You don’t want to hit up the Live Arts Festival hungry and sober. Where to grab dinner and drinks before the shows this weekend.
f you’re seeing:
Have dinner at: Russet (1521 Spruce St.)
Nestled unassumingly into a converted row house near the Avenue of the Arts, Russet has a lived-in, vaguely haunted quality that’ll pair perfectly with “Red-Eye to Havre de Grace,” a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s final days by Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental. The BYO’s super-seasonal menu is flirting with fall, meaning the debut of moody, Edgar-approved dishes like roasted acorn squash ravioli.
Have drinks at: Moshulu (401 S. Columbus Blvd.)
Before the Moshulu was converted into a restaurant at Penn’s Landing, it was cruising international waters. Almost 30 people have died aboard the boat since it launched in 1904, leading some to believe that it’s haunted. We’re not so sure about that — but we do know they have a fully stocked bar on the water.
If you’re seeing
Have drinks at:
Toshiki Okada’s trio of plays focuses on the humorous banality and intimate madness of office life (seems they’re not much better off in Japan). Prepare at the Khyber, where generations of pencil-pushing Philadelphians have attempted to forget the previous eight hours of their lives. And go ahead, order a snack — the rebooted Khyber serves a full menu.
Then have dinner at:
Because there is no hotter pepper in Old City — or Philadelphia, for that matter. Han Chiang serves his Sichuan dishes hot, hotter and hottest, and he isn’t big on compromise.
If you’re seeing: “Arguendo”
(Sunday, Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. Second St.)
Have drinks at:
Elevator Repair Service’s production centers around a 1991 lawsuit in which a group of erotic dancers claimed their wardrobe, or lack of, was protected by the First Amendment. Examine the issue at the iconic Trestle Inn, which is once again serving up whiskey and go-go.
Curtain call
Drink to this
If you’re not ready to go home, the good people behind Live Arts and Philly Fringe have set up an official festival bar at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) for audiences and artists to catch up over drinks. Thirsty but have no intention of stepping inside a theater??You’re invited, too. Visit www.latenitecabaret.com for a schedule of entertainment.
