Just popped up to Manayunk for a look-see on two projects on the upper end of Main Street that I had mentioned over the summer.
Two? The count is up to five.
Developers Richard Rivera and Rob Nydick are behind four of them:
1. A paninoteca/wine bar called agiato (4359 Main St.) by Joe Scarpone, who previously ran Sovalo in Northern Liberties. The concept, a la Le Pain Quotidien, will be an all-day Tuscan cafe with a menu including small plates, pressed sandwiches, salads, in-house-made mozzarella, and a wine list. It should be completed by Christmas, as should...
2. Agiato Bread Company (4351 Main St.), a free-standing bakery and offshoot of the restaurant. Jim McAleese, the bread baker from Parc, will man the ovens. People can stop in to buy while he's on duty, but the bulk of retail sales will be done at...
3. ... Main Street Market (4345 Main St., at the corner of Grape Street), which will be a full-service grocery and meat market, selling organics/sustainable stuff -- cheeses, deli, dairy, produce, snacks, prepared foods, and flowers. Like the Di Bruno's at 18th and Chestnut, this market will be L-shaped, with entrances on both Main and Grape, around the coming Saxby's Coffee. They're targeting January.
4. Rubb (4445 Main St.), the barbecue restaurant that chef Matt Levin's name has been attached to, has been held up by zoning. It goes before the board next week, and though the equipment has been obtained, opening is a ways off.
And the 5th project, across from agiato, will be Green Leaf (4356 Main St.), a Chinese restaurant. It's targeting the end of the week, pending a visit from PGW.