Food and Drinq

That building going up in the triangle between 16th and 17th Streets, Cherry Street and the Parkway -- in front of the Mexican Post -- will be the new location of Capriccio, formerly in the Warwick Hotel.

The Center City District just confirmed that bit of intel, adding that it will open around Labor Day and will be a year-round operation dispensing not only coffee but tourism info from a scrolling monitor.

The zoning board of Northern Liberties Neighbors Association tonight (7/1) will hear from a couple well-known restaurateurs -- that is, Mark Bee of Silk City, who wants to add a beer garden at Fifth and Spring Garden, and the guys from Yards Brewing, who want to add a pub to their new facility on Delaware Avenue.

Also on the agenda is a rep of 2nd Street Annie's, a joint last in North Wildwood, which wants to set up at Front and Fairmount in the space that was Metro. See details here.

Jose Garces, continuing his expansionist ways, has hired Brinn Sinnott out of the chef de cuisine's post at Supper on South Street to be chef de cuisine at Amada, his Old City Spaniard. Sinnott previously worked at Lacroix.

Amada seems to be the proving ground for Garces' chefs.

Chad Williams, Amada's current chef de cuisine, will move on to become chef at Chifa, the Garces South American project opening next year at 707 Chestnut St.

Tim Spinner, who preceded Williams as chef at Amada, will be chef at Distrito, opening in about two weeks at 3945 Chestnut St.

Grrr. Pita Pocket Falafel & Grille, which sprang up a year or so ago at 16th and Chancellor, just closed. Supposedly done in by a family thing. Pita Pocket's draws were tasty pita sandwiches bigger than your head and a bangin' "salad bar" with all sorts of Middle Eastern bites that you could snarf while you waited. .

After four years in Northern Liberties, mother-daughter sugar act Norrinda and Linda Brown will add a second location to their Brown Betty Dessert Boutique.

They're looking at Sept. 5 for Brown Betty Petite at 269 S. 20th St., between Spruce and Manning, in the spot that last housed the Country Elegance linen shop.

"Petite" is apt. It'll be only 250 square feet, and the entire product line will be cupcakes, which have drawn an almost cult following among carbivores-in-the-know.

The Wharton MBA mind of Munish Narula has turned again. In 2006, he began Tiffin Store, an Indian delivery service, out of a Girard Avenue storefront into which he added a small dining room for walk-ins.

Tiffin Store quickly won raves from customers stretching from Fishtown to Temple U and down into Center City. Something cool about guys in ties shlepping tasty vindaloo.

Narula has taken over the former Hamlet Bistro at 7105 Emlen St. (at Mount Pleasant Avenue), which has a similarly small (24-seat) dining room, for a second location opening around July 18 to serve Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. After a few weeks, Narula says, Manayunk and East Falls will be added to the delivery map.

Narula says a deal on the table for an Upper Darby location fell though. He's now targeting South Philly. He told Food & Drinq in March, he is also hoping to open in Center City; at least one of those planned locations (on 11th Street near Thomas Jefferson University Hospital) is still on the table.

Narula wants to buy his real estate -- and you don't have to be an MBA to understand that wisdom. Though prices are down and for-sale signs hang everywhere, Narula says it's a "tough market. People are just not ready to make deals."

Molcajete Mixto at Eighth and Christian Streets in Bella Vista has given way to Paxia, a similarly fresh, homespun Mexican BYO -- and its pedigree is most interesting. One of the owners is Dionicio Jimenez, chef/partner at Society Hill's Xochitl, who's helping his brother-in-law, Ismael Torrez, a native of Mexico City, who has worked at Beau Monde plus some stints at Xochitl. (I hear that Jimenez is firmly entrenched at Xochitl.)

It's open for dinner nightly except for Tuesdays, and brunch is served on weekends. Decor is the same. Figure on entrees at $15 to $25. Same phone: 215-413-0171, too.

Dave Frank and Stephen Simons are pulling the switch Friday (7/11) on Cantina Dos Segundos, the Northern Liberties sibling of South Philly's Cantina Los Caballitos.

Address is 931 N. Second St. Hours will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekends, and the full menu (see draft here) will be served from 5 to 1.

The return of Minar Palace, to spiffy digs at 1304 Walnut St., is two or three weeks away. The Singh family still awaits a hookup from the Philadelphia Gas Works -- which sounds a lot more fun than it truly is -- along with some sundry licensing.

Meanwhile, Davinder "Daz" Singh, son of owner Tarsem Singh, gave me a tour. That's him in the top photo, beside a good-luck omen (lemon and garlic) his father hung on the wall. Unfortunately today, the dining room was filled with overturned chairs and packing material and some decorations were not up, so a full-on photo was impossible. Below is a photo of some ornamental hookas. You can get an idea of the color scheme, too.

Those who remember the old, hole-in-the-wall environs at 1608 Sansom St. will be blown away by the dark woodwork and stylish, modern lighting; the dark wooden tables; and the wooden floor. Cooking will be done from a counter in the rear of the dining room.

A prep kitchen is at the rear, out of sight.

Here's the menu.

The Japanese BYOB from Lynn Rinaldi of South Philly's Paradiso will be called Izumi, which is Japanese for "fountain" -- cute because there's a fountain right across from the restaurant at 1601 E. Passyunk Ave.

Opening is set for late August. Menu will be traditional sushi plus a small selection of contemporary cooked dishes; executive chef will be Rinaldi's fiancee, Corey Baver. It will seat about 40.

Fred Kellermann of Haddon Heights' multi-belled Elements Cafe has taken over the kitchen at the Lyons Den, the hitherto underutilized Queen Village taproom (848 S. Second St.). He's also now a part-owner.

Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but there will be an open house Thursday (7/10) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Here's the menu. The food hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and are to expand around Labor Day.

Cantina Dos Segundos, the Mexican lounge at 931 N. Second St. in Northern Liberties, is saying Friday (7/11).

Parc, the Stephen Starr bistro at 18th and Locust, is up for Monday (7/14), with Bastille Day festivities.

Tiffin Store's East Mount Airy outpost at 7105 Emlen St. is shooting for 7/18.

Jose Garces' Mexican fiesta -- Distrito, at 2945 Chestnut St. -- is officially up for 7/21.

Bistrot La Minette -- and yes, that's "Bistrot" for extra Frenchness -- is shaping up beautifully at 623 S. Sixth St. (across from Beau Monde). If Peco can get out there, it's supposedly two weeks off.

Prive, the Mediterranean tapas lounge at 236 Market St., awaits only its liquor license. So ...?

Minar Palace at 1304 Walnut: "two to three weeks away."

El Fuego's second location (2104 Chestnut St.) is now looking at 8/1.

8/1 is also the target for Mix, the combo coffeeshop, salad stop and brick-oven pizzeria with a bar in the RiverWest condos at 21st and Chestnut Streets.

Callowhill Street in Franklintown, longtime home of Rose Tattoo, has been getting busier.

A branch of the Italian Market favorite Sabrina's opened last year at 1804.

Two weeks ago, King of Tandoor opened at 1824.

Last week saw the soft opening of Kite & Key Tavern, a dramatic transformation of onetime union hall at 1836 Callowhill that's been home over the decades to a series of spots: Mirabelle, Restaurant Callowhill Street, Bistro Callowhill Street, Martini's Lounge and Savannah.

Kite & Key, owned by Bishop's Collar expats Jim Kirk and Jake Hampson and cheffed by Bill Stroebel (Rembrandt's, McCrossen's) has what no predecessor did: French doors to open the experience to the sidewalk. Kirk tells me they want to create sidewalk seating in the alley next door.

It's open from lunchtime through late night daily.

There was no printed menu available when I stopped by earlier this week, so you'll have to check out the chalkboard. (There's most of the menu, anyway.)

The finishing touches are being applied to Northern Liberties' newest eatery, Cantina Dos Segundos, as the Mexican cantina prepares for tonight's invitation-only friends-and-family feed. The public opening at the former Azure (931 N. Second St.) will be Friday.

Here's a shot of the wooden bar, which sits beneath star lights. The rest of the space includes bright colors and deliberately rough edges, and looks -- in spirit -- much like Cantina Los Caballitos, the original on East Passyunk Avenue.

When you're in the main dining room, look up at the ductwork. It was silvery-new when the place was Azure. General manager Sky Strouth told me that they sent it out to be "aged," which explains its rustiness.

Details here.

Meanwhile, "middle to late August" is the target for El Camino Real, Owen Kamihira's Mexican border bar up the street in the former Deuce.

East Passyunk looks like a street on the rise. Besides Izumi, the casual B2 and the new Da Vinci, two restaurants up for the 1900 block are well under construction.

Mariano Herrerias, who announced the South Philly branch of Adobe Cafe in March, is about a month from opening at 1919 E. Passyunk. The holdup, he says, is not the construction. It's the liquor license. Soon as the transfer is complete, he plans to open.

Nick Miglino is aiming for the week before Labor Day for Sticks & Stones,his pub at 1909 E. Passyunk. Miglino says he and his son have been doing the work themselves, so they've been proceeding deliberately.

London Grill and its PR agency, Profile, had the foresight to put together a video of last year's Bastille Day festivities at Eastern State Penitentiary. With the next outing set for tomorrow (7/12), the restaurant fed the video to CNN. Yes, Terry McNally done up like Marie Antoinette.

Watch it here.

Alison two, under construction in the former Marita's Cantina at 424 Bethlehem Pike in Fort Washington, is sticking to its "summer opening" timeline, as owner Alison Barshak says, "You will be able to wear white shoes to the opening."

She's hired as chef Bill Lewis, whose most recent stop was opening Erie’s Twelve O’One Restaurant & Wine Bar. (The restaurant says it's between websites now. Here's a blurb about Lewis and the restaurant that I found on the web.)

Lewis, who will run the day to day at Alison two, also cheffed and managed at 33 East in Williamsport and at restaurants and resorts in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Denver, Portland, Oregon and Baltimore. One of Barshak's vendors got them together.

Since both Barshak and Lewis are well-traveled, the daily-changing menus will reflect various international cuisines. The restaurant will have a full bar and is not BYOB, but will offer 36 private wine lockers.

As reported previously, the chef at Alison in Blue Bell is Anthony Bonett, formerly of Opus 251 and Oceanaire.

Follow the restaurant's progress at Barshak's blog.

In anticipation of the opening Monday (7/21), worker bees are swarming over Distrito, the Mexican from Jose Garces at 40th and Chestnut Streets.

(By the way, the address of "3945 Chestnut" is misleading; you get in on 40th Street just north of Chestnut.)

It's tour-able but not perfectly photographable yet.

First floor focuses on a bar highlighted with light-up movie-style marquees, which advertise drinks.

The colorful lounge, a riot of pinks and greens, includes a jukebox, which will play classic rock throughout the restaurant (that "Mi Casa es Su Casa" neon sign hangs over it). There's one of those claw "prize" machines with cheesy Mexican action figures. In the 40th Street main window, there's a classic VW Beetle -- reminiscent of a Mexico City taxi -- which can be used for seating. (No classic-VW owner I know would allow eating inside his or her car, but...)

And psst.. This is supposed to be a state secret -- but there's a purple karaoke room behind the hostess stand that will accommodate a group of about 20.

The lounge will be the drop-in place, and free Wi-Fi is being aimed at the Penn crowd.

Stairway to the second floor, where the reserved seating will be, features a wall display of 600 "lucha libre" wrestler masks on one side, and a collection of movie posters on the other (photos below). Above the stairwell will be a movie screen playing Mexican cinema.

Second-floor seating, which includes a 35-or-so-seat private dining area on the Chestnut Street side, includes swiveling, deep-dish rattan chairs big enough for two, and another movie-theater-like marquee with restaurant dish names.

All told, it's a 250-seater. And to answer the question on many women's minds: Yes, the restrooms are unisex stalls and sinks are communal.

Chef de cuisine Tim Spinner's menu will be posted here when it's available.

The Steak & Ale that's stood on the Trevose side of the Philadelphia-Bucks County line on Route 1 since the 1970s is out of business, a rep of Metromedia Restaurant Group, the Texas company that owns Steak & Ale, Ponderosa and Bennigan's, confirms.

The Cherry Hill, Bethelem and Wilmington locations are still open, dispensing $10.99 prime-rib specials early in the week.

The restaurant trades reported last month that the privately held Metromedia was trying to restructure its debt and stave off a bankruptcy filing.

In a statement, Metromedia said: "Given the slow economy and its impact on the entire casual dining industry, Metromedia Restaurant Group must address several difficult issues to make smarter decisions for our bottom line. Our goal is to be proactive by creating a healthier financial outlook for all our brands. As a result MRG has made the difficult decision to close underperforming units. MRG remains committed to our restaurant staff and managers. Where possible we are working to place employees in other MRG-owned units in their area, and if an MRG position is not available we have reached out to our local competitors to help us place employees. MRG would also like to express its deepest appreciation for the years of loyal patronage to any consumers affected by these recent closings, and we encourage guests to visit our existing network of restaurants."

Tiffin Store's new location at 7105 Emlen St. in West Mount Airy will open to the public on Thursday 7/24, says owner Munish Narula. Sign guys have been delayed, which you might say is not a good sign.

Details are here.

Jasper Restaurant in Downingtown will reopen Wednesday (7/23), more than two months after chef-owner Nick DiFonzo suffered a brain aneurysm.

As if the medical situation wasn’t serious enough, DiFonzo was stricken the day before a positive review by Craig LaBan appeared in The Inquirer.

“He’s not running laps yet, but he’s doing well,” says DiFonzo’s wife, Tina.

What's on the menu at Jose Garces' Distrito, the high-concept Mexican that rolls out later today in The Hub at 3945 Chestnut St.?

Glad you asked. Here's the menu, all PDF-ed for ease of printing (and, ahem, copy-and-pasting -- you know who you are...).

Prices look fairly easy on the wallet, with an $18 lamb chop entree the priciest dish, unless you count the $25 five-ceviche sampler. There's also a $40 tasting menu.

It's open for now for dinner only.

The dinner drink menu is here.

The South Jersey Independent Restaurant Association -- the so-called "SJ Hot Chefs" -- will soon launch its second Farm to Fork Week, a series of $35 four-course dinners based on local ingredients. Dates are Sunday 7/27-Friday 8/1.

It's part of the Farm to Fork Campaign, an homage to the Jersey farmer.

Organizers say last year's Farm to Fork Week gave local farmers over $100,000 in business during the week as participating restaurants hosted more than 50,000 diners. This year, 95 farms will team with 35 restaurants.

See the list of restaurants here. (As restaurant association websites go, SJ Hot Chefs' is the best around; not only is it clear and easy to navigate, but there's a feature that allows restaurant workers to post their resumes to all the restaurants in the group.)

Bruce Cooper is looking toward "early August" for the rollout of Cooper's Brick Oven Wine Bar, a rustic complement next door to his longtime Jake's at 4365 Main St. in Manayunk.

When the work is done, Jake’s bar will be gone, in favor of casual seating in the front window. The bar action will shift to Cooper's. Jake's itself will remain.

Cooper’s -- whose menu will consist mainly of pizzas, artisanal cheeses, snacks and small plates out of an open kitchen -- is being positioned as affordable and comfortable with "high quality, reasonably priced food and wine." It will offer 30 wines by the glass and two dozen craft and European brews. Lunch and dinner will be served every day. Breakfast will be served on the weekends.

Here again is Cooper's menu, plus the wine/beer menu. And for good measure, here's Jake's summer menu.

Chipotle does a nice thing just before it opens its stores. It schedules a free burrito day, dispensing free food and soft drinks.

Next one will be Thursday 7/24 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Montgomeryville’s Airport Square Shopping Center, 801 Bethlehem Pike.

The location will open Friday 7/25.

Today's must-read is a post on my favorite city blog, Illadelph, that uses the impending forced relocation of Melograno to call on the city to make the mere act of opening a restaurant less of a hassle. (And the piece doesn't even address the myriad L&I and Health Department nightmares. See "The Making of Zahav," my blog on the build-out of the Society Hill restaurant Zahav, for examples of city inefficiency.)

Melograno's last night at 22d and Spruce Streets will be Sunday 7/27. Owners Gianluca Demontis and Rosemary Tran, who lost their lease, are moving to 2010 Sansom St. and hope to open there in September.

The new occupant of 22d and Spruce will be Mémé. Chef David Katz says the concept will be neighborhood-driven, new American "smallish" plates. He's hired brothers Justin and Jonathan Petruce as sous chef. Jon cooked at Restaurant M with Katz and most recently was at Cochon. Justin was in Chicago at Moto and Douglas Rodriguez's DeLaCosta in Chicago.

Katz says he'll start a face lift -- no major renovation or construction -- on Aug. 1 as he is aiming at a late-September or early October opening. He says the liquor license is in the works; there will be no bar -- just service of wine and beer at the table.

Photo of Gianluca Demontis and Rosemary Tran by Bob Williams of The Inquirer

While Parc gets l'headlines, Peter Woolsey and his father, John, are wrapping up work on Bistrot La Minette, their bistro on Sixth Street at Bainbridge Streets. When it opens -- and the current target is Aug. 25 -- it will create a wee French Quarter in Queen Village/Bella Vista, as it's across from Beau Monde, around the corner from Coquette and a few blocks from Cochon. (La Minette is in that building on the east side of Sixth Street, across from Shouk, that used to have a Dalmatian mural.)

Peter Woolsey, who did kitchen time at Washington Square, Striped Bass and Le Mas Perrier (after a few years in Paris at Lucas Carton), is married to a Frenchwoman, and decor is full of stuff that he picked up at flea markets. The sign photographed at top is a custom job, painted for him in France.

Construction was a major hassle, as they encountered problems with the foundation and scooped the basement deeper to pour a new one. They're still waiting for PECO to button up electrical needs.

There'll be a bar, a private dining room stocked with paintings by his mother, Peggy, and, later on, what should be a sweet little outdoor courtyard tucked off the street. GM is John Gonzalez, who was the final GM at Striped Bass; his resume also includes Gramercy Tavern.

The restaurant will be open Mondays through Saturdays, says Woolsey -- "no Sunday, no brunch. French restaurants don't do brunch."

Below, a few interiors, if you'll excuse the usual preopening mess of plastic wrap and packing material.

Vidalia MarketPlace, which opened in Lansdale to a big whup last June, is going out of business. Everything is 30 percent off.

An Old City District promotion next week will have chefs in the OC doing their own twists on the concept of "surf and turf," as well as serving discounted prix-fixe dinners.

Participants in Delicacies Unite, running from July 28-31, include Amada (tapas are beef brochettes "hanger Steak grilled ala plancha" for $1.50 and grilled prawns a la planxa for $2.50), Mad River ("surf-and-turf sliders," which are crabcake and cheeseburgers), and Bookbinder's (whose surf-and-turf sliders are Angus beef topped with lobster medallions, 3 for $11).

See the list here.

Tiramisu, on Fifth Street just north of South Street since 1992, is on the market, according to the Multiple Listing:

This package including 530 S 5th st. It is double commercial properties. Italian restaurant with all the equipments and liqior license. 3 apartments upstair with tenants, two of one bed room and one of two bedroom apartment with self contain utilities except water bill. Great location for the fine din-in restaurant with bar table and dinning area, plus party room. call to show, 24 hour notice.

Asking is $1,999,000.

How much is too much? And is it too much?

By the end of the year -- if projections are correct -- there will be nearly 900 new seats to fill in Center City steakhouses. Add private dining, and the new capacity will be closer to 1,200. Toss in the new Table 31 (260 seats) and Chima (300), and that's a lot of white tablecloths and corkscrews.

In a lousy economy.

With the Convention Center expansion a reported $100 million over budget and nearly three years away.

The backers of these projects reply with the old saw that in bad times, people still like to reward themselves with fancy dinners. And that each will be different, providing a luxurious experience unmatched in the region.

Herewith, an overview of the steakhouse projects:

Union Trust: In the former Kellmer Jewelers at 719 Chestnut St., a former bank building. Independent. Will seat 280 plus 110 in private rooms, including a vault. Target date is mid-October.

Butcher & Singer: In the former Striped Bass at 15th and Walnut. A Stephen Starr joint. Will seat 135. Target is fall/winter.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle: In the Grande (the former Packard Building) at 15th and Chestnut. Up for Nov. 15. Del Frisco's has seven locations throughout the United States. This location will seat 450 plus 150 in private dining, including a vault. The main dining room in the lobby played the role of "train station" in the M. Night Shyamalan film "Unbreakable." New general manager Shang Skipper and Aston-raised chef John Stritzinger led me on a hardhat tour last week. The dominant element in the room (in the middle of this photo) will be a two-story, walk-in, glass wine tower, around a first-floor bar. There will be a more private bar on the mezzanine level, which will be expanded to accommodate more tables. (Union Trust is building a mezzanine in its own vast space.) The vault in the basement, where the safe-deposit boxes were, will accommodate 80 to 90 people. Skipper says Del Frisco's is big on charity work, and is searching for a partner for special events.

The photo of the eagle at top? It's one of the double eagles that happen to be guarding the entrance of the lobby. Coincidence.

Here are a few other photos.

1. Skipper (right) and Stritzinger

2. A ducting system ventilates the vault, where welders are working.

3. Eagles figure into a detail on the mezzanine.

The coffeeshop in the Radisson-Warwick at 17th and Locust, which was Capriccio for 14 years until April, will reopen Friday 8/1 as The Coffee Bar.

It's owned by the hotel and overseen by Tavern 17, the restaurant on the hotel's 17th Street side. Decor will be contemporary with seating from Ligne Roset, and there will be outdoor cafe tables.

Breakfast items include muffins and pastries, smoothies, fruit and made-to order breakfast sandwiches. Lunch and dinner items include salads, soups and panini. It'll double as a dessert cafe, and the 15-seat oak bar will serve specialty cocktails, charged smoothies (so much for wheatgrass) and coffees, wines and champagne by the glass, after dinner drinks and craft beers. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

As for that Capriccio location, it'll turn up in September at 16th and the Parkway as Capriccio Café & Espresso Bar at Café Cret.

Michael Ortega says he's running out of space at his Pico de Gallo at 15th and South Streets. It's either cut the menu in half or open a second location in Philly.

He's considering a spot across the street or a storefront around Ninth Street and Washington Avenue in the Italian Market. When reminded that the Italian Market has many Mexican restaurants, the San Antonio native mentioned that Pico de Gallo correctly is Tex-Mex. He also owns El Rey del Sol in Greenwich Village.

Francis Trzeciak of Chester County’s Birchrunville Store Cafe has quit his short-lived executive chef’s job at the luxe Inn at St. Peter’s, near French Creek State Park.

“I am happy where I am,” Trzeciak said. “It was too much for me.”

Chef de cuisine George Cook takes over the kitchen.

Four restaurants have seemed to be on the brink of opening for quite some time.

1. Mix, the combo coffeeshop, salad stop and brick-oven pizzeria with a bar in the RiverWest condos at 21st and Chestnut Streets, may open as soon as next week. Owner Victor Fellus is deliberating whether to open without the liquor license.

2. The second location of El Fuego, at 2104 Chestnut St., is aiming toward mid-August. Construction hold-ups.

3. Privé, the Mediterranean tapas/lounge coming together at 246 Market St. in Old City, is waiting for word on the liquor license. It's at least a week away.

4. Minar Palace at 1304 Walnut St. expects the long-awaited PGW work to be done Wednesday 7/30 and possibly Thursday 7/31, which will lead to a call to the city to do the health inspection. So... The "two to three weeks away" that I heard on July 8 sounds like it should have been "four to five weeks" -- meaning mid-August.