thanks!
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Went to Bloomsday on Sarahās recommendation, can confirm it did not disappoint.
I have a different question for everyone, not making it into the city much these days. Iām looking for a byob with a private room/table for a family birthday party in June. Had tentatively been looking at the private table at Laurel, but given the change to only a la carte dining/uncertainty about whether the option will continue, Iām soliciting recommendations, Doesnāt need to be large, only ~6 people.
No wine list online, but under āWinemakers we Loveā not a single German is listed, so how can it possibly be any good? 
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@Sarah_Kirschbaum taking my daughter and a few of her friends to brunch on Sunday. It looks like Bloomsday doesnāt take reservations. Any suggestions? Preferably in the Drexel area. Donāt want the Grey Dog. Been there already.
I donāt know anything in the Drexel area. If you want Bloomsday I can make a call. Otherwise Iād look at Middle Child Clubhouse, or my favorite Mexican Blue Corn in the Italian Market. But i loathe brunch, so I might not be the best to ask!
Guessing you mean White Dog? Other than that both Louie Louie (lower level of the Inn at Penn) and Sabrinaās are decent spots. I used to work in U-city and Louie Louie was our go to happy hour spot, especially if the weather was nice. It helped that it was 1/2 way between the office and parking garage.
Neither recommendation are destination spots, but both are highly serviceable with good food. Unfortunately, University City caters to college kids and isnāt necessarily a hot spot for great restaurants.
@Sarah_Kirschbaum @T_Williams thanks so much for the suggestions and offers to help. I called Bloomsday and they are happy to accommodate us. Looking forward to it.
Yes, I did mean the White Dog. Itās totally fine there, but Iāve been there twice and Iām ready for something different.
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Great. The food is solid, the wine list excellent, with a little something for everyone. The pastries are actually quite good. And they make excellent cocktails. Feel free to ask for Tim Kweeder and tell him Sarah and Jonathan sent you. He is one of the greats in Philadelphia hospitality.
Really enjoyed Bloomsday. It was absolutely perfect for brunch, but Iām looking forward to going back for dinner. We didnāt drink today, but I glanced at the wine list and it looks tremendous. Thanks so much!
Very glad to hear.
Glad you made it to Bloomsday, Iāve yet to trek there since I donāt work in the city right now.
I hear you on White Dog, for a supposed seasonal menu it doesnāt change much. And thatās the opinion of a guy who ate there twice a week for years.
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Is the White Dog where La Terrasse was? That was our hangout when I was in college in the late 70ās at Drexel.
Ended up going to Bloomsday this weekend. Was not a fan. Nice enough place, cool neighborhood, but seemed extremely focused on natural wines. The wine by the glass list was fairly limited and had none of the standards. Wanted to do a blind flight with friends and that wasnāt something they would do, and also, there were zero standard offerings anyway, so no one would have been able to guess. The Pais from Mexico was the surprise good BTG offering. I would not go back. If all you want to do is go to a natural wine bar, you probably would enjoy this. If you want something with more classic offerings and a diverse BTG program, this will not be your cup of tea. (I brought a few people who were not big wine guys and they were extremely unhappy with my choice).
What are the standards?
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Thatās shame, sorry you didnāt find it to your liking. I do not care for natural wine, and have never had trouble finding a glass there, on the rare occasion I want a glass. But I have never gone there with the hope of blinding my friends on a flight of wines. The bottle list has many āstandardā non-natural options, plus a large selection of vermut, sherry, and a strong cocktail program. So for Philly, Iād say they are doing pretty well.
They are usually pretty good about keeping their online menu updated - did you check it before you went and found it different when you got there?
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From what I gathered, I didnāt find a ton of other options in Philly. And there are certainly some cool wines you wonāt find many places, just might not be the place to bring friends who arenāt as adventurous palate-wise and dislike natural wines. Iām not upset that I went, I just wouldnāt go back.
Philly is more a Mecca for BYOB, most of which didnāt have a corkage fee.
Thatās great info. Next time Iām in Philly that will be my strategy. Love a good BYOB.
Was interested in this discussion about Bloomsday and took a look at the list, definitely a few geeky things Iād enjoy trying. Didnāt see / missed any comprehensive BTG list, but noticed on the short drinks list that they offer 13.1% discount on their wine list during happy hour (5-6pm), fwiw.
The BTG glass can be found with the food/drinks menu, along with cocktails, sherry etc. Thatās the onky BTG offering unless there are nightly specials.