I bought out all their wonderful scones (to freeze) and had their carrot cake for lunch. Wednesday, I had my last tea there, complete with tea sandwiches.  I will miss the cafe…

You see, their cheery commercials filled with things that made my tummy cry out in hunger have shown on local stations for so long, but after gloomily reading on their website that the closest location was near Ephrata (before the Morgantown location opened), I gave up. We all did. Should we really drive over 40 miles for a cherry limeade?

No, my friend. Food and Drinq has kindly informed us hungry Philadelphians that Sonic is coming closer to home.

True, there isn’t a proper Philadelphia location opening soon. The new location in Royersford opens today, and stores are set to open in Bensalem and Levittown. Definitely closer than 40 miles.

And more delicious.

Everyone has their favorites. No doubt about it – Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat and Sabrina’s and Carman’s Country Kitchen are mine. But I’d like to keep trying new places. I love the food at National Mechanics and Johnny Brenda’s, and I hear JB’s has whiskey-soaked doughnuts. I’m positive I’d like their brunch. What’s good in the western/northern/southern part of the city? I’d love suggestions! Name your faves!

If you know of other markets, please add in your comments!

Selling my car was a big decision, but how often did I really need it? If you live and work in the city, why not join Philly CarShare? This May, they’ll be sponsoring a challenge for you Philadelphia drivers to find alternative ways to get around. You can win a bike! (Please don’t ride it on the sidewalk)!

I was out of town after the Philly Spring Clean-up, but have found the results of the largest United States cleaning day in history. This Nutter’s on to something! All major goals were surpassed. Look out for future clean-ups. Here’s a beautifying event, sponsored by Greater Philadelphia Cares.

One final note: Keep your eyes peeled for GreenFest Philly, held on South Street. I haven’t been able to find the date of the event yet, but check back for updates! (September-ish)

There’s a kick-off party, as well, in Headhouse Square (2nd and Lombard): April 29, 7-9 p.m., including menu sampling and refreshments for $10 per person.

p.s. Wednesdays, parking is free! Chow down!

Famous last words.

I scoured the menu. Besides the house salad of iceberg lettuce with tomato, I thought I found the lone meatless entree: classic cheese ravioli in traditional tomato sauce. After asking the waitress what exactly the stuffed rigatoni was stuffed with, and not feeling satisfied by the answer, I settled on the ravioli.

I should have known it didn’t stand a chance. As I prepared to dig into my ravioli with a ferocious hunger, I noticed something as the fork neared my mouth. Ground meat in the sauce!

The menu said nothing, absolutely nothing, about meat in this entree. I called the waitress over and told her I didn’t know there would be meat in the sauce, that I was vegetarian and could I have another order without the sauce? She answered that I would then have to pay for both dinners, so instead of chucking it I asked her just to box it up and my brother would have it for lunch the next day.

Another good question would be, why are all the Wawas closing? According to their PR Department: “The closing of this particular store is not unlike others we have made throughout our 5-state operating area from Chadds Ford, PA to College.” This doesn’t explain a whole lot, and I’m still curious as to why those locations were targeted. The 20th and Locust, in particular, must have brought in quite a bit of revenue.

One of the drawbacks to my current neighborhood is, indeed, the fact that the local Wawa closed last year. The next closest one is over a mile away. It looks like that is to be the case for much of center city as well.