Visit a craft brewery — or 12 of them | Let’s Eat

This week, we day-trip to check out breweries. Closer to home, there’s good news about Philadelphia’s first Black-owned brewery. Also, read on to learn about a Chinatown delivery service that serves the burbs, new outlets for empanadas, a literally cool new option for soup dumplings, and plenty of restaurant info.

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— Michael Klein

Two Locals Brewing Co., which hit the radar in 2020 as one of the Philadelphia brewers of the Black Is Beautiful national beer collaboration, is a step closer to its goal of a brick-and-mortar brewery and tap house. Brothers Richard and Mengistu Koilor, as Philadelphia’s first Black-owned brewery, are now brewing out of Mainstay Independent Brewing, which operates at Craft Hall in Northern Liberties. Catch them weekends at 901 N. Delaware Ave.

Pennsylvania has long been awash with great beer, with more than 400 craft breweries in the commonwealth. And now, we can finally visit some of them again. Hop along with staff writer Nick Vadala on a tour of a dozen craft breweries.

When life handed him a setback, restaurateur/publisher Dan Tsao got creative. He launched RiceVan, which delivers all manner of goods from Chinatown businesses to customers in the suburbs. “We don’t want to be in competition with Center City delivery services like Chowbus or UberEats,” Tsao told critic Craig LaBan. “We want to reach the market beyond 5 miles away with bigger households that, even prior to the pandemic, found it harder to drive to Center City.”

Soup dumplings at home? Chinatown’s Dim Sum Garden has mastered freezer-to-steamer xiao long bao, Craig tells us, as he opens a bag and gets down to business.

Last fall, when Francisco and Cecilia Cabrera prepared to close their Collingswood BYOB, El Sitio, and relocate an hour away in Montgomery County with a smaller cafe, two of their employees got an idea: start selling the Cabreras’ empanadas, which were a hit in South Jersey. So it turned into a win: The employees are set up to sell as East Coast Empanadas, the Cabreras have a new home in Hatboro called Hungry Moon Foods, and the empanadas have a new audience. And as April 8 happens to be National Empanada Day, note that Cuba Libre in Old City has launched Empanada Alley, a delivery-only empanada kitchen. These are baked, by the way; the ones sold in the restaurant are fried.

Since July 2020, Philadelphia’s contingent of community fridges has swelled from one to roughly 25. They’re stationed across the city — organized, stocked, and cleaned by networks of volunteers guided by a simple principle: Take what you need, give what you can, as staff writer Jenn Ladd explains.

Waffles + Mochi, the new Netflix show coproduced by Michelle Obama, has an important local tie: its animation sequences are directed by Philly native Musa Brooker. As with the best children’s programming, Waffles + Mochi is layered with winks and nods to parents who are likely listening in the background. Jenn chats him up for a lively Q&A.

Tina’s Tacos is slinging birria tacos, chalupas, and chili with an Indian (!) twist in a corner-bar setting at York and Memphis Streets in Fishtown (2327 E. York St., Philadelphia, 814-343-3101). “Tina” happens to be Tina Ruth Belcher, a character from Bob’s Burgers, a TV fave of owners Darshak Pendem, 25, and Puja Gohil, 24, high school sweethearts in their restaurant debut. Recommendation: the Belcher birria box ($16), shown above, which gets you one taco, one queso taco, and a chalupa (choice of beef, chicken, or vegan). Bar is stocked with eight beers and a full cocktail list. Opening hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Dine-in/takeout.

Kurant Cider in Fishtown says its last day will be Sunday, April 10 after seven years. But the brewing will continue at 436 E. Girard Ave. after cofounder Joe Getz bows out. Partner Mike Meyers will go solo with beer and rebrand as Meyers Brewing Co. in May.

The Ship Inn in Exton (693 Lincoln Highway) is undergoing a makeover at the hands of Robert Irvine and Restaurant Impossible. The dinnertime reveal will be on April 20, and producers are seeking volunteers to try it out. Email volunteer@restaurantimpossiblevolunteers.com by 3 p.m. Friday, April 9. Include full name, address, cell number, number of people in your party, and names of the people. All guests must be 8 or over. This is not a comp meal. Those selected will be notified.

Libertine, Derek Davis’ spot at 13th and Spruce Streets, has returned.

Day by Day, the classic neighborhood eatery at 21st and Sansom Streets, ran into an issue on the way to its reopening. It’s now on the books for Friday, April 7. Outdoor/takeout at first.

Barcade, the Fishtown funhouse (1114 Frankford Ave.), will reopen April 8. The new Center City location, which I told you about in February 2020, will not happen, a casualty of the pandemic. Not a good time for the 1200 block of Chestnut, as Porta, the Italian restaurant next door, closed permanently.

Royal Boucherie in Old City (52 S. Second St.) will reopen Thursday, April 8 under new chef Matt Buehler. There’s a new streetery and sidewalk seating. (Speaking of streeteries: The one outside the Tria location at 18th and Sansom Streets got clobbered by a truck last week. It is expected back late next week, says co-owner Jon Myerow. There is seating indoors and on the sidewalk.

Impending openings include Letty’s Tavern (201 State St., Kennett Square, April 9), Irwin’s at the Bok in South Philadelphia (Ninth and Mifflin Streets) under chef Michael Ferreri (April 9), Keshet Kitchen in Queen Village (705 E. Passyunk Ave., April 9), and Lola’s Garden at Suburban Square in Ardmore (51 St Georges Rd., April 15).

Two restaurant weeks are on the radar: Northern Liberties Restaurant Week, which runs Friday, April 9 to Sunday, April 18, and King of Prussia Restaurant Week, which will be offered Sunday to Thursday, April 11-15 and April 18-22 (Fridays and Saturdays are excluded).

“I told my coworker that my purse was made from vegan leather. Her response: ‘How do they know what the cows ate?’”

— via BuzzFeed