Inquirer food columnist and Foobooz crush object Rick Nichols goes to 12 Steps Down? 12 Steps Down? Yep, becuase the divey bar has “astonishingly better than your standard bar fare.”

Stepped-up bar eats [Philadelphia Inquirer]

In chronicling the construction of Zahav Michael Klein asks a question we’ve often wondered, what do you do when you’ve hired your staff but then the opening gets delayed?

Well Zahav owner and chef Michael Solomonov came up with an interesting way to keep his hired hands busy. He’s had them rework the menu at one of his favorite watering holes, 12 Steps Down.

Less than two weeks after the idea first came to Solomonov in the middle of a sleepless night, 12 Steps customers were eating chicken wings cooked in duck fat and tossed with pickled mango sauce, macaroni and cheese with New York State cheddar and Fried Calamari Salad with carrot-miso dressing.

Week Twenty: A 12 Steps Program [The Making of Zahav]

Tonight is the first day of the countdown to smoke free bars in Philadelphia, so where to go?
12 Steps Down, 9th & Christian has $3 pints of Hazed & Infused.
Or try O’neals Sierra Nevada promo, $3 Summerfest pints, and you get to keep the glass.
Or if you want to get a headstart on not smelling like smoke try one of these spots.