Food and Drinq

In good economies and bad, there is a never-ending crop of chefs and investors, gobs of cash in hand, willing to give it a go.

And so they do.

And so we look ahead at what 2008 holds.

If bigger is better, three openings will be outstanding.

* Stephen Starr's Parc will put 275 seats, plus 90 outside, at 18th and Locust Streets at the Parc Rittenhouse, the former Sheraton Rittenhouse Square. The French bistro, whose working name was Parc Bistro, will encompass the former Bleu and Potcheen, and serve breakfast (a Starr first), lunch, dinner and late-night. Starr (left), who will have a hand in at least four other new restaurants in 2008, says "May" for Parc's debut.

* Georges Perrier and Chris Scarduzio's Table 31, a steakhouse bistro on three levels of Center City's new Comcast Center, will offer a la carte dining for 200, plus private dining for groups small to large (15 to 400 people). Soft opening is penciled in for May 2. The duo own Brasserie Perrier in Center City and Mia in Atlantic City; Perrier (left) owns Le Bec-Fin in Center City, while Scarduzio (right) is promising to open a solo venture in Atlantic City.

* Suburban restaurateurs (including Scott Morrison and brothers Terence and Patrick Feury) are behind the long-in-the-works Maia (789 E. Lancaster Ave., Villanova), which will be a bilevel, Euro-style fine-dining restaurant (140 seats), bar (80 seats), and cafe/market (60 seats). Cuisine will feature East Coast and “new Nordic” influences, so you might say there’s a fjord in your future. Or you might not.
Opening is scheduled for March, and the first event will be a fund-raiser. (That's Terence Feury at left, and Patrick Feury at right.)

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Before the list of openings, two news items:

* An alphanumeric pairing: Ryan Margolis, who opened 707 at 707 Chestnut St. in April, and Jayson Grossberg (left), who'd been running Alphabet Soup in Audubon, Camden County. Grossberg, who won critical acclaim not only from the New York Times' Jersey section but The Inquirer's Craig LaBan, is now in the kitchen at 707 as chef, amping up the new-American menu. He’ll use the Alphabet Soup space for private parties.

* David Katz, who gathered great notices behind the stove at Restaurant M before a very short turn at Silk City, is outfitting the former Sandy's luncheonette at 24th and Locust Streets. Katz (right) and partner Andrew Krouk, who owns the bricks, are shooting for May or June, and there will be a liquor license. Name and concept are still to come.

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And now for the openings, in rough chronological order. Remember, restaurants never follow their (owners' wildly optimistic) due dates:

Yakitori Boy, the gorgeous Japanese behemoth at 211 N. 11th St. in Chinatown, is open. But it's not open. It is in soft-opening mode, as it awaits its liquor license. There's a yakitori bar (with grills), a sushi bar and, upstairs, private and public karaoke space. But as you know, karaoke requires copious alcohol.

Maoz Vegetarian, a Dutch-rooted quick-serve going great guns at 248 South St., is a week to 10 days from its second Philly spot, at 1115 Walnut St., across from the Forrest.

Jin House, a budget Chinese once at 11th and Spruce before the building above it burned down a few years ago, is looking at a mid- to late-January reopening at 1117 Locust St.

Pearl, the high-tone Asian fusion from the Red Sky crew in the old Little Pete’s at 1904 Chestnut St., is up for late January or early February.

Devil's Den, the pub due to replace Felicia's at 11th and Ellsworth Streets in South Philly, is now looking at February. I'm hearing tales of two huge fireplaces, a chef last at the Union League, and two dozen beers on tap, plus several hundred by the bottle.

George Markakis, who owns Old City's GiGi, is looking at Feb. 15 to soft-open his casual Mexican spot at 10th and Spruce Streets, which last (for about 10 minutes) was an Italian restaurant/wine bar called Sauce. Markakis says the name may be Azul.

Girasole's return to Center City (a ground-floor space at the Symphony House at Broad and Pine) now seems likely at "late February" at the earliest.

Stephen Starr is saying "March" for his so-far-unnamed gastropub at 706 Chestnut St., in the space that was Blue Angel and Angelina.

Chef-owner Peter Woolsey, a veteran of Washington Square, Striped Bass and Le Mas Perrier (after a few years in Paris at Lucas Carton), says "March-April" for his "city French bistro," Bistrot La Minette. It's on Sixth Street above Bainbridge, the building with the Dalmatian mural and across from Shouk.

The Waverly is the name of the French-influenced restaurant/fireside lounge from Bistro 7 chef-owner Michael O’Halloran at 13th and Waverly Streets (412-426 S. 13th St.) in Washington Square West. He says April for the opening.

Stephen Starr expects to retool his Washington Square restaulounge by April. He says he's not firm on the name or concept, but he's thinking of turning toward something Japanese. I really think so.

Bruce Cooper of Manayunk's landmark Jake's is saying "April or May" for his not-yet-named wine bar next door, at 4367 Main St. One remaining zoning hurdle, he says.

"Spring" seems likeliest for Minar Palace's resurrection at 1304 Walnut St.

"Spring" is the word on Alison Barshak's second restaurant, off Bethlehem Pike in Fort Washington; follow the work on her blog here.

The Mediterranean restaurant Zahav, the construction of which is being chronicled by The Inquirer, is on track for April at Society Hill Towers. Owners are Steven Cook and Michael Solomonov of Marigold Kitchen and Xochitl.

"Spring" is the word also on Prive, a contemporary Greek restaurant-lounge in the former Lena and Bluezette at 246 Market St. in Old City.

Late spring should see the restaurant from celeb chef Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton's lobby; the name is expected to be released shortly.

Stephen Starr's Chelsea Prime steakhouse and Teplitzky’s coffeeshop is supposed to be open by Memorial Day in the Chelsea hotel in Atlantic City.

June is the recently revised opener for Chilango (3945 Chestnut St.), a Mexican concept from Amada and Tinto chef-owner Jose Garces (left). Decor will be inspired by Mexico's campy, colorful "lucha libre" (or “free fight”) wrestling matches.

"Summer" is what they're saying about Union Trust, a gigantic, plush steakhouse coming to the old Kellmer's jewelers at 717 Chestnut. It's now an all-hometown project, as Center City's DAS Architects (who also did Pearl) is newly on board.

Further out/vague:

* Mango Moon, a Thai tapas lounge from Moon and Pat Krapugthong of Manayunk's Chabaa Thai, at 4161 Main St.; they say summer.
* Apothecary Bar & Lounge, at 13th and Drury in Midtown West; since a second floor will be added to the building, that projected "spring" completion timetable may be ambitious.
* Swallow, a Euro-style BYO bistro in the Liberties Walk development in Northern Liberties, appears to be in limbo at the moment.
* Chima, the Brazilian steakhouse chain, is still on the books for 20th Street and JFK Boulevard; construction started and stops and starts and stops...
* The status of a Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, which may set up in the old AAA building on Market Street, is unclear...
* but not as nebulous as a Del Frisco's Double Eagle's steakery in the Grande (formerly the Packard Building) at 15th and Chestnut Streets.