Tweed: Twill open Thursday
Here's the rundown on the restaurant coming to 114 S. 12th St. in Washington Square West.
If you recall spots such as Odeon, Bistro Bix, TPDS, and Les Bons Temps, you're familiar with their building's two-story storefront, whose twin balconies romantically overlook the bar.
Get set for a pleasant surprise when you walk into the new incarnation — Tweed (114 S. 12th St., 215-923-3300), opening Thursday with a farm-to-table, continental-influenced American menu.
The balconies and grand staircase are there, sort of. They've been streamlined and brought into the 21st century, as has the entire restaurant. Owner Edward Bianchini said that after he took over the building last year, he realized that more than mere cosmetic work was necessary.
URBANSPACEDEVELOPMENT, whose projects include APO Bar + Lounge, Noble, Sampan, and Capogiro, gutted and redid the dining areas.There are tweed fabric designs by Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren everywhere — on the banquettes as well as the coat closet doors.
Bianchini, a native Philadelphian, spent two decades on the French Riviera with the hotel-restaurant Hotel Les Muscadins before partnering at the Lenox Room in New York.
A chef at the Lenox Room was David Cunningham, who left NYC for the Philly area after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Daughter Veronica was born on 9/11.) Cunningham's resume also includes Petrossian Paris, Lespinasse, and Le Bernardin, plus the Yardley Inn and a brief stint at Bookbinders.
His Tweed entrees are priced from $8 for half-portions to $29 for a New York strip steak. Wine list is heavily French; 13 beers are on tap. As typical of European restaurants, all food is sourced within 100 miles, Cunningham says.
Dinner is on from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Bar will be open till midnight with a bar menu opening until close daily. Weekend brunch will start Sunday. Lunch, Tuesdays through Fridays, will start Tuesday, June 15.