Did You Vote? Here’s Where to Go For Election Day Deals

Photograph courtesy of FCM Hospitality

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. Obviously, we’ve all got bigger, more important, more democracy-defining things on our minds today than local food news, so I’m going to keep this brief, light, and easy so we can all get back to our doomscrolling, stress-eating, and election night drinking games as quickly as possible. To wit, let’s kick things off this week with…

How to Get Free Stuff Just By Voting

As you’ve probably heard a few million times by now, Pennsylvania is kinda important in this year’s presidential contest. Our voices matter a literal fuck-ton to pretty much everyone interested in the shape of America’s future, and the best, most powerful way to make your voice heard today is to get out there and vote like your life depended on it.

And then, when you’re done with that, you can take yourself and your brand new “I Voted” sticker all over town, collecting free beers and tacos just for doing your civic duty. So where should you go to get the most bang for your buck?

I’m so glad you asked …

First off, Avram Hornik’s FCM Hospitality is all over this election jawn. All eight of FCM’s properties (which include Craft Hall, Harper’s Garden, Juno, Lola’s Garden, Lucy’s, Rosy’s Taco Bar, Rosy’s Taco Bar East, and Walnut Garden) are offering a free Mainstay Independent beer to anyone who shows up with a sticker. It’s only one beer per customer, and the hours vary, so check before you go, but Craft Hall and Lucy’s are also hosting election night watch parties, so those would be good places to start.

Love City Brewing is also offering free beer — 10 ounces of whatever is on draft — for anyone showing their sticker (or just asking really nicely, apparently). The deal runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and they’ll be keeping an eye on election results with news on all the TVs.

Libertee Grounds is pouring one free Libertee Lager for every voter. Still gotta pay for playing mini golf, though.

From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Twisted Tail is pouring Painkillers for just $7. Appropriate, I suppose, for anyone who has made it through this election cycle, and the orange and pineapple juice might make you think you’re on some tropical island somewhere, instead of in the heart of some of the most hotly contested political real estate in the nation. And over at El Camino Real, they’re offering half-off margaritas and half-off chips and guac until they shut the lights off.

Meanwhile, Southgate is offering a binary choice of their own to celebrate the election. Not Republican or Democrat, but pork bao or cucumber banchan — you get one or the other just for voting.

If you want a sweet treat for hitting the polls, head to El Merkury where you’ll get a small churro for free when you show your “I Voted” sticker. Van Leeuwen is also serving up an Election Day deal: They’re offering one $3 scoop per voter. At Milk Jawn you can upgrade to a waffle cone for free with your ice cream purchase. And if you flash your “I Voted” sticker at Sweet Box, they’ll hook you up with a free sugar cookie.

For free coffee swing by Unity Java for a free cup of coffee or tea. You can also grab a free 16-ounce coffee at Playa Bowls Philly.

Famous 4th Street made some news lately with a visit from Kamala Harris. And to keep the good vibes going, they’re offering free latkes to anyone who votes — which is kinda awesome. Don’t like latkes? That’s cool. You can get a cookie of your choice instead.

Though, seriously, what’s wrong with you? Who doesn’t love latkes?

Also, good as the cookies at 4th Street are, the winning play here is to get your free order of latkes first, then hit any Krispy Kreme location for a free original glazed donut when you show your sticker. The closest one to those of you in the city is on Haddon Avenue, across the river in Collingswood. If you’re out in the burbs, you’ve got a couple different options. Find your closest shop here.

And though Wallace Dry Goods in Ardmore is closed today, if you show them a photo of your “I Voted” sticker or a photo of you dropping off your mail-in ballot, they’ll give you a free glass of N/A sparkling wine tomorrow on November 6th.

In the meantime, what else is happening this week …

Two Big News Stories, Handled Quickly

January 23, 2023 – Pastry chef Tova du Plessis at a construction site that would become Essen North. / Photograph by Mike Prince / Photo by Mike Prince

The two big stories this week have already been discussed at length elsewhere on Foobooz.

First, we’ve got four-time James Beard Award-nominated baker Tova Du Plessis finally opening her long-awaited new bakery, Essen North, in Kensington. First announced back in January of 2023, it’s been almost two years of waiting for Essen fans, but last Friday was the official opening day. That means babka, bagels, sandwiches, croissants, rugelach, and more for everyone who has been waiting, plus tables to sit and enjoy said bakery products. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into what took so long (hint: Du Plessis’s recent narcolepsy type 1 diagnosis didn’t help) and what to expect at the new location, check out Kae Lani’s piece on the new Essen North right here.

Second, word came down late last week that Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate had shut down their award-winning West Philly cafe, market, and restaurant, Honeysuckle Provisions. The news wasn’t all bad, though. The reason for the closure? They’d found a new space and are planning to evolve the concept into a real, sit-down restaurant (with a liquor license and everything) called simply Honeysuckle.

Not only that, but they’re doing it fast. The proposed opening is February 1st, and while we don’t have a lot of details yet (Omar isn’t really talking to anyone about what their plans are just yet), everything I do know about the place, what it means to Philly, and where it might be, can be found in the piece I published yesterday about Omar, Cybille, and Honeysuckle. If you’re interested, you can check it out right here.

A Mac Mart for Ardmore

On Saturday, November 9th, a new Mac Mart will be opening to the public at 38 Rittenhouse Place in Ardmore.

What started as a food truck operation 10 years ago now has a Rittenhouse Square location (at 104 South 18th Street) and another franchise location inside Tally Ho in Bethlehem — Lehigh University’s favorite off-campus college bar — but this spot, while technically a third location, is really the first free-standing, suburban location for the gourmet mac-and-cheese operation.

The new spot will have indoor and outdoor seating, a fryer (for making tater tots and fried mac and cheese), an expanded menu that includes mac and cheese flights, tot bowls, mac n’ cheesesteaks, grilled mac-and-cheese sandwiches, and a variety of grab-and-go items in a takeout case inside the restaurant. Plus, they’re partnering with local partners for collaboration sauces, garnishes, and toppings for their existing mac and cheese.

So yeah, like a Mac Mart, only more. That’s what we’re getting at here. The grand opening festivities for the new location start with a ribbon cutting at 11:15 a.m. The first 25 customers through the door get a free mini mac-and-cheese cup (with purchase).

Now who has time for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Soon you’ll be able to grab a Gouldsburger’s cheesesteak at Franklin’s Table food hall in University City. / Photograph courtesy of Gouldsburger’s

I am absolutely NOT one of those people who cares at all about competitive eating, but in case you are someone interested in seeing the top pizza-eaters in the world battle it out to see who can eat the most slices of Benny’s 28-inch “Manayunk Mega Pie,” then this announcement is for you.

Major League Eating’s top-ranked “athletes” (quotation marks mine) will be competing at the 2024 Benny’s Invitational Pizza Eating Championship on November 16th. The organizers of “Mayhem in Manayunk” are calling this the “spiritual successor to Philadelphia’s famed Wing Bowl,” and it’ll be happening at 2 p.m. on the 16th at Fat Lady Brewery (4323 Main Street).

There’s going to be live music and other entertainment, but the main event is, of course, the pizza-eating contest. The current world record, set by Geoffrey Esper, is 11.5 slices of Benny’s totally enormous pizza in 10 minutes. By comparison, that same guy’s record for eating normal slices? 83 in 10 minutes, which is just … gross.

Anyway, if you’re interested, you can find more insights into the world of competitive eating here. Just don’t talk to me about it, okay?

Meanwhile, I know it seems like it should be too early to be talking about Thanksgiving, but if you’re a fan of Kampar (like I am) and looking for something a little different to grace your table this year, then check this out:

Ange Branca and her team are offering a $200 Thanksgiving stuffed duck meal this year. It feeds four, easy, comes stuffed with a traditional leek and sausage stuffing, and four sides: Wagyu fat mashed potatoes with duck gravy, kale salad with pomegranate tahini dressing, a root vegetable tart, and kopi buns for breakfast the next day.

And if that was all that was on the menu, that would be awesome enough. But Kampar is also collaborating with Mole Street Bakers to offer desserts — six-inch cardamom cakes with brown sugar and caramelized pears, mil hojas that’ll serve about 15, a sweet walnut and citrus kuchen, or a classic pumpkin pie.

Pre-orders are available now. Pickups can be scheduled online. And the last day to order is November 22nd. Just something to keep in mind.

And finally, I told you about Puyero making a move into the Penn retail district in University City last week. Now I’m hearing that Jersey-born burger specialist Gouldsburger’s (with locations in Haddonfield and on Logan Square) is also looking at opening a new location inside the Franklin’s Table food hall. They’ll be doing their signature burgers, cheesesteaks, and uncured beef hot dogs (among other things) and operating the new locations as an “express” model — making a play for all those busy students, commuters, and employees passing through the area and looking for a quick lunch or dinner. The projected opening should be some time later this month if all goes well.

Now if you haven’t already, get out there and vote. And don’t forget the free latkes.