PhillyBYOB.com

Matyson has put together a “Best of Menu” to celebrate the their 5th anniversary (has it really be that long?). Check out Foobooz.com for the menu….

[Matyson Celebrates 5 Years]

Just a reminder that this week starts the “Appetite Stimulus Plan” brought to you by OpenTable.com. It runs through the Friday, November 21st and we already located the BYO restaurants for you!

[Appetite Stimulus Plan]

Nothing to do this weekend? Take a trip up the Lehigh Valley to check out Nouveau weekend with nine different wineries to choose from.

Wondering what Nouveau is? It is a french term for “New” and it applies to a specific style of wine produced weeks after harvest, not months or years. Nouveau typically is a red wine that goes through a rapid fermentation.  This style of winemaking produces a aromatic, fruity, soft wine with vivid colors that are delicious and ready to drink shortly after harvest. These Nouveau wines can age for several years, however are meant to be drank while young and bursting with flavor.

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This romantic Italian BYOB in Rittenhouse Square has been undergoing some renovations and reopened its doors last month. Philly Weekly has a great write-up on this inexpensive and cozy BYOB.

Despite its late start, Casta Diva became many an Italophile’s go-to BYOB. But after going steady for six years, chef/owner Stephen Vassalluzzo closed for a decorating exorcism that cast out the gilt mirrors, dusty drapes and faded buttercup paint. Reopened in September, the space’s new walls alternate soft sage and deep evergreen, embellished with framed opera posters and circular mirrors clustered together like Prosecco bubbles. Cherry floors shine like steamrolled red licorice, leading the way into a 20-seat expansion.

[Prima Diva]

Burlington has yet another restaurant added to its already bustling scene. Previously occupied by Tantra, owner Hiep Phim has opened Vietnam 2 which compliments his “still-open original location” in Essex Junction. The restaurant will remain a BYOB until he receives his liquor license and we’ll keep you posted on when that happens.

Melissa Pasanen and Sally Pollak Menores have a great write-up in the Burlinton Free Press sharing some more of the details.

[Vietnam 2 Opens in Burlington]

Little Fish, in Bella Vista, has made Bon Apetit’s List Of Best Seafood Restaurants. Nationally recognized as the number three seafood restaurant, this BYO has been a neighborhood favorite for some time now.

“Big things are happening at this minnow-size, open-kitchen B.Y.O.B. in South Philly. Credit goes to new chef-owner Michael Stollenwerk, who’s responsible for such dishes as halibut with English pea spaetzle and scallop nage, and crab sausage with fennel and citrus salad. On Sundays, there’s a $28 five-course prix fixe that’s a steal.”

[Bon Apetit’s List Of Best Seafood Restaurants] from Phiafoodie.info
[Little Fish]

Craig Labans latest review has us heading to West Chester to Northbrook Marketplace and the chef’s table.

I headed upstairs to the old hayloft, where I was the first to arrive at the “chef’s table” recently launched by Northbrook’s new owners. The massive table, a 22-seat behemoth hewn on-site from pine and oak trees struck down by lightning, was prettily set with flowers for the nine-course BYOB feast. But who, I wondered, would be joining me this Friday night?

[Northbrook MarketPlace]
[Northbrook MarketPlace Review]

NBC10 has named Lolita (106 S. 13th St.) one of Philadelphia’s best Mexican restaurants. Forget wine, Lolita is a BYO-T (tequila) with the waiter or waitress mixing your margaritas right at your table. They have already won best margarita by Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia: Where to Go Next by Food and Wine Magazine not to mention Citysearch has awarded them Best Mexican in ‘05, ‘06, and ‘07.

We think you have enough reasons to try this BYOB with a twist, enjoy!

[Lolita BYOB]

OpenTable has partnered with local restaurants to offer an “Appetite Stimulus Plan” from Nov 17th though the 21st. The $35 three-course dinner menu ($24 for lunch) has a few BYO restaurants in the mix so check out the list after the jump.

[Appetite Stimulus Plan from OpenTable]

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Craig Laban has just posted his ideas for getting through this recession as a great follow-up to our last post. Towards the end of the article, you will even find some BYOs listed so enjoy this quick write-up….

“My list of favorite bargain dishes across the region - some of them as low as $5 per person - draws on all of the above. I thought of at least 50, but could have named 100 more. Because when it comes to great cheap eats, the lights in our dining rooms are shining as brightly as ever.”

[Bargains on the Menu]