Upside-down exclamation points, unused in these parts since ¡Pasión! folded last year, are ready to come back with the impending opening of ¡Cuba! on Germantown Avenue just a few doors from Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill. (That's 8609 Germantown, if you want to be specific.) ¡Cuba!, due around April 28, is owned by former travel agent Miguel Castañeda, a Cuba emigre, and his son, Michael. General manager Christian Leo helped run Cuba Libre in Old City for five years.
They hosted an open house today (4/13), as they're hiring staff. The storefront is cute -- light wooden tables, rag-rolled green-straw-colored walls, and modern pinpoint track spotlights; a back room will hold about 10, and the rough-looking back yard supposedly will be converted for outdoor dining.
They'll open as a BYOB. A liquor license is in the works. I couldn't get a sense of the overall "look" because art/decorative touches are not installed. Chef Orjenia Lopez, also Cuban-born, will do Cuban favorites; most entrees will be under $20. The restaurant will be open seven days for lunch and dinner, and live jazz is planned for Friday nights.
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So good to see progress in the rebirth of the Ho Sai Gai at 10th and Race Streets in Chinatown, which has been closed about nine years.
First photo, taken in January, shows the joint -- an eyesore if there ever was one.
Even in its day, the facade was a heinous testament to glass block.
The second photo, shot over the weekend, shows substantial progress in its renovation -- a move to a brighter, more inviting look.
It's due to reopen in about six weeks. One key feature will be a second-floor banquet space, as management is targeting convention business.
