Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: May 13, 2008

>> NOW SEATING

After months of planning and press hounding (including our May 1 cover story and an Inky blog dedicated solely to chronicling the opening process), the Israeli restaurant from Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook has arrived. We recently worked our way through the menu and were taken from the start — the salatim (salad) course is set up interestingly, letting you pay per head, not per dish (pony up $5 a person to split four salads, $7 for six salads, etc.) to sample starters like succulent twice-cooked eggplant, tabbouleh and baba ganoush. Hummus is accompanied by supple olive oil- and herb-dressed laffa bread. And kebabs ... ah, kebabs. The Bulgarian (a cumin-spiced lamb and beef mixture) and the Kineret (delicate salmon drizzled with a pomegranate sauce) are both winners. OK, we'll stop now so you can go make a reservation.

South Philly natives Nicholas Sweeney and Nicholas Matteo, who met working the line at Striped Bass, are holding an open house for their 30-seat New American BYO tonight from 7 to 9. Saturday, May 17, marks the grand opening. Matteo says they're "staying as local as possible" in terms of ingredients, with a weekly menu based around area growers. No specifics yet, but the Nicks are really into seafood — both also spent time at Morimoto, after all. They'll serve dinner Thursday to Sunday. How's it going to work, this two-chefs-in-the-kitchen deal? "We do argue a lot," laughs Matteo. "People who don't know us think we're having a fight like a married couple ... but in the end, we take his ideas and my ideas and come out with a better dish."

On May 28, Pita Pit (1601 Sansom St., 215-564-1080, phillypitapit.com) will become the first Philadelphia eatery to seek certification from the Green Restaurant Association, a national nonprofit that works to up environmental standards in the industry. GRA consultants analyze a restaurant's setup and suggest ways to green things up — cutting energy costs, setting up recycling initiatives, establishing relationships with sustainable vendors and so forth. Pita Pit owner Adam Palmer says that it's not an overnight deal — meeting GRA standards is a gradual process with yearly goals. Read more at dinegreen.com.

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