Staff holiday party ideas?

[Greg Salisbury]

So I wanted to take the staff and their significant others (around 20 of us) out for a holiday dinner. Someplace enjoyable, good vibe, like to be able to BYO, Sunday night the 19th, keep it around $20++ per person for the food. Was thinking about Tierra Colombiana or Penang (I know neither are BYO, but they come closest to what I'm looking for). Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[MarketStEl]

The Rose Tattoo (18th and Callowhill) isn't a BYO, either, but it's popular with Community College faculty (it's nearby), and we had a couple of very good holiday lunches there when I was working in University Communications at Penn. You might want to check it out.

[GregD]

I really like Samba, a Brazilian restaurant/night club near 7th and Girard. It's in a beautiful old bank, the people who work there are incredibly friendly, and they can easily handle big groups if you let them know ahead of time. It's the churrasco style. They do try hard to accomodate vegetarians--both with a big salad bar and by grilling veggies in the back if you ask, but it obviously caters to meat-eaters.

[GregD]

Samba is, however, not BYO.

[Rich Pawlak]

I really like Samba, a Brazilian restaurant/night club near 7th and Girard.  It's in a beautiful old bank, the people who work there are incredibly friendly, and they can easily handle big groups if you let them know ahead of time.  It's the churrasco style.  They do try hard to accomodate vegetarians--both with a big salad bar and by grilling veggies in the back if you ask, but it obviously caters to meat-eaters.

←

I agree with the Samba idea. Dont know if they're open on Sunday, though. It's a fabulous place.

[Curlz]

While I have no recs to contribute here, I just want to give kudos to Greg for wanting to take his staff out in the first place!! In my entire career, I've yet to work for someone who really had a good idea of what to do for his/her employees at the holidays. A nice dinner out is certainly a fine choice! Enjoy!

[MarketStEl]

While I have no recs to contribute here, I just want to give kudos to Greg for wanting to take his staff out in the first place!!  In my entire career, I've yet to work for someone who really had a good idea of what to do for his/her employees at the holidays.  A nice dinner out is certainly a fine choice!  Enjoy!

←

Where I am temporarily ensconced--Drexel University, at least until the end of the year--the big boss decided to bring the food to the employees. The President's Holiday Party featured foods from around the world, in themed booths--meat patties and jerk chicken from the Caribbean, sushi, barbecued spareribs and teriyaki wings from Japan, empanadas from Spain, German meatballs, fondue, New England clam chowder...you get the idea. All served in a festively decorated Great Court (for those of you who have never been inside Drexel's historic 1891 Main Building, this is one of the most impressive interior spaces in the city), festooned with huge red balloons and placards bearing holiday greetings in many languages (the balloons and banners are still in place as I type this). There were performances and entertainment, including a Chinese dragon dance.

Everyone I spoke with afterwards had a fabulous time. Me, I didn't think Sodexho could turn out such impressive fare. (Sodexho does Drexel's campus food service and catered the party.) And some people I spoke with afterwards who avoided this year's party because last year's was a real stinker were sorry they didn't come after they heard what happened this year.

[KatieLoeb]

Greg:

Tierra Colombiana is a great idea. I hosted a DDC dinner there a while back and they could not have been more accomodating. They mix a mean mojito too.

I've never been a big fan of Penang, but that may be a personal prejudice. I just find Malaysian cuisine too heavy and oily by comparison with other Asian food and hence, do not prefer it.

Other possibilities could include Pho Xe Lua in Chinatown, Indian food (there's usually already a buffet), or perhaps a nice plated dinner at Nan, which is BYO and also not too far from you. How about Thai food?? Perhaps Siam Lotus? How about a South Philly BYO like Tre Scalini?? I'd thiink of all the fun places we've done previous DDC dinners and go from there...

[Greg Salisbury]

Good stuff! I will check out Samba - Churrascaria Plataforma was one of my faves in New York, and I have always wondered why the concept didn't take off here. Pho isn't a bad idea, although I was thinking more Nam Phuong - love the food and there's parking!

[KatieLoeb]

Greg:

I'm certain any of the alternatives I mentioned would be happy to provide you with a "limited menu" from which your guests could choose for a set price per head. The advantage to doing that at a BYOB is obvious (and of course I'd be happy to help play sommeliere if you need me to. It's a holiday mitzvah to help people drink well ) but even places with a liquor license might be able to do an open bar type set up for you for a certain price per hour, or do the dinner as a buffet or limited menu and run a drink tab for you. There's a bunch of ways to skin that cat.

I'd ask at several of the options to see how accomodating they're willing to be and which place fits your budget for this event.

Separate note: when a few of us intrepid souls were at the Abbaye on Wednesday night they were having a company Holiday party on the other side of the restaurant. The guests looked very happy and the food and beer selection there is tough to beat.

[GregD]

MSE,

Thanks for posting the image of Drexel's interior. Pretty amazing. I need to check it out.

[herbacidal]

Greg,

Yea, it is very nice. I take it for granted, since I went to school there, but it is very nice.

Take some time and stand across Chestnut Street from the main entrance as well. It's very striking. Students from the art or architecture school would always be sketching it in nice weather.

The building's on the corner of 32nd and Chestnut.