Grub Street Philadelphia

Philly Pub ‘N Grub Revamped and Rebranded as Lox Stock & Barrel

Collin Keefe — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:00 GMT

Lox Stock & Barrel]]> Though it outlived its two predecessors Tiedhouse and NoVi on the ground floor of the Cityview condo building, Philly Pub ‘n Grub failed to make a meaningful connection with its neighbors in Fairmount and Franklin Town in the two-and-a-half years of its existence. So owner Jeff Katz, a third generation restaurateur who literally grew up in his family’s delicatessen, recently went back to the drawing board to re-conceptualize his neighborhood sports bar. Drawing on what he knows best, he relaunched as Lox Stock & Barrel, and has been operating the deli-diner-neighborhood-bar concept under the radar for several weeks.

]]> The newly retooled and re-branded operation features a menu of deli classics like Nova lox, house-cured corned beef, brisket, blintzes, latkes and matzo ball soup. Omelets, Huevos rancheros, pancakes, waffles and French toast have the diner must-haves covered. There’s also a bunch of sandwiches, salads, burgers and even pizza on the exhaustive menu. A grilled cheese section of the menu puts forth a dozen different griddled and melty sandwiches. There’s also a huge, fully stocked horseshoe-shaped bar at the center of everything for your drinking needs. Check the full menu here.

Lox, Stock & Barrel, 2001 Hamilton Street, (215) 563-2424

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: name game, bars, delis, diners, fairmount, franklin town, lox stock and barrel, neighborhoods, openings

PHS' Pop-Up Garden Now Open on Broad Street

Collin Keefe — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:20:00 GMT

Broad Street's Pop-Up Garden]]> Good News: That Pop-Up Garden we told you that the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was working on with Avram Hornik’s 4 Corners Management, University of the Arts, and Groundswell Design Group in the vacant lot across form the Kimmel Center on Broad Street is up and running as of yesterday. As in years past, the space will be open to the public on weekdays beginning at 11 a.m. Inside they can stroll the grounds, and enjoy the Eden-esque lush greenery, trees and flowers that have been planted. But if you’re looking for a frosty beer and a taste of George Sabatino’s picinic-y fare, you’ll have to wait another week. The food and drink concessions won’t begin until Wednesday, May 29.

]]> When they do, Sabatino’s menu will have sandwiches, like slow-roasted pork belly with mustard slaw, brisket with horseradish aioli, and vegan-chorizo sloppy Joes. Fresh fruit, salads and hummus will also be available, according to uwishunu. And a bar fashioned from a discarded shipping container will serve beers from Victory, Yards and Philadelphia Brewing company, as well as sangria and root beer. What’s more, when the food and drink service starts up the Pop-Up Garden will be open until 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5-10 p.m.; 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and 10 p.m. on Sundays. The season runs through October.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Greens South Broad Street With A New Pop-Up Garden, Opening Today, And Beer Garden, Opening May 29 [uwishunu]

Earlier: Civic Horticulture Conference Hosts Pop-Up Garden Preview on Broad Street

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: the great outdoors, avram hornik, beer gardens, beer me, four corners management, george sabatino, look who's popping up, pennsylvania horticultural society

Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery Hires Former Dock Street Brewer; Iron Hill Receives Tanks at Its Forthcoming Location in New Jersey

Collin Keefe — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:25:00 GMT

The future site of Barren Hill Tavern and Brewery]]> Erin Wallace, who owns Old Eagle Tavern in Manayunk, and Devil’s Den in South Philly, is making some progress in bringing forever-shuttered General Lafayette Inn back to life as Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery. She’s finally made settlement on the historic property, and according a rep for the project, intends to have it open for business this summer. She’s hired Scott Morrison, the talented brewer who racked up numerous accolades, including seven Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medals and top honors at the World Beer Cup, while on staff at Dock Street Brewery and McKenzie Brewpubs. At Barren Hill, he will be in charge of developing a line of house-brewed beers that will pour from six of the tavern’s 30 taps. His brews will also be featured on the draft lists at Wallace’s other bars.

]]> Meanwhile over in Voorhees, New Jersey, Iron Hill’s forthcoming location — it’s the brewery and restaurant group’s tenth — is quickly coming together. Also on tap for a summer opening, the latest outpost received delivery today of 20 custom-fabricated brewing tanks for its brewhouse. Once installed, and the entire system is firing on all pistons, brewers will begin making the first batches of brews ahead of the opening. The fact that the tanks are on site means the opening isn’t far off. We’ll keep you posted as the progress on both projects continues.

Earlier: Barren Hill to Open at the Former Home of General Lafayette Inn

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: beer me, barren hill tavern and brewery, burbs, coming soon, dock street brewery, iron hill brewery and restaurant

Noir Gives Rise to Boozy Water Ices

Collin Keefe — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:10:00 GMT

Noir's water ice cocktail]]> East Passyunk Avenue's Noir is gearing up for the start of summer this week with the rollout of a new selection of cocktails inspired by and making use of Philly’s most ubiquitous warm weather frozen treat, water ice. Noir barkeeps have come up with three icy-slushy sippers that are made with water ice sourced from its neighbors at South Philly institution Mancuso’s Cheese Shop, and lemoncello from upstart Pollyodd. The cherry-favored brain-freezer is made with Mancuso’s cherry water ice and house-infused cherry vodka. The lemon and chocolate versions use the ice maker’s lemon and chocolate flavors, and Pollyodd’s lemoncello or chocolatecello. All run six bucks a piece, come garnished with a pretzel, and are available now.

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: chillin', east passyunk avenue, lemoncello, mancuso's cheese shop, neighborhoods, noir, pollyodd fine liqueurs, south philly, water ice

Water Main Break Shuts Down Johnny Brenda’s

Collin Keefe — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:25:00 GMT

Johnny Brenda's]]> We’ve heard restaurants blame broken pipes and flooding for their abrupt closings before, but for Johnny Brenda’s, which shutdown early Sunday morning, it appears to be the truth. Action News reports that a broken water main on Frankford Avenue sent an unholy surge of runoff into the Fishtown bar, restaurant and live music venue, flooding its basement and forcing management to evacuate the building around 1 a.m. JB’s staff put the word out yesterday through its social media that last night’s Surgeon album release party was moving over to Kung Fu Necktie, and that the flooding will mostly likely keep them shut down until at least Wednesday. Here’s hoping they get things bailed out, and toweled off in a timely manner. [Action News]

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: temporary closings, bars, fishtown, floods, frankford avenue, johnny brenda's, neighborhoods, nightlife, water mains

Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Fitler Dining Room Scores Three Bells; Soggy Buns Disappoint at Cherry Hill’s Zinburger

Collin Keefe — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:20:00 GMT

• Pub & Kitchen owners Ed Hackett and Dan Clark appear to have successfully tapped into the magic that propelled their predecessors at 22nd and Spruce streets, Melograno and Meme, to three-bell status with their latest effort, Fitler Dining Room. Inky critic Craig LaBan gives the cozy, 30-seater three ringy-dingies, citing chef Rob Marzinsky’s “sharp focus of flavors and clarity of vision.” His butter-poached oysters, LaBan gushes, “are such an elegant modern riff on stew that they'd make his muse, M.F.K. Fisher, consider the oyster anew,” while his gnocchi, wrought from a “clever new technique,” come off as “ethereal puffs of meltaway potato dumplings.” Other highlights include a “well-informed and generous” service staff; a “surprisingly deep” wine list; and Vietnamese-inspired beef cheeks that are “so memorably tender they're like beef pudding.” [Inquirer]

• Adam Erace surveys the goods at Cherry Hill’s newest “haute burger bar,” Zinburger, and determines that neighboring Bobby’s Burger Palace is home to “better burgers.” But Zinburger has “better everything else.” “Uniformly overdressed” salads are “better than you’d expect,” but the “impressive 5 inches high” burgers’ “soft golden bun” all too quickly “turned to crumb and mush.” [Courier-Post]

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: the other critics, adam erace, burbs, chain gang, cherry hill, craig laban, dan clark, ed hackett, fitler dining room, new jersey, robert marzinsky, zinburger

Meritage Rolls Out New Happy Hour Dealage

Collin Keefe — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:30:00 GMT

Meritage's Korean taco]]> Rittenhouse’s Meritage is switching up its happy hour action again. Starting tonight, and every Tuesday through Friday evening until the next changes come, the restaurant and bar is offering buckets of Corona ponies and cans of Sly Fox at reduced prices between 5 and 7 p.m. But cheap brews aren’t all. There’s also some new cocktails, including June Bug, cucumber, vodka and St. Germain, and Summer Jam, tequila, lime and Chambord. And snacky things like Korean pork tacos, kobe-stuffed grilled grape leaves, and corn and crab fritters are available for $5.

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: the happiest hours on earth, beer me, cocktails, deals, korean tacos, meritage, neighborhoods, rittenhouse sqaure

What to Eat and Drink at Jerry’s Bar, Opening Tonight in NoLibs

Collin Keefe — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:20:00 GMT

Jerry's Bar]]> Though the name remains the same, you’ll be hard pressed to find any traces of the former old-man shot-and-beer joint that the new and very much improved Jerry’s Bar replaces when it opens tonight at 5 p.m. Two-plus years of renovations have resulted in the floors, walls, and ceilings all torn out and replaced, and the basement excavated. Owner Christie Proud and her husband Ryan Bernstein, an interior designer, have completely transformed the timeworn dive at the corner of West Laurel and New Market streets in Northern Liberties (right in the backyard of the Piazza) into a handsome, decidedly neighborhood bar — not a gastropub, not a beer bar — and bistro-y restaurant. Former Cafe Estelle chef-owner Marshall Green is on board to steer the kitchen.

]]>

The bright, bi-level space is appointed in dark woods, white subway tiles, marble bar tops, exposed brick and repurposed industrial accents and lighting fixtures. It features two bars, 12 taps, and enough seating for roughly a hundred guests.

Green’s menu covers all the bar and neighborhood restaurant basics with things like a Lafrieda burger, chicken wings (pickle-brined!), and mussels steamed in Allagash White. But he takes a more sophisticated turn with things like escargots, Bouillabaisse, and a housemade potato gnocchi that will change as different ingredients come in and out of season.

The bar’s 12 taps will pour a carefully thought out mix of popular beer styles from Belgians and local craft selections to big, West Coast brews. The wine list puts an emphasis on small producers, organic and biodynamic varietals. A small cocktail list has the classics covered, which are all, as Green put it, priced to move — $7 to $8. Check out the full menu below.

Jerry's Bar, 129 West Laurel Street, (267) 273-1632

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: openings, kristy proud, marshall green, neighborhoods, northern liberties, piazza at schmidt's

Tom Jones Crashed Sassafras’s Anniversary Party Last Night

Collin Keefe — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:30:00 GMT

So not unusual.]]> Last night, Old City’s Sassafras celebrated its five year anniversary under the current ownership of Donal McCoy and Neil Laughlin. The time-honored institution, which also houses the Tin Angel on its second floor, is actually much older, and has been sailing under the Sassafras flag for more than 40 years. Kenn Kweder, a fixture on Philly’s music scene for almost as many years, entertained the revelers who came out to toast the occasion. And then Tom Jones — yeah that Tom Jones — showed up. A rep for the restaurant told Grub this morning that the “Sex Bomb” singer was casually strolling through the neighborhood, thought the bar and restaurant looked nice, and decided to stop in for a drink.

]]> Early reports had him performing a cover of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Honkey Tonk Women” with Kweder, which isn’t so far fetched. But when we caught up with the “Mayor of South Street” this afternoon, he told us it wasn’t true.

“I was there performing earlier, and he showed up later,” Kweder told Grub. “While it would've been great, there was no jam session or anything. I just threw that out there on the social media this morning as a joke.”

The Sassafras rep added that it was a totally low-key affair. No undies were thrown, and Jones enjoyed a couple glasses of Prosecco before calling it a night.

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: celebrity settings, kenn kweder, milestones, neighborhoods, nightlife, old city, sassafras, tom jones

Vice’s ‘Truckers in the Wild’ Spotlights Lil Dan’s

Collin Keefe — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:40:00 GMT

]]> Vice’s newish web video series “Truckers in the Wild” recently touched down here in Hoagietown to get a “taste of Philly’s traditions.” While here, the program’s hosts, chefs and brothers Eli and Max Sussman, hit all the usual spots — Independence Hall, Love Park, and Geno’s — for b-roll. They get points for checking out the century-old Fletcher Street Stables and chatting up the club's infamous Black Cowboys, but they lost us when their attention turned to — hello, totally obvious — cheesesteaks. C’mon, they couldn’t find a decent roast pork sandwich or piping hot bowl of pho to feature? At least they hit up the truckers behind University City’s Lil Dan’s, who gave them a glimpse of their signature Oreo-crusted chicken sandwich before going full cheesesteak on us. Check out the full clip straight ahead.

]]> ]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: video feed, cheesesteaks, fletcher street stables, lil dan's, truckers in the wild, truckin', vice

Six Food and Drink Festivals to Get You Ready For the Start of Summer

Collin Keefe — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:15:00 GMT

The human-powered Kenzinger Truck at the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby]]> Forget about Memorial Day. Philly’s summer starts this weekend. The forecast calls for sun and temps in the seventies, which is perfect weather for the wondrous array of outdoor festivals taking place throughout the city and its surrounding suburbs over the next few days. The weekend planner holds everything from artsy beardos piloting homemade, human-powered vehicles through the streets of East Kensington to the ritzy Rittenhouse crowd partying down on Walnut Street. And best of all, each of these festive affairs will have plenty of food and drink on order. All you have to do is show, eat, drink and have good time. Keep reading to see what’s happening.

]]> The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby and Trenton Avenue Arts Festival:
The Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby and Trenton Avenue Arts Festival returns Saturday, bringing with it a procession of enormous and often completely absurd people-powered vehicle floats, and a varied mix of artists and musicians to the wide, cobblestoned streets in and around East Kensington’s Trenton Avenue. Along with the derby, and tremendous assemblage of arts and artists, more than a dozen food trucks and vendors of all things edible will be on hand to quell the crowds’ collective hunger. Look for everything from Dapper Dogs and Little Baby’s Ice Cream to the Surf and Turf Truck and Taco Mondo.

Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival:
For a more well-mannered affair, consider the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, which on Saturday will have Walnut Street lined with tables and tents that will feature food from Sbraga, Dandelion, Lacroix, Pub & Kitchen, Oyster House, Underdogs, Shake Shack and more. Multiple tasting stations set up by the PLCB will also flank the streets and offer tastes of Chairman’s Selection wines, as well as an assortment of seasonally appropriate cocktails. Other boozy attractions include a Whisper Outdoor Lounge, where drinks and snacks from Whisper, Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company, and Corner Foodery will be available. Starr Restaurants are bringing their own Culinary Demonstration Stage to 19th Street, and demoing all sorts of dishes served at their many restaurants. They will also be accepting non-perishable food items and monetary donations for Philabundance, and unloading a slew of old china, glasses and other tabletop accessories. Proceeds from sales will also benefit Philabundance.

Phair:
Not necessarily a festival, but rather a new weekly happening, Phair, an open air market that’s going to be a regular weekend fixture at 23rd and Arch streets this spring and summer, kicks off on Saturday. Artisans, craft-folk, and creative types of every stripe and and shade will have their wares on display. Each weekend going forward will also find several mobile munch operators and food vendors. For the debut Rival Bros., Poi Dog Snack Shop, Made in the Shade Beverage Co., and Sweetbox Cupcakes are all lined up.

Italian Market Festival:
What’s billed as “Philadelphia’s Largest Block Party,” takes over on the South Philly stretch of Ninth Street both Saturday and Sunday. Curbside vendors will have some of the market’s finest edible offerings, from cheeses and meats to fun, festival foods on offer. Keep your eyes peeled for old school homemade wine and hair-straightening DIY limoncello. There’s also going to be arts and crafts, music and the must-experience Procession of Saints.

South Philadelphia Taproom Eighth Annual Wheat Beer Festival:
A little further south, the venerable South Philadelphia Taproom will spill out on to Hicks Street with more than 30 different styles of wheat beers from breweries near and far. Chef Scott Schroeder and his crew will have some barbecue action available, while the West Philadelphia Orchestra, Adam and Dave's Bloodline, Arrah and the Ferns, and other live music acts perform.

Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers’ Festival:
Out in the western burbs, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant’s Media outpost hosts its 13th Annual Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers’ Festival on Saturday. More than 25 regional breweries — Flying Fish Brewing Company, Lancaster Brewing Company, Old Forge Brewing Company, Stoudt's Brewing Company, Tired Hands Brewing Company, Triumph Brewing Company, Troegs Brewery, Victory Brewing Company are just a few that will be on hand — will have their latests and greatest beers available. And food will be provided by Iron Hill and available for purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis. The beers are covered in the $50 per person admission.

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: grub guide, brandywine valley craft brewers festival, burbs, italian market festival, kensington, kensington kinetic sculpture derby, neighborhoods, phair, rittenhouse, rittenhouse row spring festival, south philadelphia taproom wheat beer festival, south philly, truckin'

Le Bec Fin Is Closing For Real

Collin Keefe — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:35:00 GMT

Au Revoir]]> Sad news is coming down the pipeline this afternoon — but it’s not like anyone didn’t see this coming — Le Bec Fin is going to close. For good. This June. Insider reports that Nicolas Fanucci is indeed out. Chris Scarduzio is stepping in as director of operations. Interim chef Steve Eckerd is headed to the burbs. And, Roxborough native Justin Bogle, who scored two Michelin stars while helming New York’s Gilt is coming in to turn the once mighty temple of classic French cookery into a “progressive American cuisine” restaurant. And so ends Le Bec’s impressive four-decades run. Au revoir. Merci. Rest in peace. [Insider]

Earlier: Latest Round of Rumors Spells Big Trouble For Le Bec Fin

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: closings, chris scarduzio, justin bogle, le bec fin, nicolas fanucci, r.i.p., steve eckerd

Brü Craft & Wurst Has ‘Sneaky Fine-Dining Game Hidden Up Its Lederhosen’; Honey’s Sit ‘N Eat’s Grilled Ramps Are ‘Outrageously Delicious’

Collin Keefe — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:10:00 GMT

• Adam Erace gives newly opened indoor beer garden Brü Craft & Wurst a whirl, and reports back that despite the “frat-party stank on the place” there’s “some sneaky fine-dining game hidden up its lederhosen.” The “hulking” $48 mixed-meats-&-wursts platter sounds like a real ~~wiener~~ winner, and the house-cut fries are “some of the best in town.” But the meatballs rolled in flour before frying presented a “pasty film that clung to their outsides like papier-mâché,” and the “fragrant” spätzle had “absorbed all their butter in transit, leaving them dry and cool.” [Citypaper]

• “With a bottle of Côtes du Rhône in tow,” Phyllis Stein-Novack and hubby Edawrd check out the scene at Honey’s Sit ’N Eat’s newly launched South Street location, where the matzo ball soup’s homemade broth “twinkled with chicken fat,” but was in need of “a touch of salt.” A platter of “perfectly seasoned” fried green tomatoes “brought smiles all around”; “masterful” grilled ramps with romesco sauce was “outrageously delicious”; but the brisket platter came up short with “chewy” albeit “nicely seasoned” brisket that “did little to tempt [her] taste buds.” [South Philly Review]

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: the other critics, adam erace, bru craft and wurst, center city, honey's sit n eat, midtown village, neighborhoods, phyllis-stein novack, south street

Civic Horticulture Conference Hosts Pop-Up Garden Preview on Broad Street

Collin Keefe — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:35:00 GMT

Rendering of the Pop-Up Garden.]]> Remember that Pop-Up Garden we mentioned a few weeks ago that 4 Corners Management’s Avrim Hornik, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, University of the Arts and Groundswell Design Group had plans to open in the vacant lot across from the Kimmel Center? There’s going to be a preview reception for it tonight. It’s part of the weekend-long Civic Horticulture Conference that the Cultural Landscape Foundation is hosting here. It’s not free; $50 gets you in. But it will provide some of the first glimpses of the project, and offer snacks and beverages. It gets underway at 6 p.m.

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: look who's popping up, avrim hornik, broad street, civic horticulture conference, cultural landscape foundation, four corners management, pop-up garden

Suspect Charged In DJ’s Fatal Shooting at a South Street Ice Cream Shop; Blackbird Pizzeria Employee Missing

Collin Keefe — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:50:00 GMT

Joey Ross: Missing since Tuesday evening.]]> Police have arrested and charged a suspect in connection to the fatal shooting of popular DJ earlier this week inside South Street’s Haagen Dazs store. Action News reports that a cell phone left at the crime scene led them to Josephe Murray, a resident of Southwest Philadelphia. Another suspect is reportedly still at large. But while that mystery gets one step closer to being solved, a few blocks away another is beginning to unfold. The owners of all-vegan Blackbird Pizzeria have put out the word through their social media that one of their employees, Joey Ross (pictured), has gone missing. He was last seen leaving work Tuesday evening, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. They ask anyone with information of his whereabouts to call (267) 252-4447 or (856) 577-4719, and hope those who care will help spread the word of his disappearance. [Action News; Blackbird Pizzeria/Facebook; Earlier]

]]> Read more posts by Collin Keefe

Filed Under: crime scenes, blackbird pizzeria, haagen dazs, missing persons, neighborhoods, shootings, south street