PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square starts on June 21 and runs through Aug. 7 nightly from 6 to 11 p.m. There will be plenty to eat there, plus a brand new beer garden.
Vendor Michael Chow, who owns Sang Kee in Chinatown, University City and Wynnewood, expects a lot of people to come hungry, as it takes place during dinnertime.
He said the restaurant will be serving some of its more popular entrees: “One is the coconut shrimp, one is the General Tso’s chicken, one is the grilled chicken with the lemongrass, and another one is vegan beef with broccoli.”
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Margaretha Basuki, owner of Oishi at 138 Chestnut St., is also a vendor. Attendees will recognize her Korean meatballs again this year, but she’s also featuring a new “Asian meatball,” highlighting flavors of her native Indonesia.
“It’s like a steamed meatball and we’re going to make our recipe [with] sweet soy sauce mixed up with ketchup, plus we’re going to add the tofu,” she said.
Other options: “Beef bao — it’s like a bun but inside there’s sweet beef and on top, pickle, ginger and radish,” she said, plus Thai tea with boba.
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Cescaphe is running the Dragon Beer Garden at the festival. Bar manager Mike Miller said visitors can get Asian-themed cocktails or mocktails for kids. “We have a pomegranate with ginger ale, simple syrup and a fruit juice topped with some grenadine,” he said.
Admission to the festival is $20 for adults and $12 for kids.