March’s new restaurants | Let’s Eat

What’s cooking this month: How about Puerto Rican barbecue, an Italian “kitchen and bar,” a six-course tasting-menu BYOB, and a Center City Mexican destination that is flat-out gorgeous?

Also in this edition:

— Mike Klein

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The March crop of new options is all over: Popup Bagels in Ardmore; Cugini’s in Upper Bucks; Carmen’s Table, Duo Restaurant & Bar, and 1793 in South Jersey; Bengaluru Cafe in Northern Liberties; and Mi Vida in Center City. Read on for the rundown.

Angelo’s Pizzeria, having outgrown its original spot on South Ninth Street, is opening a second location across South Philly. With a kitchen five times the size, owner Danny DiGiampietro calls this one a “fun factory.”

Peter Chang, a onetime chef at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. with multiple James Beard nominations, has hit the burbs with two new restaurants: one in King of Prussia and another in Colmar, north of Montgomeryville. Be bold and “skip the impulse to order General Tso’s,” urges critic Craig LaBan, who says both spots are “already worthy additions to the suburban dining scene.”

Metropolitan Bakery, one of the pioneers of Philly’s artisan baking scene, is shutting down its 19th Street shop after nearly 33 years as owners sell the company. The buyer, Merzbacher’s in Germantown, will keep its brand, bread line, and wholesale business. Read on for Jenn Ladd’s exclusive.

Saif Manna, who started his bakery biz several years ago in his Temple dorm, is taking over the former Essen Bakery in Kensington. Manna Bakery specializes in Levantine and Palestinian goods, both sweet and savory.

We chased away the late-winter chill with stops in Ardmore for belly-warming bourbon chicken dish, and in Rittenhouse for a steaming bowl of a Philly classic snapper soup as well as a ginormous, pillowy-soft cinnamon bun.

In Rittenhouse dish: Shiroi Hana’s building at 222 S. 15th St., next to Good Dog Bar, has been sold to Simon Atiya, who with his brother owns Giovani’s Bar & Grill, around the corner on Chestnut. Atiya tells me that this will be a solo dining project. There’s no timeline or even concept to discuss, as he wants to install one vibe for the ground floor and another upstairs. “I’ve walked past the building for over 20 years,” said Atiya, whose family had the old Sound of Market and Soundworks stores near the old Gallery. Given McGlinchey’s availability and the new Amma’s South Indian Cuisine, Atiya said he sees 15th Street evolving into a dining destination akin to 13th Street. “I want to be part of that,” he said. Nadia Bilynsky and Veronica Blum of MPN represented the seller, and Wes Deming of KW Commercial represented Atiya.

Blank Street, the fast-growing Brooklyn-born coffee/matcha brand, has signed at the University of Pennsylvania, where its first Philly location will open late this summer at 3603 Walnut St., formerly Bluemercury.

Almost Home General’s location in Old City has closed, and it’s tied into the undoing of Glu Hospitality.

Shibam Coffee, a Yemeni coffeeshop that’s new to West Philadelphia, is a rare one, indeed: It’s open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Hira Qureshi stopped in for a late-night snack and explains it all.

Fifteen bars and restaurants are participating in a tie-in with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society with deals surrounding the Philadelphia Flower Show. List is here.

Mount Airy CDC has rounded up 13 businesses for its second annual restaurant week, from March 9-15. Participants include Doho, offering a family-style five-course dinner for two ($100), including tuna crudo, gnocchi, and short rib, as well as a vegan option that includes sweet potato tostones, pappardelle, and stuffed cabbage tempura. Bar Lizette will offer a three-course menu ($45), including pan-seared pink snapper as well as vegetarian options like chocolate pot de crème. Toska Restaurant & Brewery will have a four-course dinner menu ($40) that features some of their most popular items like shrimp scampi fettucine, wood-fired pizza, Albanian sujuk sausage, and a three-course beer pairing ($18+). Details are here.

The American Vegan Society will name its pick for the Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philly on April 13 at the Philadelphia Ethical Society. During the finals, competitors also will collaborate on what’s billed as the world’s largest vegan cheesesteak, which (in semiquincentennial spirit) will measure 76 inches. Voting will run March 30 to April 8 at americanvegan.org. The first 76 people who sign up to attend will receive an bite of the sandwich along with a sticker saying they helped to eat it.

Stina in West Passyunk made its bones during the pandemic with the pikilia, a family-style feast of dips, meats, and hot pita served in a pizza box and available only for takeout. (Craig called it a “grazer’s delight.”) Chef Bobby Saritsoglou is now offering it at the table, for $65 per person. Full table, minimum of two people.

Grace Tavern on Grays Ferry Avenue will donate proceeds from this month’s sale of its roast pork sandwiches to help fund capital improvements to Triangle Plaza, across the street. The sandwich features roasted pork, long hots, pork jus, and melted provolone on a grilled Mighty Bread baguette for $12.

Davio’s in King of Prussia will host a Bellemille olive oil dinner at 6 p.m. March 25 ($110pp, optional wine pairing for $55), a multicourse tasting built around Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil from Alexa Dombkoski, the Tuscany-based daughter of Davio’s GM Michael Dombkoski. Each course incorporates Bellemille’s single-estate oil: tuna carpaccio and egg fettuccine with morels, a 55-day prime strip, a semolina-olive oil cake with lemon gelato. Details are here.

Last week’s newsletter included a callout for carrot cake cheesecake. Alert reader Mitchell H. noticed that Pine Street Grill, the newcomer from chefs Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp at 23rd and Pine Streets, offers a cake (above), studded with rum raisins and topped with cream cheese mousse. Want a DIY version? Reader Helene A. recommends this recipe from King Arthur Baking.

Where is Joe Beddia, one of Philadelphia’s most acclaimed pizzaioli, opening his next restaurant?

A) King of Prussia

B) London

C) Olde Kensington

D) Los Angeles

Find out if you know the answer.

I am hoping that you could recommend quiet restaurants in Philadelphia, particularly in Center City. I know that many people like a lively vibe with loud music, but there seem to be very few options for restaurants with low decibel levels where it is easy to have a conversation without yelling. — Janet W.

“Quiet” can be a loaded concept. Even the most placid restaurant, with wide-spaced tables and fabric-covered walls to soak up noise, can feel like a subway station if a nearby party begins shrieking. BYOBs, which don’t have bars to amp the acoustics, tend to be quieter. Timing matters, too. The simple suggestion is to go early. Estia, the upscale Greek trio in Center City, Radnor, and Marlton, opens for dinner at 3 p.m. You can catch a quiet meal at Bloomsday on Headhouse Square at 4 p.m.; Enswell, the stylish Euro spot in the Touraine, at 4:30; or Talula’s Garden in Washington Square and Little Nonna’s in Washington Square West at 5. Sor Ynez, the Mexican restaurant in the Wheelhouse building in Kensington, and Southwark in Queen Village handle noise well, too. Even for a tiny spot, Little Fish in Bella Vista delivers reasonable volume. Perhaps the quietest of them all is Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, where the food speaks volumes. Any recommendations, readers? Share them!

📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

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