Mixers for Sale at Midtown Village's Grocery

Chef Marcy Turney and Valarie Safran are now offering Mixers, sold in the freezer section of their prepared foods shop Grocery. Having started in the BYO business with Lolita and Bindi, the ladies would provide tasty mixers for those who wanted to bring their own and have a little something special to pair with the flavors of the food.

Made of fresh fruit juices and sold by the quart (5 servings) for $12, the Mixers can be blended with any liquor, but probably work best with vodka, rum or tequila. Right now, they are available in Traditional Lemon-Lime, Black Cherry, Mango Cardamom, Blood Orange and Pomegranite-Ginger.

As the season progresses and other fruits are available new varieties, like Watermelon, will be added. Directions are included with each bottle and if there’s anyway that the blood orange mix can help me to replicate the Sanguinello (pictured) from Barbuzzo, than I’m sold!

Grocery 101 S. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19107

Block Party & Fashion Show at Opa Tonight!

Since Opa’s debut earlier this year, the Modern Greek restaurant has continued to impress with inspired cocktails and generations old dishes. Now, keeping the spirit of Greece in the forefront, Opa is launching a weekly Thursday night party dubbed Glendi (the Greek word for party) and tonight, Thursday, June 9, at 9pm, is the premier event with a block party and fashion show.

The party starts at 9pm when Opa will close down Sansom Street between 13th & Juniper Streets. The show begins at 9:30 with music by DJ Rahsaan and an outdoor fashion show hosted by GN Kang and Thom Cardwell. The runway event will feature collections from Philadelphia’s designers and boutiques including Carmelita Couture, Priscilla Costa, Commonwealth Proper, Matthew Izzo, Rock and Soul Apparel Company.

Each Thursday throughout the summer, Opa will host different parties featuring fashion, art, music and photography exhibitions.

Opa 1311 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107.

The Midtown Village Fall Festival Is Bigger-Than-Ever!

Some like to call it the Gayborhood. Others call it the Midtown Village. But a rose by any other name is still a rose. This Saturday, October 2, the whole neighborhood is getting into the spirit and setting up for the “Bigger-Than-Ever” 2010 Midtown Village Fall Festival. The free to wander block party begins at 12noon and runs until 8pm, with the main hub at 13th and Sansom, the epicenter of the 6 blocks that will be closed down for the day and we have the rundown on the best of the festivities.

Bier Gardens - After a month of Oktoberfest celebrations, McGillin’s Old Ale House (the city’s oldest tavern) will be finishing strong, transforming Drury Street into a giant beer garden. The tented area will have with live entertainment, including karaoke, German food and beer.

Vintage and Time will have a beer and wine garden as well, offering cocktails, 60+ wines by the glass wines, and tons of beers on tap with live DJ.

Outside of Fergies Pub will be a forty-foot bar with beer and food for sale including Scotch Eggs, Bocodillos and Fish & Chips. They will also have a traditional Irish Music Session from 1pm - 4 pm and Soul Piece, a rock cover band playing from 4:30pm to 8pm.

New Eats On The Block – Making their inaugural appearances at Fall Festival, Tweed, Zavino, Barbuzzo, Sampan, Fuel, Jakes Sandwich Board and Bar will all be offering snacks to the interested crowds. Food lovers that haven’t been in to check these places out yet have the perfect opportunity to try, without having an entire meal to weigh them down for the rest of the afternoon.

Old Favorites - Lolita and Bindi, 13th Street’s staple Mexican and Indian BYO’s will be serving up pork carnita tostadas and fresh tamales or Chicken Tikka wraps and Saag paneer.

Share The Love – Ok, so maybe it doesn’t seem like sushi and sake fit into the beer loving festivities, but diversity is totally the name of the game in this hood and all are always welcome. Especially when they come correct like Raw Sushi & Sake Lounge, bringing what it does best to the party - sushi rolls, BBQ skewers and sake bombs!

On The 1’s & 2’s - Q102's DJ Richie Rich will be mixing it up from Noon – 3pm while raffling off tickets to upcoming events. From 3pm – 6pm 94WYSP Philly Rock Station will also be on the street, spinning and handing out prizes.

All For A Good Cause – The Loews Hotel is sponsoring Alex’s Lemonade Stand as well as the Little Villagers section with a free kids moon bounce and carnival games to benefit childhood cancer research.

Heart.Muscle.Mind will also have a Dunk-a-Trainer dunk tank to raise money for its project to build a fitness center for a local school in need.

FYI - Parking will be a nightmare, so find alternative means. Day drinking and driving is never a good combo anyway, so the phrase of the day for the 2010 Fall Festival is definitely public transportation.

With food, cocktails, wine, beer, shopping, art, live music, and even a dunk tank, the Fall Festival offers a little something for everyone. Come out and enjoy!

This article was written for and can be viewed at philly2night.com.