Dinner at Khyber Pass Pub (Philadelphia, PA)

Since I am still relatively new to being of legal drinking age in the U.S. and most of my friends are broke college students, we usually go out to eat at bars in the city. One of my good friends and I have decided to implement Thurs-dates for the foreseeable future in order to try out some new places.

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The biggest problem with our plan is that she’s a vegan, but thankfully Philly has a fairly large vegan population, so we haven’t had too much trouble finding places that both of us like. This past Thursday, we kicked off our dates at the Khyber Pass Pub, a bar with an emphasis on beer and New Orleans-style food that seems to fit right in with the Old City atmosphere that surrounds it.

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For drinks, we had a large draft list to choose from, but since it was still happy hour and they had $5 Mint Juleps, my friend and I wanted to try that. Unfortunately, I should have done my research beforehand. Here I was expecting some minty, sweet cocktail, and instead, a couple of shots of whiskey on the rocks came out. The only minty part of my Mint Julep was the one mint leaf in my drink. Luckily, my friend is a whiskey girl, so she finished off mine, and I quickly switched to a much more appetizing, refreshing pint of Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale.

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Although I failed a bit on my first drink choice, I was excited to try my dinner. I opted for the Fried Green Tomato BLT, and I was really happy with my choice. The fried green tomatoes on this sandwich were fantastic as the breading on the tomatoes was just enough to make it crispy without being soggy or overpowering the tomato.

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However, my favorite part of the sandwich was the tabasco peppers remoulade that it came with. This remoulade was full of flavor and packed a hot punch. It took the classic BLT to another, more complex level. I just wish they bottled the stuff so I could go back and buy some to add to my own sandwiches.

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My friend enjoyed her Vegan BBQ Pulled Pork as well, but she wasn’t as impressed with her sandwich as I was with mine. Even though some of the finer points of veganism are lost on me, I’m pretty sure this didn’t include any pork. It did, however, come topped with a big spoonful of creamy coleslaw to balance out the smokey BBQ flavors of the sandwich. While she claimed that the sandwich wasn’t bad, she did feel that some other bars in Philly offer better vegan options.

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Overall, we weren’t disappointed with the Khyber Pass Pub, although we did agree that we like it’s sister bar, Royal Tavern, better. That being said, if we’re in Old City and looking for a quick, reliable bite, I’m sure we’ll end up at this bar and we won’t be leaving disappointed. This spot is definitely not to be missed by those who enjoy bar food, especially if they are beer enthusiasts since there is a wide-range of beers on tap to choose from. I’m glad that our first Thurs-date took place here, and I hope that they will only get better as they go on!

Khyber Pass Pub on Urbanspoon

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Long Table Series at the Irish Heather (Vancouver, Canada)

I was invited to the Irish Heather’s Long Table Series a few months back. The concept is interesting: a long table of friends gathering for drinks and family style cooking.  Although, technically we weren’t seated at a long table and were separated from our group by a wall.  We were told they had no room for our whole party which begs the question what then is the purpose of the LTS if you can’t be seated with your entire party?  

On this occasion, the special was sunday pot roast served with vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. I wasn’t expecting much given that I have never heard anything great about English food (although I do enjoy a good Shepards Pie). Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised when our food arrived. It was delicious, filling and ever so tasty. The meat- tender and juicy, and that Yorkshire pudding- who knew it would have tasted so good? I would go back just for that pudding which isn’t really a pudding but a baked puff like bread served with a special tangy sauce. 

The entire meal and one pint of beer was $18. I liked it and think its a great idea for a large group of people…if you can actually be seated at their long table. 

Irish Heather on Urbanspoon
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