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Openings
Washington Avenue is the definitive HQ of Vietnamese cooking in South Philly, but Liem Ma (who owns Pho & Cafe Viet Huong at 11th) is pushing east to Pennsport. His massive Mekong River (1120 S. Front St.) opened just last week, slick with gleaming hardwood floors, stacked stone accent walls and a facade vaguely reminiscent of a swish Cherry Hill strip mall. Die-hard pho hounds will probably decry its sanitized good looks — "Can you believe there aren't even any roaches here?! NOT authentic enough for me!" — but the food (especially the pho broth, strong on the star anise) is legit. Just ask all the Vietnamese families lunching there over the weekend.
photos by Adam Erace
Beck's Cajun Cafe, coming correct with N'awlins fare in Reading Terminal since 2009, is opening a second location this summer. (Recently departed food editor Drew Lazor digs their gator gumbo.) The destination is 30th Street Station, the ETA July, according to chef/owner Bill Beck. Expect Terminal favorites like po'boys and Cajun meatloaf, plus an expanded menu of the kind of salads Meal Ticket can get behind, namely the Cajun Chef's, loaded with tasso, smoked turkey and pickled veg.
Rachel Klein’s vegan commissary, Miss Rachel's Pantry (1732 W. Passyunk), opens today and accepting rezzies for its first communal farmhouse-table dinner this Fri., June 8. The inaugural animal-free feast is $45 for four courses (gluten-free option for each) and includes dishes like English pea fritters, corn-and-chanterelle chowder with grilled ramps and coconut bacon and strawberry shortcake. (Full menu after the jump.) BYOB for the house-made “spritzes;” we’re feeling a smoky mescal for the ginger-lemon-pear flavor. For reservations, email (rachel@missrachelspantry.com) or call 215-798-0053.
Critical Mass made note today of the debut of Morgan's Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.), Four Corners nightlife capo Avram Hornik's takeover of the old Rock Lobster/Octo spot right on the water. The revamped dockside spot is poised to draw live-music fans in with its promise of live open-air shows/DJs weekly (look out for Dave P and Sammy Slice tomorrow, then Lee Jones and Rich Medina for a Sundae dance party this Sunday), but the food's also a lure. Hornik, along with partners Mark Fichera and Joe Crouse, brought on David Katz of Mémé (2201 Spruce St.) to develop a menu reflecting what'd it be like to hit up a weekend cookout at a chef's house — nothing fancy or over-the-top, but more ambitious and finessed than a ripped-open packet of Dietz & Watson wieners.
The word is July for Bliss Juices and Ice Cream, a Lebanese-style ice cream/dessert parlor and juice bar from the crew behind Manakeesh Café (4420 Walnut St.). General manager Abd Ghazzawi says they're in the process of breaking through into the adjacent building for Bliss, which will seat 15 and serve Lancaster County ice cream, fresh waffles, crepes, exotic juices and Lebanese fruit cocktails, which "consist of fresh juice, fruit pieces and ashta, a ricotta-based sweet cream, topped with honey and ground nuts," according to Ghazzawi. They're typically eaten for dessert after lunch or dinner. If the picture above is any indication, we'll take 'em for breakfast, too.
Photo: nogarlicnoonions.com
It's been about three weeks since Rice & Mix (1207 Walnut St.) got fixin' on the opposite side of Broad from owner Yong Chi's Giwa (1608 Sansom St.). Chi, who opened that quickie Korean restaurant in 2006, says franchising has long been a goal of his, but he realized Giwa's menu was too varied to spark in markets lacking a familiarity with Korean cuisine. Since bibimbop — the popular mainstream specialty of pork, beef or chicken mixed with egg, rice and vegetables, often in a lava-hot dolsot (stone bowl) — accounts for 70 percent of food sales at Giwa ("That clearly says it all," says Chi), he figured a separate concept focusing on this dish would have broader appeal.
Around three times the size of Giwa, Rice & Mix (first mentioned here in the fall) operates on a burrito shop or Subway-style point-and-shuffle system — you can watch R&M build you a custom bibimbop bowl or select from a menu of four predetermined favorites. Other menu items include dup bop (simply meat over white or multigrain rice in a bowl), jap chae (the most famous Korean noodle dish), galbi (grilled short ribs) and, soon, bulgogi cheesesteaks and Korean fried chicken. A slew of traditional banchan, or Korean sides, are available to go, too. Full menu after the jump (click to enlarge). Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
The third location of Sabrina's, on Drexel's campus, opened at the beginning of the school year last fall. Along with that September '11 debut at 34th/Powelton came the promise of an associated stop from Robert and Raquel DeAbreu called Spencer ΣTA Burger, grilling a bunned-up selection of sandwiches separate from the café menu. Choices at the patty-centric concept, which properly opened over the weekend, include "Dr. I's Burger" (pictured), topped with Sabrina's huevos rancheros sauce, guac, lime sour cream, tomato, pepper jack and a fried jalapeno; the breakfast-y "Wakey Wakey," a burger on a biscuit topped with grilled sausage, caramelized maple/onion/shallot jam and two over-easy eggs; and the "Ultimate Spencer Burger," a beast boasting everything from poached apples to turkey bacon. Full menu's after the jump. ΣTA Burger will be open on weekends only to capitalize on munchie-stricken party crowds — Thursday from 8 p.m. to midnight, Friday/Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 4 to 10.
View galleryJeanne Chang has officially opened up her Lil' Pop Shop in the former Unitea in West Philly (265 S. 44th St.). We went yesterday to try some of the pops she told us about a couple months ago — our favorites from Chang's diverse selection were the peanut butter curry and lime mint, but we agreed with everyone else that the salted caramel brownie and Vietnamese coffee pops are some of the best we've had.
Back in January I wrote about Gary Reuben's Underground Arts basement theater in the Wolf building (12th and Callowhill) was gearing up for a restaurant addition called Underground Eats, run by GM Mike Staldi and producer Mike Thatcher and featuring a menu designed by drummer-turned-chef Tom Stalling. The space underwent its last formal inspection on Tuesday, and looks to open its doors within the next two weeks.
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