From Sight-seeing to Teaching History: The Future Tour Guide

            Nearly 30 restaurant enthusiasts attended Philadelphia’s City Food Tours newest weekly tour of the recently revamped Northern Liberties neighborhood Feb. 18.

Darling Diner makes their own

banana foster cheesecake daily

            “A Taste of Northern Liberties” tour covered less than 1.5 miles total and stopped at five featured sites, each supplying its own colorable, “home-grown” fixings. Culinary highlights included El Camino’s house jalapeno poppers and a generous slice of banana foster cheesecake from Darling’s Diner.

            “The motive here is simple: discover the best places to enjoy real food,” said Todd Murray, a veteran City Food tourist, who has attended tours ranging from gourmet dining to Love Park’s “authentically delicious” food trucks.

            City Food Tour co-owners Robert Weinberg and Eric Matzke prefer to host tours together. In addition to Saturday’s tastings, the partners identified several notable sights along the way, such as the brew house, where America’s first lager was made, and murals created by the Hancock Beautification Project.

The Liberty Lands mural depicts the historical Shmidt's Brewery building

Matzke explained how “No Libs,” originally an industrial zone for textile mills and plants, endured a gradual decline following WWII, until revival efforts began in the 1990’s.

Some guests were surprised to learn the transformation did not fully materialize until 2009, when the Piazza @ Schmidt’s opened in the heart of town.

One attendee, Jason Dalton, recalled a friendly competition with Matzke.

“I really thought I stumped him with my question about Cohocksink Creek,” he said, “but Eric was determined to give an accurate yet enjoyable history lesson, something I never thought possible until today.”

With its towering residential buildings enclosing a

ground-level shopping center, Liberties Walk makes

efficient use of just four blocks

            According to Weinberg, Bart Blatstein designed the innovative Liberties Walk, which houses an array of galleries and shops among other retail locations. The “innovative developer,” he also noted, constructed the Piazza’s modern features to commend the “younger, hipper business demographic” responsible for rejuvenating the community.

            “[City Food Tours] guides love sharing inside fun facts about the places visited, how the food is made, and what to look for when selecting items on your own – useful information you could never get simply by visiting a shop or restaurant on your own,” Weinberg said.

Following the event, guests personally complimented their tour guides for providing an engaging approach to the food tour industry. First-time guest Mary Peabody described the pair as “funny, endearing, and knowledgeable,” adding she was eager to book another tour in the warmer months to come.