Spring 2019 Issue
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
SPRING INTO WELLNESS
I write you as I stare out the window awaiting what will hopefully be the last snowfall of 2019. You know how March typically brings a...
ROAD TRIP
Fabric Row in a Day - A Tour through Queen Village, Philadelphia
WHEN I MOVED FROM MANHATTAN’S WEST VILLAGE to Queen Village, Philadelphia, I doubted the two neighborhoods shared more than half their names. My former West 10th St. had everything—an endless rotation of fabulous restaurants, celebrity-studded cafés, thrift stores, etc. My go-to boast was that with all of Manhattan at my fingertips, I rarely strayed beyond my zip code.
Landing in Queen Village, I fell in love with an 1850s brick row home. Historic architecture and leafy streets gave QV that village-like appeal I craved, but I still didn’t expect much food wise. And then, as time passed, I began witnessing something remarkable: a culinary transformation of the neighborhood’s most iconic street, Fabric Row (4th St., stretching from South St. to Catherine). This is where, for over a century, Philadelphians have loaded up on textiles.
Today, interspersed with the old-timers hawking bolts of fabric to hipster homeowners fashioning drapes, new upscale dining is popping up like fancy toast. Strolling along just a four-block stretch can be an all-day affair. Farm-to-table restaurants (some with chefs hailing from Manhattan) and craft bottle shops rub elbows with quaint bespoke boutiques. A civilized alternative to the fast food and hookah shops of nearby South Street, Fabric Row is making eating local (as in two blocks from my home) a dream. Sorry, West Village!
Cappucino from OX Coffee
9AM
MORNING WAKE-UP AT OX COFFEE
Before hitting Fabric Row, warm up at the area’s new caffeine darling, Ox Coffee, just one block away (3rd St). Opened in 2013 by Will Gross and Max Cudworth, the shop’s focus is sustainable and organic. Sip a cup of local Green Aisle Grocery’s Queen Village Chamomile (with local maple crystals) while watching a parade of pooches head next door to Barkadelphia daycare.
A bacon, egg, and beet sandwich at Ants Pants
10AM
BREAKFAST AT ANTS PANTS
One of Ants Pants’ three partners married an Australian, which explains the down-under theme. There’s a floor-to-ceiling mural of Australia’s power flower, the protea. A stand-out local’s favorite has emerged: the maple bacon on focaccia with golden beets, garlic aioli, pickled onion and egg. Also on the menu: a list of noteworthy Aussie Facts (e.g. did you know an Australian invented the bionic ear?).
11AM
CAT CALL AT THE THE KAWAII KITTY CAFE
The first Philadelphia version of a trend that began in Tokyo, the Kawaii Kitty Cafe (named after the Japanese word for “cute pet”) features felines for adoption, along with locally roasted brews and fresh pastries. Order a snack and curl up with one of a dozen free-range kittens seeking a warm lap (appointments and a five-year age minimum required).
NOON
BRUNCH AT THE HUNGRY PIGEON
Owned by pastry chef Pat O’Malley, formerly of NYC’s Balthazar, and chef Scott Schroeder, Hungry Pigeon makes chocolate almond croissants that have single- handedly altered my waistline. The all-day café features a bird cage chandelier and plenty of pigeon portraits. Whether you’re in the mood for their fried oyster hoagie or the pork cutlet with radicchio, this is the Fabric Row’s gourmet darling.
Moon and Arrow
2PM
SHOPPING FABRIC ROW
With everything from air plants to boob mugs, the artisan-centric Moon and Arrow is my favorite one-stop shop for gift giving. (Parents: head straight to their new children’s off shoot, Little Moon and Arrow, for beautiful European-style handmade toys and clothing.) Multicolored bespoke shoes are a-plenty at Bus Stop, where owner Elena Brennan designs her own—just be ready to spend upward of $300!
5PM
BEER FLIGHT AT BEER LOVE
Three words sum up Beer Love’s DNA: local, craft, rare. Sidle up to the bar and sip a Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine while chatting with owner and environmental-advocacy lawyer Kristen Cevoli. Eight taps pour beers by the glass—or choose from the 500-plus beers on their menu.
Tonnarelli alla carbonara di mare from Ambra
7PM
DINNER AT AMBRA
The Italian brainchild of husband-and-wife team Chris D’Ambro and Marina de Oliveira, Ambra serves a single tasting menu. That’s it. A 16-seat jewel box surrounded by billowing white fabric swags and an earthy wooden interior, the restaurant will beguile you with dishes like Strozzapreti and Swordfish Puttanesca and Beef with Piedmontese Onion.
9PM
POST-DINNER DIGESTIF AT SOUTHWARK
Take the secret route connecting Ambra to its sister property, Southwark, where you can cozy up to the gorgeous wooden bar for a post-dinner cocktail. My favorite concoction: the candy-colored clown they call the Sandman, a mix of Glenfiddich 12, spiced pear syrup, Cynar and a spritz of Laphroaig—a peaty finale to the ultimate QV day.
YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE
OX COFFEE
616 S. 3rd St., 215.922.2531
oxcoffee.com
ANTS PANTS
526 S. 4th St., 215.309.2877
antspantscafe.com
KAWAII KITTY CAFÉ
759 S. 4th St., 215.372.7763
kawaiikittycafe.com
HUNGRY PIGEON
743 S. 4th St., 215.278.2736
hungrypigeon.com
MOON + ARROW
754 S. 4th St., 215.469.1448,
moonandarrow.com
BUS STOP
727 S. 4th St., 215.627.2357
busstopboutique.com
BEER LOVE
714 S. 4th St., 267.930.7859
beerlovephilly.com
AMBRA
705 S. 4th St., 267.858.9232
ambraphilly.com
SOUTHWARK
701 S. 4th St., 267.930.8538
southwarkrestaurant.com
Related Stories & Recipes