The New Teri's

My review of Teri's in the Italian Market last year was titled Teri's: Day and Night because the casual lunch and brunch diner did a swithceroo at night, bringing out linens and candles for the padded aqua diner booths that saw the likes of scrambled eggs and sandwiches during the day, to serve up fancy 3-course prix fixe dinners at night.

Teri's has pulled another switcheroo on us with the addition of a liquor license at the beginning of July this year. Gone are the evening linens and thoughtfully prepared BYOB dinners, and in it's place are Megatouch machines atop a new bar and the most basic of late night bar foods. The aqua booths are still there and so is the 7-day-a-week brunch with their 2010 award-winning Bloody Marys. No, seriously, they won an award. The massive trophy is on the bar.You can't fault a restaurant for changing their game plan in an attempt to stay afloat in this economy, and I truly hope that the quirky and casual Teri's has hit upon a good thing with their new liquor license and casual nighttime fare, because there's just something about the vibe going on at Teri's that makes me feel good.
The alcohol seems to have done the trick, along with a later-than-usual happy hour from 6-8pm (more accommodating for me and anyone else that must go home first before hitting the town), as I've never seen Teri's so full in the evening.

Groups of friends were smashed in a booth sharing $2 happy hour cans of Sly Fox, and couples were at the bar drinking $3 happy hour alcoholic frozen drinks from a swirly machine behind the counter. Every 5 minutes some eager soul would walk through the door to buy a six-pack of beer to go.

On weekend evenings, a DJ sets up in the back of Teri's where there is a bit of dead space to create a club-like feel that just doesn't add much to Teri's kitschy Italian Market diner dive bar ambiance, at least for me. I'd like to see that space used for a jukebox and a couple of pinball machines.My strawberry daiquiri was sweet and didn't pack much wallop, so the $3 happy hour price tag was about right. Next time I'll steal the shot from the $4 can of beer and shot of Canadian Club combo to punch up the happy hour frozen strawberry daiquiri, pina colada or margarita.Gone are the chef's producing any food that requires much skill. Onion rings, fries, Mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers are all frozen. A couple salads and tuna salad. Burgers, eggplant or chicken parm sandwich, and a tuna salad sandwich are all that's on the short bar menu.

Word is that the menu is changing soon to include more options, and even more vegan fare. Also, more beer taps are coming to supplement their small-ish (for Philly) inventory of tap, can, and bottle craft beers.
Teri's vegan "tuna" salad sandwich is served on toasted sliced bread along with a dill pickle spear and a small side of food-service coleslaw. I like my chickpea "tuna" salad with a healthy sprinkling of dill or sweet pickle relish to liven up the mash, so Teri's bland salad left me less than thrilled. But I sure would be thrilled to see that sandwich if I were a starving drunk vegan that didn't want to leave my bar seat and search elsewhere.
A tad more tasty is the eggplant cutlet sandwich on a hoagie roll with your choice of cheese and sauteed spinach for an extra $1 (you can also choose red peppers, mushrooms or bacon). Marinara sauce would be a welcome addition to bring moisture and more flavor to the sandwich.

Teri's is no gastropub. There aren't 20+ craft beers on tap. Cocktails don't contain floral essences and seven other esoteric ingredients. Burgers and onion rings are not making anyone's best-of list. Teri's is, basically, now a dive bar that also serves breakfast and lunch.

But Teri's has this unique charm, almost like some diner dive bar you'd find in your favorite small college town — minus the college kids, of course. Next time you want a cheap drink in South Philly, but don't feel like being sardined into The P.O.P.E. or Royal Tavern, give Teri's a try. Just don't knock me out of first place on Erotic Photo Hunt. I spent hours getting there!

Teri's
1127 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
267-761-9154

Apothecary

Update: no longer open.

Apothecary Lounge is a relatively new bar on 13^th St that has been getting a good buzz lately with their herbal and alcoholic potions. I like a fancy drink as much as the next girl, and, even more, I like soaking up the sun (they have a roof deck) , so checked things out one early evening.

We were denied roof deck access (the deck’s not that large, and the people occupying it weren’t budging), so sat at the bar on the ultralight metal stools in front on the green-glowing wall of cube shelves behind a bar brimming with tincture bottles filled with herbal essences, small bottles of fine liqueurs, and other special ingredients.

The menu lists all of their intriguing drink specials, including the many, many ingredients in each drink. It’s going to take you a good ten minutes to decide what to order. Just remember that the pleasant, and very busy bartender had patience with you as you decided, so please have patience when they make your drink; it takes a while, and your drink order just went to the back of the line.

How they remember what goes in each drink, which tincture holds what, and where that bottle of liqueur is is quite a feat. I don’t think any of these bartenders are drinking on the job, or else they couldn’t do their job.

I had a hard time deciding on a drink. I ended up ordering the Rustoleo with Brazilian Cachaca, Flor de Cana Nicaraguan Rum, honey liquor, acai, fresh blueberries, lemon, chocolate mole bitters, and European bilberry extract. Told you the ingredient list is long!

The drink smells of honey and, with a drop or two of chocolate mole bitters, the first sip is a touch dark and smoky. The drink is delicious, but is not earth shattering. And I’m sure the alcohol negated any of the anti-oxidizing, vision restorative properties of the bilberry that the drink description hinted at.

My partner ordered the Immunity Idol with Hendricks Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, fresh pineapple and orange, champagne, orange bitters, Echinacea, hawthorn root, elderberry liniment, and inebriated berries. Also a good drink; more fruity and girly than the drink I ordered.

At $10-$14 a cocktail, drinks are pricier than at your average bar. The question is, is the drink worth the price?

Yes - The work the bartenders put into making your drink, and the ingredients that are used in the drink certainly justify the price.

Maybe - Taste-wise, I’m not sold just yet. The two drinks we sampled were good (there are more to be sampled, and maybe I didn’t hit my drink), but nothing so crazy-remarkable that I'm planning a return visit soon.

No - Health properties? Don’t fool yourself. I’m not knocking herbal medicine, but a drop of Echinacea extract in a cocktail is not curing anyone of anything. It’s a harmless and fun gimmick that hearkens to the olden days of pharmacies dispensing herbals in alcoholic potions.

Apothecary has a small food menu, too, but we skipped it. The two parties on either side of us seemed to be enjoying the food. Beer and wine can also be ordered, but why? You’re there for the cocktails.

We concluded that Apothecary is a great bar to take your out-of-town clients. Apothecary is conveniently located to downtown hotels, has a novelty factor that will delight (drinks, not the dark and sparse interior), plus you can expense the drinks. Everyone wins!

Apothecary Lounge
102 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-735-7500
Tues.-Sun., 5 p.m.-2 a.m.