Best of Philly 2008: Guys’ Night Out

Start with martinis (gin, of course) and hulking hunks of meat at old-school Saloon in the Italian Market, then head east to digest at boxing mecca New Alhambra for a little mano-a-mano. Finish the night over good scotch, Coronas (the cigars, not the insipid Mexican beer) and cheap laughs at Walnut Street’s Mahogany, still the only smoking bar in Philly that you actually want to go to. >>> Saloon: 750 South 7th Street, 215-627-1811, saloonrestaurant.com. >>> New Alhambra: 7 West Ritner Street, 267.687.7560, newalhambra.com. >>> Mahogany: 1524 Walnut Street, 215-732-3982, phillycigarbar.com.

Best of Philly 2007: Sports Venue

Frustrated by all the cash you’ve dropped on seats only to watch our local teams lose, lose, and lose again? You can work out some of that aggression — vicariously, at least — seeing grown men and women bloody each other at the New Alhambra, a two-year-old shrine to triple body suplexes. They’ve got real boxing, Women’s Extreme Wrestling, Ultimate Dodgeball, Combat Zone Wrestling, and plenty of other lowbrow ways to enjoy an evening with your honey. Whatever you do, don’t take a cab. We waited over an hour to get one home.

2006 Boxing Venue of the Year

Cookie cutter TV camera angles and conformist courts and fields are the business of other sports. But in boxing, anything goes with the venues we visit. And perhaps more than any other sport, the feel and look of boxing on TV is greatly affected by the setting we are in. Picking the best host site of WNF 2006 is a tough call. We visited some outstanding arenas and fight venues. The fans play a big role in this choice, too. Most of the fans were smart and passionate. Most of the venues were a perfect fit. I struggled with this but I find it tough to pick a better venue than the New Alhambra in South Philly. It is packed with fans. Real fight fans. They seem to have a rooting interest in each fight, even the four round swing bouts. Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz lines the walls with black and white posters of legends. The whole atmosphere is like something out of an old-school boxing movie. The New Alhambra has taken the place of the Blue Horizon as the home of Philly boxing. It is a must visit for every fight fan.
- Joe Tessitore