Posts Tagged ‘National Mechanics’

Blog drama and beers

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

People have been asking if Art in Bars has been caught up in the blog / small business kerfuffle that broke a few weeks ago regarding the blog tax. Years ago I went to a blog conference hosted by Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, and one of the concepts repeated many times was if you monetize your blog, you ought to just go ahead and pay the city for a business license. Do you see any adds anywhere on this blog? No, because I am lazy and poor and haven’t set aside the $300 to make AiB a real legit business and chase after the pennies that advertising could bring in. That and there has been waffling with professional-type friends who alternate in opinion as to the best status to glom to. Perhaps we’d make a better non-profit.

Anywho. If you’re interested in this issue and others, the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the Department of Revenue in association with I-SITE, P’unk Ave, and Independents Hall are hosting a Bloggergate Happy Hour “conversation” tonight at National Mechanics from 5-7PM. This conversation is for small businesses owners, entrepreneurs, creative-types, and the self-employed and will be about taxes, the business privilege license and other issues. I’m of two minds. This might be really interesting and have worthwhile information for me, or it will devolve into paranoid screaming. Think I’ll check it out. There’s no information about any happy hour specials but one can assume that it will be the standard $3 off pitchers, $2 off special drinks, $1 off pints that they generally have. Because that is important to me; what I can save drinking nervously in the corner listening to political types do damage control while the ill-informed rant.

National Mechanics 22 South 3rd St

Not your cup of tea? Interested in getting your drink on sans conversation? Tonight Wednesday September 8th Bridget Foy’s is hosting GIN & SIN. Their Plymouth and Beefeater local representative wants to buy you a gin-based drink at their bar at 5PM. Bridget Foy’s 200 South St.

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Drink me? – The end of ROOT

Monday, October 12th, 2009
A shot of ROOT
A shot of ROOT

ArtinBars devotees may remember my disappointing ROOT trip to National Mechanics over the summer. You know, when I went there to try one of the Art in the Ages flagship bar’s signature ROOT cocktails. Except they didn’t have one. OK, fine. I went again and they still don’t have anything, months later. So my friend and I simply had ROOT on the rocks, in lieu of topping it off with soda, which was our other option. So, I’ve thought about this second trip and I have 3 very important points to make, so I have broken them down:

1.) Consistency and creativity of the product: Why does Art in the Age promote places to drink ROOT in bars when the bars have no idea what to do with it? I have been to several places that have promoted ROOT, and either the place doesn’t have it, or doesn’t know how to make a drink with it. As a consumer it doesn’t make me trust the producers or the product.

2.) Price: Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, cheap drink. Happy hours, midnight specials, dive bars, I’ve done them all. But I am also willing to pay a pretty penny for a well-crafted cocktail. Creations with rare ingredients or house made liqueurs. Something I can’t get anywhere else in this whole metropolis. My point? National Mechanics charges $10 for ROOT plus ice. And when an entire bottle of ROOT is $32.99 at any liquor store in Philly it seems a little silly to pay $10 for 4oz.

3.) As of this article I am done discussing ROOT. I still think it is good, and will continue to buy it by the bottle, but I will not longer search for ROOT events or drinks around town. I sort of feel like I’ve wasted 5 months doing so. If no one else cares about this product’s potential then neither will I. I don’t work for Art in the Age; I am only a consumer that believed that this one of a kind, specialty spirit could change the local palette?

I’ve had some really good times at National Mechanics, and it is by far one of the most tolerable places in Old City and I’ve only been disappointed on ROOT specific excursions.

Stay bubbly Philadelphia!

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Walking Fish, Breading Cutlets, Getting Drunk

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Congrats to Fractured Fairy Tales Рthe Walking Fish Fringe production featuring the one and only Mike Smith Рfor getting the Daily Candy kiss today. If perhaps you only know Mike from say, Lunch Money, or hosting Cash Dance, or being at a party you went to, you should check out his participation in this family friendly affair. The last performances are this  Saturday the 19th, at noon and again at 2PM. Walking Fish Theatre, 2509 Frankford Ave. (215-427-9255). Tickets online at www.livearts-fringe.org.

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Apparently the Criterion Collection is releasing a movie that honestly I’ve never heard of in my short life, – Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles – although all the reviews of it reference all the other food movies I’ve seen. The gist of the film seems to be that it features long still shots in real time of the main character cooking ordinary food. Point ‘o the matter: to promote said release Criterion is looking for people to create video reenactments of cooking one of three ordinary dishes: cutlets, meatloaf, or potatoes.¬† Although there have already been submissions, apparently they’re all pretty literal and Criteron was hoping to get some more, shall we say, artistic, avant garde interpretations. Like, artists might make. You still have time to film your own and upload it to YouTube; the deadline is September 28, 2009. There will be two winners: one Audience Award, winner, voted on by the YouTube trolls, will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Criterion Collection website. Then a Grand Prize winner selected by the staff of the Criterion Collection will receive a new PlayStation 3. Pretty awesome for setting up a camera to watch you massage some ground beef. This came from Gourmet, or rather Ruth Reichl’s Twitter, which I follow, because I am a nerd. (more…)

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Drink Me Р“ROOT” espresso martini at National mechanics

Monday, July 27th, 2009
Root Martini
Root Martini

I have fallen in love. With an alcohol of course! ROOT is probably one of the most delicious liquids I have found in a bottle in a very long time. Sweet and spicy, potent and complex; ROOT has it all.

I‚Äôve been following the ROOT website for months now, and it seems every week they are promoting a new Philadelphia bar that has begun to carry ROOT. I chose National Mechanics because this bar is on my way home from work. When I sat down with my friend I was rambling excitedly about what the ROOT special could possibly be. When our server came to the table I asked about what sort of wonderful drinks National Mechanics have been manufacturing with ROOT. Her answer so disappointed me that I am still disappointed to this day. She said that she only found out what ROOT was that night (even though artintheage had been promoting National Mechanics as a ROOT hub for at least a month *see Editor’s Note ) and she and the bartender didn‚Äôt know what to do with it, and that the table that ordered ROOT earlier that night got it with ginger ale. ‚ÄúFresh ginger ale?‚Äù I asked, hopefully. ‚ÄúNo; soda‚Äù she says, a bit annoyed. And as much as I like paying $9 for alcohol and soda, I decided against that drink. So, I ordered the first thing I could think of, something I‚Äôve been making at my house anyway‚Äîthe espresso martini.

The martini was good. Very good. But I was so disenchanted by the ‘create your own cocktail’ apathetic attitude of National Mechanics that it ruined the whole experience for me. ROOT is awesome. I suggest you readers check out the Art in the Age website at artintheage.com and more specifically the history of this delightful infusion at the history page.

National Mechanics
22 S. 3rd St.
“ROOT” Espresso Martini

Reverend Michael Alan - the official artist of ROOT

Reverend Michael Alan - the official artist of ROOT - image from the aia website

* Ed note — This story is so weird. National Mechanics, Art in the Age, and Gyro have been heavily promoting ROOT at NM since at least late April with a teaser campaign and huge launch / pr blitz. I know this because¬† a) I’m on their mailing list and b) one of the very first AiB posts was nearly about Reverend Michael Alan’s Botanical Illustrations, which were on display at the¬† Art in the Age store in May, and for which there was a ROOT launch party AT NATIONAL MECHANICS. How is it the servers didn’t know about the signature liquor their company is partially responsible for launching? Also, why is there a lemon in an espresso martini? So many questions.

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