springtime brings to mind thoughts of fuzzy bunnies, polka dot umbrellas, and the occasional painted egg. Here in Philadelphia, springtime means its time for the annual Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, and with that, the Restaurant Row Kick Off Party (executed by Corie Moskow of Gloss PR; sponsors including one of our clients, Penn Medicine). With so many reputable establishments gracing the stage this year, King Design swooped in with camera ready and napkins stocked.

Ever reliable, the Stephen Starr establishments impressed us in both presentation and taste. The knowledge of the staff of Butcher and Singer was trumped only by their engaging personalities – definitely up for the photo op! Continental Midtown and Parc also had some great offerings (who knew mushroom soup in a shot glass could be so good?). Granted, the chef at Parc was rocking a Penn State cap, so we may have been a bit biased…

Next booth over at Di Bruno Bros, we stumbled upon heaven. Heaven in the form of fig, cheese, and nut, that is. If either of the lovely ladies from the booth is out there, please let us know what cheese that was, or we will forever be searching (and sampling)!

A little more exploring brought us to TWENTY MANNING, one of Audrey Claire’s two Rittenhouse Square restaurants. Here the Executive Chef, Kiong Banh, was in-person and serving up scrumptious dumplings with Audrey’s doppelganger assistant, Abby Feiner.

As to be expected, excellent eating leads to excellent drinking. *smiths restaurant and b*smiths gourmet catering had one of the most memorable signature drinks of the night – a variation of a margarita that begs you to drink just one more. Sooo… I did.

Blue Moon also made an appearance at the party, showcasing their ever-popular seasonal Summer Ale. Take note everyone – the artist behind Blue Moon’s marketing material, Shelly Bartek, will be popping in at the Spring Festival this weekend. Those of you who visit their area at the festival will have the opportunity to add to a mural that will be drawn on-site. Go be creative, Philadelphia! All in all, it was a time to be had. Best part of it all? It was only the first taste – the real deal is this weekend. This Saturday, May 9^th, 2009, you better be somewhere in Rittenhouse Square. I know that’s where we’ll be.

-Abby Tolotti

Photos: Mike King

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 8:03 am and is filed under News Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.