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Menu Time
It was March of 2009 — right after Watchmen came out, not sure why we remember it like that — when we first wrote about married chefs Todd Braley and Daniela D'Ambrosio's plans to open a French-ish BYO called Pickled Heron (2218 Frankford Ave.) in Fishtown. They targeted a summer '09 opening, but that came and went. To be honest, we thought the restaurant was off the table altogether. But look! Close to three years later, the couple is all but ready to go — D'Ambrosio (no relation to our Felicia) says she and her husband will open to the public this coming Tuesday, Dec. 20. Here's to sticktoitiveness, Valdeon-smeared flatbreads and housemade pork rillettes! Check out the cash-only BYO's opening menu after the jump (click to enlarge) and call 215-634-5666 for reservations.
Rob LaScala of Seventh and Chestnut's LaScala's opened twin restaurants Rocchino's and Azione in Old City shortly after Thanksgiving. The adjacent and connected spaces tout distinct approaches — Azione (241 Chestnut St.) does family-style Italian-American dining at big tables (gone are most of the neon-glowy club touches of Dolce), while Rocchino's (239 Chestnut St.; formerly Paradigm) deals in coal-oven pizzas, small-plate antipasti and hearty pasta plates. (The exposed brick, bar setup, granite pizza enclave and oven on this side are all brand-new.) Chef Joe Nocella is running both operations here; he's also in charge of the kitchen at LaScala's. Busy dude. Both menus are after the jump (click to enlarge). Food pictured above, in order:
- Gorgonzola Dolce pizza: arugula, prosciutto, orange blossom honey
- Pappardelle with bolognese
- Spaghetti with San Marzano tomato sauce, olive oil, ricotta salata
- Roasted beets with goat cheese, arugula pesto, toasted pistachios and saba
Both concepts have bars, offering 30 wines by the glass (lots of Euro inclusion); Rocchino's takes the Italiano thing a step further, pouring beers from the boot (Del Borgo, Del Ducato, Moretti, Peroni) on draft. Both restaurants are open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Happy hour runs weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring $3 Peroni and Moretti, $4 house wines, $5 cocktails and $6 Margherita pizzas.
Brunch is coming to the Khyber Pass Pub (56 S. Second St.) in true New Orleans fashion. Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., brunchgoers can enjoy dishes such as shrimp, tasso ham and Anson Mills grits; boudin and two eggs any style; NOLA specialties like beignets and praline bacon (exactly what it sounds like); and Bananas Foster French toast with Leidenheimer's bread and brown sugar/cinnamon/dark rum sauce. They'll also be serving Community Coffee's dark roast with chicory in the form of café au lait. If you're into day drinking, the cocktail list features a Creole Bloody Mary, Bourbon Milk Punch, a New Orleans Golden Fizz and the very apropos, very boozy Vieux Carré. Full menu after the jump (click to enlarge).
Restaurateur Robert Bynum (Warmdaddy's, Green Soul, Relish) will open his latest, Heirloom, at 8705 Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill next Friday, Dec. 16. Journeyman chef Al Paris, who we last saw at City Tap House in West Philly, has come on board to run the kitchen here (he worked with Robert and brother Ben in the Zanzibar Blue days), cooking a menu themed around American culinary regionalism. Rather than playing exclusively within the sandbox of American Southern cuisine, like the Bynums' other joints, the 50-seat BYO will also take on flavors from New England, the Midwest, the Southwest and West Coast. See for reference entrées like Maine lobster with garnet yam dumplings; Lancaster duck breast with foie gras and parsnip hash; and Nebraska beef short ribs with a sassafras glaze. Full menu is after the jump (click to enlarge).
Heirloom, a 50-seat BYO, will serve dinner every day but Monday, with Sunday brunch running from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
John Taus has unveiled a brand-new menu at The Corner (102 S. 13th St.), featuring a revamped lineup of bar snacks (Asian-style fried turkey tails), new starter options (braised calamari with chickpeas, bell peppers and gremolata; a scrapple/foie gras combo), shareable-format dinners* (whole pork shoulder that feeds six to eight) and some new entrées (a lobsterfied version of Taus' well-loved pot pie). Peep in full after the jump (click to enlarge).
* UPDATE [2:25 p.m.]: Sorry we didn't have this info before — here's how the menu's "Shareable Entrees" option works. The indicated "per person" price includes a dish from the "Snacks" section, a dish from the "Starters" section, the entrée itself, a side dish and a dessert. So for example: Your table orders the pork shoulder entrée. For $40, you could get the salt cod hush puppies, the beet salad, the pork, a side to go with the pork and something sweet to finish.
Peep overflow-capturing game: Hip-to-be-square Santucci's (901 S. 10th St.) is now serving brunch. So long, suckers waiting at Sabrina's — we’ll be down the street feasting on buttermilk pancakes with bananas, Nutella and hazelnut butter; hanger steak and eggs; and cinnamon brioche French toast with caramelized apples. Owner Alicia Santucci and chef Bobby Saritsoglu have kept it affordable, with nothing over $12. In the liquid department, the staff’ll squeeze you fresh O.J. ($3 a glass, not bad) and provide Bloody Mary mix if you bring the vodka. Brunch is served Sundays only, 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. Full menu after jump (click to enlarge).
Photo: Mark Stehle
After a friends-and-fam soft open this Friday, the Green Eggs crew and chef George Sabatino will officially premiere Stateside (1536 E. Passyunk Ave.) this Saturday, Nov. 19. We've got the full menu after the jump (click to enlarge), but here's a few teasers from the ex-Barbuzzo chef de cuisine: house-made goat cheese with charred escarole, oysters with pomegranate mignonette, house-smoked trout and Bourbon-brined chicken. (Glad the butternut squash/foie mousse we were stoked on at the pop-up made the final cut.) Saturday will be walk-in only. With just 28 seats inside the intimate, industrial-chic space, plus 12 at the concrete-topped bar, we suggest you get there at 5 p.m., when they'll open for dinner service.
Chinatown's been crazy with activity lately — Yummy Lan Zhou and Jin Wei recently opened, Yakitori Boy is working on a ramen shop, Sammy Chon's K-Town BBQ and Korean fried chicken spot Soho are on the way and Hop Sing Laundromat could very well open at some point within the next five to six years. Add M Kee (1002 Race St.), which opened Monday, to the hit list — little duck house, big menu, with soups and congee and rice dishes and even hot pots like crazy. Dropped by for a late lunch the other day and got down on the house special roast duck noodle soup and a starter of hot beef tripe. Full menu after the jump (click to enlarge).
Photos: Drew Lazor
Miran, open for years at 2034 Chestnut, now has a new chef and new management — Wa Joe Korean Restaurant has been bibimpbapping for about six weeks under chef/owner Moon Lee, who's cooked at both New York's multi-location KungGangSan and Upper Darby's Pocha Pocha. They do the traditional barbecue here, as well as hot pots and rice plates; lunch, served Monday to Friday from 12:30 to 3 p.m., comprises a bunch of combos topping out at $12.99. Full menu after the jump (click to enlarge).
Last week, chef Jim Davidson added a whole lotta meatiness to the menu at Frankford Hall (1210 Frankford Ave.), with seven new burgers and a bunch of app options. Indulge in beef, turkey or lamb patties ranging from $7 to $12, as well as lighter options like the Atlantic "Lachs," a seared salmon burger with tartar sauce, arugula, pickled red onions and avocado. For small bites, go for escarole soup (Davidson's mom's recipe), chicken liver mousse or beet and goat cheese salad. To celebrate the new plates, the beer garden is also offering a half-liter draft for $3 when you order a burger or sausage dish through next Tuesday, Nov. 15. Peruse the complete menu after the jump (click to enlarge).
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