My recent cover story on the nu-Delaware Avenue didn’t just thrill hipster doofuses and theatah lovers. It rang bells for local club entrepreneurs — let’s call them “clunts” — looking to cash in on the hot SkrillDipmau5 scene. Suddenly, these clunts are trying to fill in the holes in NoLibs and Delaware Ave. by leasing any spot big enough to chill meat in. But hold your horses, boys. Political representatives aren’t exactly keen on the noise and the nuisance you’ll bring. Example: The recent interest in the now-vacant Club Egypt at Delaware and Spring Garden. Several clunts put in bids on the large-scale mega-watt corner location. No positive word if one of them was Rumor’s Mark Marek, whom we noted a while back was rumored to be looking to open a club space on the Ave. Marek supposedly posted something last week about opening a surprise 2,000-capacity live club. Marek’s partner in Rumor, Joe Grasso, co-owns the Egypt building. You connect the dots. Either way, area politicos ain’t having it. Stay tuned.
Chris Malcarney’s cLone Justice — a cover band of players from Nixon’s Head, Beretta 76 and Slo Mo devoted to Lone Justice’s 1985 debut album — plays its final show June 28 at Kung Fu Necktie. Bonus points for getting Lone Justice singer Maria McKee to weigh in on the project on Facebook: “i love me a good cheese steak and some clone justice!. glad you guys are doing this so i don’t have to! ;).”
The Ital Market area got some hot (dog) news when the long-vacant O Sandwiches spot on Ninth next to Geno’s Steaks snagged a renter: Underdogs, Bob Amar’s gourmet weiner-y. Joey Vento’s rolling in his grave. La Lupe, O Sandwiches’ ex-neighbor, just emptied its taco emporium to prep for a move next to Teri’s and Connie’s Ric Rac on Ninth. Blocks to the north on Eighth, the Little Bar/Vesuvio space gets Growlers, a drink-centric eatery from Jason Evenchik (Time) and Jay Willard (Dandelion).
When ?uestlove brings his tasty fried chicken/?uest Loves Food project to Washington Ave.’s Night Market this Thursday (June 28), it’ll be a homecoming of sorts, even though he won’t be there. “[?LF partner] Graham Elliot and I do smaller events to keep sharp and so that they’re not so much out of my pocket,” laughs ?uest, whose Philly home is near the Italian Market. “It just so happens that this one is in my neighborhood, so there’s cool points there.” ?uest jokes that he’s now a disgruntled New Yorker, since he spends more time there than here (“I’m in Philly once a week”). That’ll change soon as ?uest and The Roots start rehearsals for their Fourth of July party on the Parkway and commence work on their next album. “I don’t want to jinx myself by not spending time with my records in my room [at N. Seventh Street’s The Studio] digging through crates.”
(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)
