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Archive: September, 2011
Richard Nevada and Tina Sodi, the husband-wife combo of late Washington Square restaurant Sabbaba
(more recently Leila Café, which moved to 1356 South St.), are back to reclaim their old corner
spot with a Middle Eastern BYOB called King Tut (1240 Pine St., 215-735- 8111.). Set to open within the next few days, the restaurant will focus heavily on the family's Egyptian and Lebanese roots, providing an affordable selection of handmade dishes. For lunch they'll do sandwiches, salads, soups and rice platters, all priced just below $6. The dinner menu expands on these offerings, with meat and veggie entrees like grilled kafta, bamiya, addas bihamod and Nevada's personal favorite, mashawi, a mix of grilled lamb, chicken and kafta meant for two to share. They’ll also offer a grand opening special — choice of soup, app, entrée, dessert and beverage (try the deep purple karkadé, made of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower) for $24.95. Belly dancers will entertain every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. until close. The spot will stay open until 10 pm. nightly.
This Saturday, Sept. 24 will be the last day of service at Bindi (105 S. 13th St.), the modern Indian BYO Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran opened in 2008. As we reported in August, the duo will shut down the restaurant and renovate it to turn it into Jamonera, a Spanish wine bar and restaurant expected to open in October. Check out Elisa Ludwig's 2008 review of Bindi for a look back.
Photo: Michael T. Regan
- Somebody call a doctor: Adam Erace has fallen hard for Santucci's. The long-running local pizzeria recently relocated from Juniata to the Italian Market, revamping its approach along the way, and Erace discovers there's much more to woo on the menu than just their sauce-on-top, cheese-on-bottom pies.
- Port Richmond Pour House owner John Boswell has a rather unique set of house rules he uses to keep order in his shot-and-beer bar. Find out what is and is not permitted at his taproom.
- In Feeding Frenzy: The new Sabrina's in West Philly is now open, Adsum is now closed (and becoming something else), plenty of food truck movement and word on an open challenge submitted to Man v. Food's Adam Richman.
- In What's Cooking: Ryes to the occasion at Khyber Pass Pub, Oktoberfest at Brauhaus Schmitz, get corny with Matt Levin at David Katz and Mémé and more.
Photo: Mark Stehle
"Theater has become so exclusive and expensive — and you always need to eat dinner beforehand," says Emma Gibson of Tiny Dynamite Theatre. That was the thinking that led the Brit to apply for and eventually land a $25,000 Knights Arts Challenge she's now using to organize A Play, a Pie and a Pint, a new onstage initiative that combines food, drink and live theater.
Inspired by a similar program that originated in Scotland, Gibson has organized four productions, all of which will enjoy a two-day, Tuesday-and-Wednesday run at Society Hill Playhouse (507 S. Eighth St.) during each week in October. For just $15, theatergoers get a seat, beer (Yards has signed on as a partner) and pizza. "In Scotland, the thinking was, 'How can we create theater and support new playwrights where people can afford to come and see it?'" says Gibson. Across the pond, PPP took place at lunchtime and featured short-crust meat pies. Since daytime drinking isn't quite as socially embraced in the States, Gibson's Americanized the idea a bit, moving the plays closer to happy hour (6 p.m.) and subbing in slices from a TBD pizzeria. Full details on October's productions after the jump.
Photo: Courtesy of Tiny Dynamite
Chef Matt Levin, late of Adsum, is bringing his menu eccentricities to Mémé (2201 Spruce St.) next Tuesday, Sept. 27, when he'll partner with chef David Katz on a five-course, cocktail-paired dinner based around a late-summer theme ingredient: corn. Priced at $50 a head, the duo's menu will feature dishes like Japanese jack fish with popcorn purée; fried chicken served with 10 textures of corn; sea scallops with smoked corn cobbler and Armagnac cherries; and pushed foie gras with corn sherbet, mascarpone spheres and burnt vanilla. Drinks, also be of the corn variety, will come courtesy of Mémé's Tom Pittakas, former beverage director of Alison Two. "The dessert cocktail will have a caramel corn thing going on," teases Levin. Grab a spot for the 6 or 8:30 p.m. seatings by calling 215-735-4900.
View galleryIn early August we dropped word on Pitruco Pizza, a mobile Neapolitan wood-burning oven operation setting its sights on West Philly. Partner Nathan Winkler-Rhoades sends along word that the truck is progressing quite nicely — the exterior's been wrapped and branded (above), and they're settling on an opening menu, which you can peep after the jump (click to enlarge;prices subject to change). The plan is for Pitruco to sneak-peek on Saturday, Oct. 1 during Fall Fest at LOVE Park, where they will vend on Mondays and Wednesdays (other days they'll post up at 3500 Market). On Sunday, Oct. 2, you'll have a second chance to catch Pitruco's pies at a late-afternoon food fundraiser at Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center. They'll also participate in The Food Trust's Oct. 6 Chinatown Night Market in Chinatown before formally launching for business on Monday, Oct. 10.
Renaissance Sausage natural-casing ninja Dan Semko sold his food truck in July (it was purchased by Lucky Old Souls), but he's not wasting much time getting back on the street — Semko tells Meal Ticket he's working on launching a cart that will specialize in the breakfast sandwiches that garnered him such a positive following at the Headhouse farmers market and other city perches. Semko, who will set up at Broad and Cherry in the new Lenfest Plaza, will serve handmade pork breakfast patties or veggie sausage topped with organic eggs and local cheese on fresh-baked kaiser rolls. He'll also deviate from his previous approach by offering fresh Lancaster bacon, lunch specials, a variety of baked goods and coffee roasted locally by Cafe L'Aube. No debut date for the Renaissance breakfast cart just yet but keep an eye on @thesausagetruck for updates.
This should probably be classified as cruel considering Zeppoli (618 Collings Ave., Collingswood, N.J.) is closed on Tuesdays, but Joey Baldino's tagliatelli al limone is straight unfair. (Our critic Adam Erace agrees, too.) "The tag is so simple," says the chef, a humble phrase oft spoken by people who are way better at cooking than you and me. After hand-crafting his tagliatelle with durum flour and egg, the South Philly native and newly minted restaurant owner works up an easy sauce with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon (both zest and juice), pasta water and a bit of butter. He tops his noodles with fresh oregano and ample gratings of burnt-sienna bottarga (cured roe pouch), which play briny back-and-forth with the citrus-blessed dressing in an invigorating game of fork-twirling pasta ping-pong.
Baldino offers this and all his pastas in half portions to save his diners room for mains and desserts, but this is one plate I could easily demolish at full strength and still roll into entrées feeling like a spectacular human being. Eat this immediately!
Photo: James Narog
Just touched base with Kar Vivekananthan to get the skinny on Tapestry, his redo of neighborhood bistro Adsum (700 S. Fifth St.) in partnership with Rich Rivera of Manayunk-based Belvedere Restaurant Group (Agiato, Terrace Taproom, Main Street Market, Rubb BBQ, etc.).
In anticipation of the fast-approaching Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays, Larry Rosenblum of Rittenhouse's Spread Bagelry (262 S. 20th St.) has issued a public challenge to prolific television eater/Jewish guy Adam Richman of Man v. Food fame. The terrifying 13-pound sandwich pictured above is known as The Classic Whale — it consists of a four-pound Montreal-style "Everything" bagel layered with three pounds of nova, two pounds of housemade whitefish salad, two pounds of cream cheese and two pounds of tomatoes, onions and capers. Rosenblum is trying to coax Richman into breaking his fast after sunset on Saturday, Oct. 8 by taking on this Hebrew Moby Dick (it technically has a blowhole!), but he's also planning on adding the item to his catering menu, as it can easily feed 10 to 12 people. He's also receptive to the idea of letting mortal eaters try their hand at finishing it as an everyday challenge, though he has yet to set a price or parameters.
Photo: Courtesy of Spread
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