Back on July 30, 2009, chefs Joe Scarpone and Matt Levin, plus developers Richard Rivera and Robert Nydick, led me on a hard-hat tour of a few spaces on Main Street in Manayunk that they were developing: a paninoteca/wine bar for Scarpone called Agiato (pressed sandwiches, farmhouse feel, long communal table, small wine list); a bread bakery several doors down, also known as Agiato; a grocery store on the corner of Main and Grape Streets; and Levin's "rock and roll barbecue joint" called Rubb, up the street next to the firehouse.
Well, you know the vagaries of restaurant development. Levin left the project shortly after, picked up new partners, and set up the wildly hot Adsum at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets. Manayunk activists made sure to weigh in, too.
A couple of months ago, Main Street Market and the bread bakery opened. The Rubb space is still empty.
Finally last week, Scarpone (who previously owned Sovalo in Northern Liberties) unveiled Agiato (4359 Main St., 215-482-9700). Just as he had described, Agiato is dominated by a communal table (14 seats, rough-hewn) and features a simple menu of salads, sandwiches (most pressed, $7 to $10 a pop), and soups. There's a coffee bar and 25 to 30 wines by the glass, 60 by the bottle. It's open daily starting at lunchtime. Weekend breakfast will start Dec. 4.