Fond coming to booming East Passyunk

The storefront at 1617 E. Passyunk Ave., which was Lynda's for five minutes and previously Clementine's, is being fitted out as a BYOB called Fond.

The principals: Lee Styer, a sous chef at Le Bec-Fin; Jessie Prawlucki, pastry chef at Le Bec-Fin, and Tory Keomanivong, a banquet captain at Lacroix.

The concept will be new American and "not expensive," says Prawlucki. Opening will be in September.

This will be the second Le Bec crew in the last few months to venture into South Philly. LBF exec chef Pierre Calmels opened Bibou on Eighth Street a couple of months ago.

Fond will join the new Capogiro next door, plus Michael's Cafe, Izumi, Paradiso, Cantina Los Caballitos and Mr. Martino's on the block. Across the street, in a former Republican clubhouse at 1618 E. Passyunk, brothers Adam and Andrew Erace are readying Green Aisle Grocery, stocking higher-end foodstuff, for a September opening. Andrew is in real estate, while Adam is Philadelphia Weekly's restaurant critic and blogs as Blogalicious. He promises to recuse himself from passing judgment on his neighbors. (I know. How un-Philly of him.)

(Post updated.)