Weekly Top Five - 24.Mar.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Where To Be This Month

 

April is a big month for the What, as we prepare to celebrate our first full year of bringing you colorful ideas for everyday life. As a part of that celebration, we want you to come and celebrate with us. During April, our awesome staff of writers will be out and about in Philadelphia at the following events, and we hope that you come join in the fun!

5. Glass Blowing - The majority of this list is populated with events connected to the Philadelphia Science Festival. The Science of Glass Blowing, a joint effort between Hudson Beach Glass and Philadelphia University, will be a live demonstration explaining the process of glass blowing. With mouth-blown glass being a great way to class up your apartment, the What will be in attendance to see how it's done. The event falls on April 16th, and begins at 6:30PM at Hudson Beach Glass in Old City.

4. Bingo at PYT - To longtime readers of the What, this is nothing new. We have been singing the praises of PYT and its weekly Bingo night for most of the last year. Held every Wednesday night from 8-10PM, buy in is free and prizes include beer, burgers, fries, shots, and swag. With themed nights, there is something for everyone at bingo. This coming Wednesday, fans of the epic It's Always Sunny episode featuring the dance-off can try their hand at Dance Your Ass Off Bingo. If you're looking for a trip down memory lane, there's A Night to Remember Bingo, which will feature a screening of Titanic. Finally, come celebrate the What's first birthday with Easter Bingo, complete with an Easter Egg Hunt.

Four Nights in Philly or What to do when it's not Friday or Saturday night

Philadelphia is a fun, vibrant city with a ton of things to do on any given night. If you know where to go, you can find some sweet deals at bars, restaurants, theaters or any number of locations to have a good time. We decided to help you out with finding some of these deals by creating a little weekly calendar that will help guide you through the city and through the week.

Monday: Movie Mondays at the Trocadero (Chinatown)- While Movie Mondays have been going on for quite some time, I actually did not discover the event until Geekadelphia hosted a showing of Machete on January 10th. The cover for this event is $3, and that $3 goes a very long way. If you arrive between the doors opening at 6:30PM and 7PM, you will get a special ticket that is good for one free can of PBR and a small popcorn. Everyone who comes to Movie Mondays also gets a wooden nickel, good for $3 at the bar, and a raffle ticket for prizes to be given out later. In addition to the raffle, there will be trivia based on the film for additional prizes. To give you an idea of the potential for prize winning, as a result of my first time attending Movie Monday, I walked out with $50 of free swag. Not too shabby for a $3 cover. Check out the Troc's schedule to see what movies they have on tap.

Tuesday:  Taco Tuesday (South Philly, West Chester) - Adding the word "taco" to it makes Tuesday my favorite day. I first discovered the joys of Taco Tuesday at Jitter's Sports Bar in West Chester when I had friends attending the school over there. Fifty cent tacos and $3 Coronas kept me coming back for years. These tacos are so good that I'd pay five bucks for a plate of them, so the fifty cent price tag is an amazing deal. For those not willing to make the trip to West Chester, Tres Jalapenos in South Philly gives you all you can eat tacos for $12.99 and Tattoed Mom's on South Street for $1 tacos. There is no shortage of Taco Tuesdays around, so keep your eyes peeled and get ready to enjoy some tacos!

Pickelodeon: PYT

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

PYT

After reading several reviews of Northern Liberites' most banging burger joint, PYT, it occurred to me that I had yet to review it myself (save for this blip here), which is inexcusable. For an entire year, as I lived in South Carolina, I heard friends raving about this new place at some Piazza that opened up weeks after I left Philadelphia. For one whole year, I heard hype upon hype upon hype about how amazing PYT was, from the menu to the atmosphere to the staff. A twelve month stream of Facebook messages, texts, calls, and more all  hailing this bar as the greatest thing since beer. Yet somehow, despite the mountainous heap of praise I heard, once I experienced PYT for myself, it managed to surpass any hype I had heard. Let me break it down for you.

The best burger for your buck in Philadelphia

It's pretty simple, really. Ground beef patty on a roll. Add toppings to suit your taste. Making a burger is not rocket science. However, making a delicious burger can be an art form, and there are several places around Philly where one can find this edible delight.

PYT Philly
Philly party promoter Tommy Up has truly outdone himself with his trendy little beer and burger joint at the Piazza in Northern Liberties. PYT, which can be found at 1050 N. Hancock Street, is the perfect destination for a unique, tasty burger. On the menu you can find a Royale with Cheese, the TLC (Tastes Like Chicken), several yummy vegetarian options, and much more. Aside from their normal menu, each week PYT presents a new Burger of the Week. In the past they've offered the Cheesesteak Pretzel Roll Burger, the Buffalo Chicken Burger, and this week's special, the Pesto Shrimp Surf & Turf Burger. The cooks at PYT aren't tied down to the idea of beef either, as they have offered burgers made from everything from salmon to buffalo. And don't think for a second that all you're going to get with your meat and bun is some ketchup, mustard, and pickles, no sir! At PYT, expect their mouth-watering special sauce and a variety of toppings ranging from avocado to zucchini. Should your burger jump start your thirst, there are plenty of beers and adult milkshakes on hand to wash it down. PYT is a definite must-see for the burger enthusiast.

Nifty Fifty's
You've never heard of Nifty Fifty's? That's just a shame. In all fairness, it isn't really your fault. Nifty Fifty's mainly exists right outside the borders of Philadelphia. With its original location minutes from the airport in Ridley Park, it now boasts several locations throughout the Philadelphia metro region, including one in the far Northeast section of the city. While the menu is the same at each location, the atmosphere of the original can not be beat. But enough about that, onto the meat! The burgers at Nifty Fifty's may not be as big as those at PYT, but they sure are tasty. The good people at Nifty Fifty's pride themselves on their old school way of bringing burgers to the masses. Patties are hand-cut, trimmed, and prepared on the premises and freshly ground to boot. In keeping with their classic theme, all of you classic burgers can be found here, including their top selling Bacon Cheese Burger. But if you're feeling a little frisky, you can try the Leo Special, the Royal, the Chili and Cheese, or the fun to order Whole Shebang. Regardless of your choice, don't miss out on the other highlight of this awesome joint: the soda fountain. You can choose from well over 100 combinations of syrups and house sodas they offer from the best Cherry Cola you will ever taste to something as off the wall as Chocolate Mocha Passion Fruit Soda, if that's your thing. At Nifty Fifty's, the possibilities are endless.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Yes, Five Guys is a chain and not a local burger joint, although that is how it started out in Arlington, VA. But no self-respecting burger booster can deny the impeccable taste and freedom of choice one gets during an outing at Five Guys. According to their website, there are over 250,000 ways to order a burger at Five Guys. Bear in mind when you order that a regular burger at this place you will be chowing down on two patties. For one patty, be sure to ask for the "Little" version of what you want. At Five Guys, you walk up to the counter, select your burger and how it is to be cooked along with any toppings or sauces you may desire. The possibilities are endless. Don't forget to order some fresh-cut fries during your visit, and one order should suffice. You see, at Five Guys they understand the rapturous feeling one gets when locating bonus fries at the bottom of the bag. To ensure that every patron experiences this foodie nirvana, after filling up a medium sized cup with fries, they dump an equal amount of extra fries in the bag on top of everything else. So while this place may not be local, it is certainly worth a visit.



For more information on these wonderful hamburger havens, check out these links:
PYT Philly - 1050 N Hancock St. Phila. PA 19123
Nifty Fifty's - 1900 MacDade Blvd. Folsom, PA 19033
Five Guys Burgers and Fries - 1527 Chestnut St. Phila. PA 19103