Doggy Dining: Jimmy G's Steaks

Two polar vortices ago, our fam needed to cure some pretty bad hangovers.  A night of friends and too much wine was forcing us into the kind of misery that can only be cured by grease.  It comes along only once in a while, and that Saturday the craving for a cheesesteak was there.

When a new cheesesteak joint pops up, it's met with skepticism in Philadelphia.  The greatest cheesesteaks in Philly are legendary and have staked (see what I did there) their claim on the city decades ago.  That said, in times of distress convenience trumps reputation and so our venture to Jimmy G's steaks began.

An order of a cheesesteak (American w/ onions) and french fries was placed.  While we waited for our food we helped ourselves to sides of the array of peppers and pickles available to all customers no charge. After a short time our food was ready, our names were called, and we were ready to indulge.  

Despite the chilly weather, we were able to dine outside which meant that Harry was able to join us.  The outdoor area is enclosed during the winter months and kept warm with portable heaters.  The foo and I sat across from each other on red picnic tables while Harry sat at the head enamored of our spread.

Jimmy G's steak was up to par.  Featuring chopped steak rather than the tear through it with your teeth type at Pat's, it was easy to eat with just enough grease and cheese melted throughout.  The french fries were hot, crispy, and thick cut graced with perfect saltiness.  Normally a cheesesteak lunch isn't about decadence, but facing the hangover and the stomach bug I was about to get in just 4 hours, this was the most decadent experience I had the entire week.  Happily I engorged myself while Harry stared.

The cheeseteak cured my hangover, but it couldn't cure nor was it the cause of the GI fury that was took over the rest of my weekend.  Jimmy G's was not only a steak to be revisited, it was the gleaming, radioactive, surging highlight of a terrible 48 hours.

Doggy Dining: Unleashed by Petco

This weekend was our last before the boo and I explore Europe and drop our pooch off with his fur-cousin and human-Aunt.  We vowed to make it extra special and Harry filled, which pleased Harry but in my opinion made him extremely suspicious given the concerned expressions I received this morning.  

The Granary (located off the Ben Franklin Parkway) is finished and leasing, and the retail spaces below have started to open up.  Over the weekend we visited Pizzeria Vetri sans Harry and saw that the new pet store, Unleashed, had opened up as well.  While we waited for a table at Vetri, we perused the store.  There were so many grand opening deals, I returned with Harry the next day to pick up a present for his fur-cousin Jager as a thanks for putting up with me wanting to play with you for 264 hours gesture.

Although we are huge loyal fans of the Fairmount Pet Shoppe, Unleashed offers more room for your pet to walk around without bumping into displays.  There's also a less likely chance that your dog will unintentionally shoplift a bone or jerky stick since they have more room to store those items up high while Fairmount Pet Shoppe uses every bit of their small space.

Harry began his shopping adventure by perusing the aisles of pet supplies.  We started with the ample array of water bowls, food bowls, and filtered water fountains.

Moving onto things that smell better, Harry veered towards the dog food.  Unleashed has all the brands you need including ours, Blue Buffalo.  There was no price difference between the Fairmount Shop and Unleashed on our brand - in case you were hoping for a new deal.  

We also smelled all the doggy shampoos just like I do when I shop for human shampoo (the best part of buying shampoo).  Petco had a huge selection - an entire aisle - dedicated to grooming.  They also offer a $10 do it yourself dog wash.  This is free in my house and called a bathtub, but for those with a shower only situation, this is a great option.

Eventually we made our way to the toy aisle and picked out a present for Jager.  The toy section was heavy on the stuffed animals, which is good for Harry's fur-cousin...a giant German Shepherd with a preference for fluffy toys that he takes care of for years...but not the best for Harry the destroyer.  As you can see behind him, there are definitely some heavy chewer Kong items, and there are less of the rubber chicken/rubber foot/rubber hot dog type toys.

The absolute best part of Unleashed is their candy store style cookie bar.  The treats are all labeled with ingredients and their special features - like bone health, or gluten free - and they're made with all natural ingredients.  They even taste good!  I tried them.  Harry will do anything you say for one of the treats in the cookie bar, and the staff at Unleashed had fun watching him swallow cookies whole.  

On opening weekend, our purchase included a free 1lb bag of a variety of cookie bar treats...we took advantage of this twice in one weekend...a free frisbee, a free tote bag, and our purchase of Jager's toy (a stuffed Chewbacca) included an additional free item that Harry kept.

May the force be with you!

We're definitely going to visit Unleashed for treats on a regular basis.  It makes for a good walk, and if Pizzeria Vetri ever gets outside seating it will make for a perfect doggy date.

Doggy Dining: Bacchus Market & Catering

Nothing beats an iced coffee on an early Sunday in a hot dog park.  Harry, the boo, and I made a discovery this past weekend that we will likely be revisiting.  As per our usual routine, we visited the Schuylkill River Dog Run on Sunday morning hoping to completely poop the pup.  Harry's endurance has lightened as the weather has heated up, so he tires out in much less time than he did in the fall.  Or maybe his puppy energy is fading...noooooo!  

On base...obviously.

Cherry picker!

After thirty minutes of intense tag and resting on base, we wanted to take advantage of Harry's lethargy and the good weather.  So we walked up Spruce Street only a couple of blocks to Bacchus Market to grab some coffees and sit outside.

Bacchus is extremely close to the dog park and quite convenient.  The owners show their love of their furry neighbors with water bowls, complementary treats, and leash hookups so you can get your snacks without worry.

The leash hookups at Bacchus Market & Catering

The iced coffees were refreshing and peppy and the service was both human and dog friendly.  It's always a treat to see people fawn over my scruffy and badly behaved mutt.

The small shop also features baked goods like cupcakes, lemon bars, and cookies as well as bagels and muffins.  In another refrigerator they sell homemade salads filled with fresh vegetables and delicious combinations.  Our next trip will likely include some lemon bars, and some more of their chuggable iced coffee.

Harry's Sunday Funday wrapped up with a visit of Doggie Style where we browsed leashes (Harry's is disintegrating) and picked up a cookie for our little guy.  It only took a few hours of our day to show Harry an extremely good time, which makes for a good time for us too.

Doggy Dining: RyBread

On a glorious fall afternoon after a grueling 20 mile Philadelphia Marathon training run, the boo and I took Harry with us to one of our favorite places to eat on Fairmount Ave, RyBread.  Harry has joined us on many occasion and on most of our walks he has benefited from their public dog water-bowl that sits outside the store all day.  A note of caution to those of you excited to bring your dog to RyBread:  there is a large amount of dog traffic.  Although RyBread is super accommodating with their jar of treats and water bowl, if you have a runt that loves to greet every single human, dog, squirrel, and pigeon with the exuberance and enthusiasm of me meeting Britney Spears, then beware that you may end up with spilled coffee caused by the jolting leash that unexpectedly pulls out of no-where due to said human, dog, squirrel, pigeon, and pop-star.

On this occasion, Harry spent the majority of our time checking out Astro, a Hungarian Vizla with an enthusiastic owner.  Apparently Astro has eaten a Christmas tree + ornaments, crayons, and his owner's salmon dinner.  Hopefully they weren't sharing trade secrets.  The boo and I both had Tucson sandwiches, mine with the added bacon and avocado.  Tucson hit the gaping spot in my belly that 20 miles had carved out.  Chock full of turkey and swiss, the avo and bacon add texture and variety to the sandwich.  If you're in a hurry and really want a sandwich from Ry, you're able to call ahead and order your sandwich for pick up.  This is a key advantage that the boo and I have yet to implement.  The lines can get long and you end up waiting a little bit for your sandwich. 

You'll notice that Harry is looking exceptionally preppy and stylish as he decided to display his new fall wardrobe.  On the last half mile of my run I stopped at Fairmount Pets sidewalk sale and picked up Harry's navy blue sweater for $7.  Harry looks like he just read an arsenal of leather bound books.  Afterwards, I snuggled with my genius while icing my tired legs.  When Harry clasped my arm and nuzzled me, my heart started exploding rainbows.

Doggy Dining: Alla Spina

Philadelphia is a city that respects dog lovers and features a variety of restaurants that cater to fur-babies.  Harry came with us to begin our series of reviews on dog-friendly dining.  A balmy afternoon turned into a cooler evening and we walked over to Alla Spina for a light dinner.  It was our first "family dinner".  

Harry started with ice cold water served in a spotless silver bowl while the boo and I tasted some of Alla Spina's imported Italian beers.  Then while we began on our appetizer of pig tails, Harry went straight into his main course of doggy bone treats.  Harry thoroughly enjoyed the attention from the waitstaff and the departing guests while we thoroughly enjoyed our schisola and North Philly cheesesteak.  

Brunch here is a must, and we intend to bring Harry back.  This was a great place to start our Doggy Dining as the foot traffic isn't so busy, therefore we weren't constantly preventing Harry from greeting all his new friends.  The sidewalk is nice and roomy so you have some space to let a little bit of the leash go.  I'd advise bringing a toy with you for dinner unless you want a begging pooch.  Since Harry cleaned out his kong pretty early on into our meal, we treated him with some of the pig fat that dripped off the tails appetizer by dabbing our fingers in it and wiping it on the kong.  Yea thank God there weren't a lot of al fresco diners that night!