If last night is any indication of how the rest of the Healthy Living Summit is going to go, I’m in for a treat!
I arrived in Philadelphia a little after 3 p.m. and was picked up at the airport by the wonderful Heather and Courtney who drove in town from New York. The three of us made our way back o the hotel to check in, unpack and get situated. We didn’t have too much time to waste until it was dinnertime.
Another New York blogger, Jen, made reservations for a group of eight of us bloggers at Farmicia, a restaurant she claimed was Philadelphia gold.
When we arrived, we all oohed and ahhed over the romantic atmosphere and commented about how Farmicia seemed like it would’ve been a great place for a date night.
Good thing I had some hot dates for the evening. 
Say hi to Jen, Lisa, me!, Courtney, Tina, Heather, Diana, Alicia and Lisa!
Once we settled in, we busted out a bottle of wine (apparently many restaurants in Philadelphia allow you to bring your own wine to dinner… without a corking fee!) and perused the menu while eating some bread with fresh herbed butter.
What is it about flavored butter that is so much better than regular butter? Honey butter is my favorite. Mmm. Git in mah belly!
For my main entrée, I opted for a roasted peach salad with goat cheese, walnuts, fennel and balsamic dressed garden lettuce.
The goat cheese was super creamy and the definite highlight of the meal.
After dinner we all had our hearts set on some frozen yogurt, but when we walked out of the restaurant, we were sad to see that it was raining. Boo!
We decided to brave the rain and walked back to the hotel, passing on our beloved dessert idea.
Once back in the room, we hung out just chatting away for hours. I told the girls I felt like we were at a high school sleepover! It was so much fun. I can’t get enough of late night girl talk.
Now it’s time to get rockin’. It’s breakfast time and my stomach is growling.
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Haha– I love that you guys are having one giant blogging slumber party. I’m sure the eats are off the charts 😉
Have a good time, Julie
i had a sugar cookie immediately upon wakening 🙂
Farmicia is on my list of places to try! I’ve been wanting to go there for so long! 🙂 The girl chat sounds like fun! Those were some of my favorite nights back in college!
That salad sounds amazing – I get a similar one with roasted beets and pears in Pittsburgh, but love the idea of peach with goat cheese. Have fun at the Summit!
so great Julie 🙂 I wish I could have gone to HLS! Can’t wait to see more pics of your weekend!
I agree–honey butter IS the best!
Flavored butter is for sure the best! I think Texas Roadhouse is one of the nastiest restaurants ever [I’m not a huge Red Meat eater.. if I eat it.. it better be GOOD steak/burger ], but I secretly love going there because they have the best, sweetest butter in the whole world! 🙂
Goat cheese is the start of any dish i t’s a part of! And no corking fee? SCORE!
Can’t wait to read all about the weekend!
Ahh so fun! Your food looks amazing! I love that you all are able to chat away for hours like you see each other all the time :). That’s something that I love about the blogging world! All of these pics are making me so jealous haha. Your dinner party included the bloggers that I desperately want to meet someday (you included, duh) :). I hope you have so much fun today!
What a delicious looking meal! I can’t wait to hear more about the rest of the summit!
check out Honeys if you get a chance.. so yummy but there is always a line. there are some good options near by though as well
http://www.honeys-restaurant.com/
Ahh I wish I could attend HLS! Next year!! You guys are off to a great start.. enjoy Philly, it is such an inviting city filled with fantastic eats 🙂
Haha, yes, the non-corking fee was one of my favorite parts of going out to dine in Philly in college! Definitely a find that’s most welcome (especially now that I’m in New York, where they charge you for like…a napkin).
I hope your first day is great! Looking forward to hearing about it. 🙂
it is so funny to see you all together when I am used to seeing you separately on your own blogs! I love it. I’m glad you girls are having a great time 🙂
And that salad looks ridic yummy.
Looks like a great date night!!! 🙂
So much fun! Sad that it was raining do you couldn’t get fro yo- but I certainly think a night of girl talk can make up for it!
I love the slumber party. AND THE FOOD!! 🙂 Enjoy!!
In Chicago a lot of smaller restaurants are BYOB! I thought it was so weird when I moved here!
Looks like al you girls had such a wonderful evening! I hope the weather is better for today and this weekend so you can get your fo yo fix! : )
I love farmicia! If you have a chance, I highly recommend the brunch!
So glad you tried Farmicia, it’s one of my favorites!! I love how so many Philly restaurants are BYOB. If you have the chance, you should try out Lolita. It’s a BYO tequila (or wine) place that has amazing food and really unique margaritas. It’s tiny though!!
House school sleepiness were the best! Is the 1st time you and Courtney are meeting?
yes!! 🙂 my buddy!
Looks like you girls are having a blast. Enjoy
philly its a great city! Have fun!
That bread looks absolutely incredible. Like, I wish I could be eating it right now!
Im loving all these pictures from you gals at HLS! Its so fun seeing some of my favorite bloggers all together!!! 🙂
This sounds SO fun. Ah, I really wish I was going! Hopefully next year. Enjoy the weekend! xoxo
sounds like you are having a great time! Your salad looks amazing! Enjoy the rest of the summit!!
I wish I was there so much! Enjoy it for everyone who can’t make it 🙂
Have a great day!
It is so fun seeing so many of my favorite bloggers in one place! Looks like so much fun! I wish I had been able to make it to HLS. Maybe next year!
I hope you lovely ladies are enjoying Phill-ay!
I would definitely hit up the Reading Terminal Market, it’s probably the greatest place on Earth! 😉
Don’t get into too much trouble!
Sounds like a fun first night!!!! Too bad about the rain though…..
Have you ever had the honey butter and rolls from Texas Roadhouse?! They’re AMAZING.
Looked like you ladies are all having such a great time already! Maybe some time in the future I can get my booty to one of these. 😉
I could really get into a restaurant with a BYOB policy.
The abundance of BYOBs is definitely my favorite part of living in Philadelphia. Saves you so much money when you go out. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to get into some of the best ones on the weekend because our BYOBs are notoriously small. (Also I second the Lolita suggestion – food/drinks are great, and that’s a fun section of the city.) I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here!
Awww so fun! I really miss slumber parties! And the no corking fee is amazing, wine in restaurants is such a rip off!
I went there a few months ago and posted about it on my blog! We went for brunch though and it was incredible. Great food, service, and atmosphere!
Looks like a fun first night, can’t wait to see more recaps! 🙂
Looks like a lovely restaurant! I love the charm of Philly! Make sure you find a philly cheesesteak.. 😉
It IS like one giant blogger sleep over! Haha 🙂
Looks like a great salad–cheese usually makes it extra decadent and delish! Have fun today!
I lived in Philly for about 6 years. If you have a little free time you HAVE to go to The Reading Terminal (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/). It’s and awesome indoor market with just about everything you can imagine. The Amish pretzels are to die for and the Middle Eastern shop there is delicious! I hope you have fun!
we’re going there tonight!!
JULIE! did u know that John travolta is from Ocala?! And he has one of those crazy scientology churchs there! Haha
So if u ever get bored, u know where you can go 🙂
YES! hoping to see him soon! 🙂
Well, I LOVED this post since I live in Philly and I also love Farmicia. They have an awesome brunch happy hour that I’m obsessed with–their cocktails are great! (Oh, and the food is good too.)
If you’re looking for frozen yogurt and you’re near Market Street, definitely check out Old City Frozen Yogurt. It’s delicious, and the store is really cute.
BYOB without a corking fee?
Why don’t I live in Philly?
I hate it when I have my mind set on something sweet, and then don’t get it in my tummy… it’s killer for the craving! I’m sure that you’ll make up for it pretty soon. Have a great time at the conference. Wish I was there!
I love trying out great restaurants in new cities. That salad looks so good! Roasted peach on a salad with cheese? I’ll have to steal that idea.
My sister lived in Philly for a few years and last summer when I visited, we ate at Farmicia. It was incredible!
Bloggy sleepover?! haha loves it! Have fun 🙂
Aw 🙂 What a fun night! Hope the rest of your time in Philly is amazing!
Farmicia was such a great choice! I went to school in Philly, and now that I’m in San Francisco, I definitely miss all the BYOBs!
Some other great BYOBs are L’Angolo (great homey atmosphere in South Philly), Mercato (a bit more upscale Italian), and Lolita (margaritas!). Another GREAT spot is Amada – no BYOB, but amazing tapas!
Have a wonderful trip!
Philly has so many good restaurants!!! Take it all in!!
What a fun night! And that’s so neat you all finally get to meet – I wish I was there! Can’t wait to read more about your fun weekend! 🙂