Let's Talk About Summer!! Outdoor Dining, BYOB, Prix Fixe and More!

[canadianbaconette]

I'm relatively new to the area, as my username might suggest, and I'm always on the hunt for great spots to eat, especially in the spring and summer when the weather warms up. There's no better way to spend an evening than sitting outside and having a drink over some great food. I am a huge fan of the BYOB scene in Philly because it allows me to eat well on the cheap. I also love that many restaurants have prix fixe specials through the week, like Bistro 7 and Matyson.

So, Chowhounds, let's celebrate summer. Please shout out your favourite places to go, for whatever reason, and please point out their especially redeeming qualities like tasting menus, low prices, BYO, outdoor seating and not to be missed menu items. A lot of places are suffering right now in this economy so let's help them by being patrons and helping ourselves by taking advantage of their stimulus specials. I would love to hear about them!

Cheers!

[Mawrter]

My favorite BYOB at the moment has outdoor seating and brilliant Spanish food -pinxtos & full plates - Apamate. www.cafeapamate.com. I've never done a prix fixe meal there - not sure if that's normally offered.

I especially enjoy

charcuteria
Arroz Negro Con Camarones
Carne con Patatas al Cabrales
Caramelos De Morcilla
churros & chocolate

[vicarious]

Our family "retried" Salento last weekend, and it was better than I remembered from our only other visit there two years ago. It's BYO. I believe that I saw a sign about weekday specials. I particularly enjoyed the branzino special--grilled and served whole.

[canadianbaconette]

In an effort to get the discussion going in here, I'll add a few notes.

Matyson has a tasting menu that changes every week and always revolves around some kind of theme. For instance, this week's theme is “BBQ a la Matyson!” and features items like baby back ribs, grilled scallops and BBQ duck breast. The tasting menu is 5 courses, including dessert, and offered for $45 per person. Matyson is also a BYOB!

Bistro 7 is another great little BYOB that has a mid-week tasting menu. 5 courses as well and the focus here is on French food with an Asian flair to it (from what I detect).

Bar Ferdinand has outdoor seating and so does the Continental in Old City which makes it perfect for people watching.