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Inexpensive Night Out in University City for 3rd Thursday, December 21stPhiladelphia, 7 December 2000 -- At this time of year, wallets shrink and waistlines expand. So many gifts and so many holiday celebrations. As a solution, the University City District invites Greater Philadelphia out for the perfect union of fiscal austerity and physical exercise: 2-for-1entrees at eight delicious University City restaurants and free skating at the Class of 1923 Rink for 3rd Thursday, December 21st! You can indulge in any order: skate first, then reward yourself for your Olympic performance with dinner; or work off a fabulous meal with a few turns around the rink. The 2-for-1 deal works this way: bring a friend, get the second entrée of equal or lesser value FREE. The promotion does not include beverages, tax, or gratuity. It's a great way to try a place you haven't been before. Some restaurants offer the special to everyone, some want to collect a copy of the ad or printed page from our new website -- UCityphila.com. Ads are running in the University City Review, Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper, Daily Pennsylvanian, and Philadelphia Magazine. (If you forget the ad or you heard it on WHYY, just ask your server for the 3rd Thursday 2-for-1.) December's participating restaurants are:
MEXICAN: For the best contemporary Mexican food in Philadelphia, visit Zócalo at the corner of 36th and Lancaster Avenue in historic Powelton Village. Sip from more than a dozen premium tequilas while you try Xik-I-Pak (a delicious ground pumpkinseed-tomato-chile dip served in a bowl made of volcanic stone) or Tacos de Pollo Asado (achiote-marinated chicken tacos), and round out your meal with flan and café con leche. TEX-MEX: If domesticated south of the border is more your speed, take a seat at Mad 4 Mex in Moravian Court at 34th and Walnut Street. Dive into a pile of nachos, southwestern wings, quesadillas, and enchiladas but save room for the Kahlua flan. ¡Caramba! AMERICAN: 3rd Thursday offers you four choices, from sumptuous to sports bar. The elegant Palladium Restaurant is located on Penn's campus but should not be confused with a "campus" place -- it's housed in a Gothic Revival manse complete with oak panelled bar, fireplace, and leaded glass windows looking out onto the very collegiate Locust Walk. Palladium's eclectic menu includes duck skewers with banana-coconut ketchup, braised beef tips Provençal, and Mediterranean "surf and turf." Or for a more intimate setting, head for the beautiful Spruce Hill neighborhood to Marigold Dining Room. You'll dine in a snug Victorian house decorated with antique furniture and family photos. Not to miss among the items on its progressive American menu are their signature crab cakes, or try their "Neighborhood Special" (proof of University City residence not required!). The menu at the Ivy Grille in the Inn At Penn is modeled after an English "publick house" and features sumptuous regional specialties with a regional flair. After dinner, stroll upstairs to the Inn's beautiful Arts & Crafts style Library, complete with fireplace and reading materials, for a night cap. Or nearing the end of a long week, you'd prefer to have a great burger or steak surrounded by a zillion huge televisions: look no further than Shula's Steak 2 in the Sheraton University City. Put on the feedbag with your friends and watch the Sixers and Flyers on 80 TV screens! INDIAN: Sitar India Restaurant on 38th and Chestnut Street is a mainstay of those in-the-know about where to enjoy Indian food in Philadelphia. Spice up your Thursday with lamb vindaloo (a very spicy tomato-based sauce) or keep it mild with Murg Saag (that's chicken in a spinach sauce) and try a temptingly sweet galab jamun for dessert. Namaste! From 5:30 to 9 pm, enjoy FREE skating and skate rental, snacks, and cocoa at the Class of 1923 Rink at the University of Pennsylvania. Last year, over 800 people came out, many of whom had not skated before or not for a very long time -- so "rustiness' is no excuse! Zamboni-spotters, the machine will be polishing the ice at least 3 times! (If you have them, bring your own skates to avoid rental lines.) Also, meter parking in University City is FREE after 6 pm on 3rd Thursday! And if that isn't enough, "Shop, Dine & Stroll" the stores and restaurants of Sansom Common for Winterfest from 5 to 8 pm. Bloom Consort a cappella choir performs on 36th Street, the chef of the Ivy Grille demonstrates holiday cooking, visit the Institute of Contemporary Art for free, enter the in-store raffles, and finish (or start) your holiday shopping at Ma Jolie, Eastern Mountain Sports, Steve Madden, the Penn Bookstore, and more! Sansom Common is located from 34th to 38th Streets, Walnut to Chestnut Streets. Check www.ucnet.com/sansomcommon/winterfest for details. The UCD thanks Brown's University Thriftway at 4301 Walnut Street and the Class of 1923 Rink for their donations. The Rink is located at 3130 Walnut Street, T: 215 898 1923, www.upenn/edu/icerink. Public skating sessions are available many times each week -- call or check their website for cost and times. Check UCityphila.com or call 888-GOWEST-7 for the each month's list of 3rd Thursday restaurants and their locations. Established in 1997, the University City District is a non-profit cooperative partnership uniting the institutions, businesses, and communities of University City to improve the quality of life by working to make University City cleaner, safer, and more attractive.
Release Date: Thursday, December 7th 2000
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