From scratch? That pastry is off a Sysco truck! | Let’s Eat
Here are all the new restaurants opening in May, the best places to eat in Lancaster, and two fine destinations for sweet desserts.
You love that spinach-feta pastry that your corner coffee shop warms up for you. But was it really made from scratch? And does it matter?
Also in this edition:
New restaurants: Dozens of newcomers and bakeries are on the way in May.
Go west: Craig LaBan tells you where to eat in Lancaster.
BBQ nirvana: Does John Parson’s make the region’s best brisket, ribs, and sausage in the region?
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That flaky spinach-feta puff at your local cafe may look like small-batch magic. The paperwork says otherwise. Emily Bloch traces how a coffee-shop favorite, supplied by a Delco bakery, is actually mass-produced and sourced from a global distributor. The real question: Should anyone care? Read her report.
Get set for pizza, po’boys, taverns, and tastes of Spain among May’s restaurant openings. And check out this block in Old City, which is popping with new activity.
Name something more Philadelphian than a birthday cake made out of water ice. Beatrice Forman dropped by the Water Ice Factory, where this is a specialty. Owner Victor Morella explains that water ice runs in his blood.
Someone at Bredenbeck’s Bakery threw out the idea of making ice cream pizzas, and baker Jacob Boyd paused. “It sounds kind of gross at first, but it’s a frozen pizza, just with a fun, sweet twist to it.” Hira Qureshi reports that it starts with a 7-inch housemade chocolate chip cookie.
Craig LaBan still loves the old-fashioned pleasures of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking that have long been the draw for visitors to Lancaster County. But then he experienced the dynamic growth of the modern food scene in the Lancaster City, and he shares it with us.
Craig LaBan heads up Route 309 to Colmar, where he says he has found some of the region’s best brisket, ribs, and sausage. He also discovers that owner John Parson isn’t quite who he says he is. Read on for a tasty yarn.
On our food team’s travels last week, we enjoyed this old-time sundae in Kensington, old-fashioned shad cakes in Fishtown, and an all-new prix-fixe experience in a cozy Merchantville dining room.
Scoop
Aakash Patel of Northern Liberties’ Bar 1010 is taking over Mix Bar & Grill at RiverWest (2101 Chestnut St.) from longtime owner Victor Fellus, who opened in 2008. Patel said key kitchen staff are expected to stay, and he plans a seamless transition, with minimal downtime, as the deal wends through the PLCB. His concept (name is not settled yet) will expand on Bar1010’s approach, adding a cocktail-focused program, globally influenced pizzas, and a broader appetizer menu alongside salads.
Restaurant report
Borromini has pulled the hundred-layer lasagna off its menu, and not because it was unpopular.
Sweet Amalia, the farmstand in the New Jersey Pinelands, has been temporarily shuttered this season. Amy Rosenberg takes a deep dive to explain what’s going on.
Luk Fu, the pan-Asian restaurant at Live! Casino in South Philadelphia, is getting a menu designed by chef Jet Tila. It includes his signature pad Thai and starts next week.
Figs, the Moroccan-Mediterranean BYOB in Fairmount, closed Sunday with its sale after 25 years. Later this month, chef Landi Prendi plans to open Valentina, an Italian BYOB, at 2501 Meredith St.
Korea Taqueria is now using only halal meats in its Mexican-meets-Korean cooking. Hira Qureshi reports that customers had asked, and it’s saving the owners money, as well.
Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee house out of Dearborn, Mich., has signed for a space on Market Street in Old City, joining a list of Yemeni coffee houses here.
The original Iron Hill Brewery in Newark, Del., will become a steakhouse, Erin McCarthy reports. In other Iron Hill news, the similarly shuttered Newtown, Bucks County, location has just reopened as a P.J. Whelihan’s sports bar.
Briefly noted
ShuckFest, Oyster House’s annual oyster festival and shucking competition, returns from noon-3:30 p.m. May 31 outside of the restaurant at 1516 Sansom St. Entry includes tastings from 12 New Jersey oyster growers, shucking tutorials, and the competition. Tickets ($80), which must be purchased in advance, go live today at 10 a.m. on Oyster House’s website. Proceeds will benefit Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Inc. and the Jetty Rock Foundation.
Percy (1700 N. Front St.) will mark its first year by giving away one of its outsized ricotta pancakes to the first 50 people through the door at 9 a.m. Thursday. Tables of four or more will be limited to two pancakes.
Little Susie’s Coffee & Pie will take the walk-up window at Ninth and Catharine Streets that Pop’s Bun Shop just stepped aside from. Owner Dan Martino told us he hopes to open in June, as he just has to install a coffee station.
What is an eye-opener for Brian Mattera, owner of Gilda in Fishtown? “I’m notoriously known for my Diet Coke addiction, so I start off the day with that,” he told Hira Qureshi as she recaps his Perfect Philly Day.
❓Pop quiz
Taste Taco Bar is about to open on South Street. How can you spot the place?
A) there’s a mural of Larry Fine of the Three Stooges outside
B) the three-story facade is all glass
C) it’s painted Day-Glo yellow
D) there’s a six-foot-wide taco hanging over the door
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
Why are there so few interesting, new dinner restaurants in Chestnut Hill? — Ellen K.
True, Chestnut Hill has not seen too much in recent years, and the closing of Iron Hill Brewery last fall created at least a psychic vacuum. That said, I’m looking forward to the Blue Warbler, opening in the next couple of months at Germantown and Willow Grove Avenue, in the former Foster’s Drugstore and the Wendy Concannon Gallery. Also on the Avenue, Campbell’s Place was just sold, and I’ve heard chatter of a new occupant at Fiesta Pizza. Also, the wine bottle shop Lovat Square will be expanding this summer into a restaurant. Baby steps!
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