Restaurant Week Winter 2011

In a few hours I will be partaking in Philadelphia's Restaurant Week. I've spoken of this week many times; I truly believe its a gift from God. A three course meal at some of the city's finest restaurant's for less than $40?! I've saved up to hit up two places: Phillip's Seafood Restaurant (a sentimental favorite) and Fogo De Chao, which I've been told many times to try. I wanted to aim for a third restaurant, but that's not part of getting "financially fit" this year. I'll be sure to report my experiences like only a true foodie can! Bon Appetit!

New Year, New Challenges

No one said it would be easy. We all take an oath every January first to improve or become "better" in some way. We anticipate that it will be challenging, but we struggle through to get to the end result. No one said it would be easy, but I never anticipated it being this hard! The struggle is what makes the reward so sweet, but when you feel like the struggle can/will break you, what do you do?

I've made a conscious decision to never give up (a side affect of pledging I think), and follow a plan through. This year I made no resolutions; I just promised myself I'd continue to do good things, have good thoughts and make smart decisions. Staying focused and sticking to what ever I decide to take on will have to get me through. Even though I must say, its really hard to be your own biggest cheerleader.

Club Sexism

Its a typical Friday night and you're dressed to the nines. You accompany your crew to the hottest club on its hottest night. After what seems like a forever wait in the line, you go to whip out your ID and cash when the bouncer tells you, "we can't let you in". Dumbfounded and searching for answers, you and your crew say in unison (stank face and all), "why"? "We can't let you in here dressed like that" Really? Your outfit clearly fits this clubs dress code, no white tee, fitted cap, sneakers, no excessive skin, actually not much skin at all....and therein lies the problem.

You've become a victim of "Club Sexism".

Its a phenomenon that sadly exists and always has. I've been the victim of it many times because I don't wear heels, skirts, dresses, extremely tight skinny jeans or show a little boob when I go out (but it doesn't mean I don't look fly). This doesn't just happen to women, it happens to men as well. Think about it, men usually pay 50-100xs as much as a woman to get into a club, and they mostly pay for the alcohol (some have even been denied bathroom privileges for not buying a drink), for a typical guy to drop $100 on a night out is par for the course.

Playing devil's advocate; yes, every club has the right to keep membership exclusive, no one wants a club full of duds. However, if I fit all of your basic "rules" what's the issue here? I'm not sexually enticing enough to elicit a drink from a man? Or since a guy doesn't want to drop $50 at your bar he's a loser? Absolutely not! Most clubs need to get over themselves really. I don't know about everyone else but places I've been recently, who enforce ridiculous rules on prospective patrons usually have one, if not more, of these 3 issues:

1.Wack Music
2.Not enough people behind the bar/rude bartenders
3.No one in the club

And you still turn people away?! Word to the wise, avoid these clubs, they usually don't last. Good bars, clubs, lounges, etc... will accept you no problem, as long as you don't look like a thug or a homeless person. If you do become a victim of club sexism, just leave, never return, and spread the word to all your friends. Word of mouth = reputation. Remember that.