Christopher Lee

With Sophia’s, Christopher Lee Has Returned to Philly. Kinda

Posted by Foobooz on April 29th, 2013

sophias-sliders-jason-varney

Trey Popp reviews Sophia’s, the East Passyunk restaurant of Philadelphia’s prodigal son, Christopher Lee. What he finds is that Lee is only kind of involved.

My dinners—all of them—were incoherent and error-prone. Dishes clashed rather than complementing one another. Most of the “fun”-sounding ones were flat and boring. Carelessness afflicted too many others. Brussels sprouts were overcooked (really half-carbonized). Ice creams came in pools of their own melt. There’s a lovely apple coffee cake from Fond’s Jessie Prawlucki—but one night it turned up fridge-cold, in a kiln-hot bowl, after an inexplicably long wait.

Sophia’s spent its first month tinkering with a menu the restaurant abruptly discarded. It’s hard to imagine this second take will last much longer. And who knows? A third stab could be the charm. But for Christopher Lee to resurrect the hopes some people had for his return to Philadelphia, he’ll need to do something to reverse the impression that he’s really just phoning it in.

One Star – Fair

Philadelphia Restaurant Review: Phoning It In at Sophia’s [Philadelphia magazine]
Sophia’s [Official Site]

Christopher Lee’s Sophia’s Settles Into A Family-Style Groove

Posted by Jason Sheehan on February 12th, 2013

Okay, so I really have no idea what to make of this.

I got the press release about the new concept at Sophia’s (Christopher Lee‘s bid for new relevance on East Passyunk) about two hours ago and have been staring at it ever since, trying to figure out just what in the hell it is trying to say. It uses a lot of words and phrases that are completely contradictory. It presents a vision for the restaurant that makes it seem like a place I would NEVER want to go to. And the menu itself is just dull and backward and weird in more ways than I can count.

So rather than trying to parse the whole thing and hack my way through all the PR-speak, I’m just posting the thing, in its entirety, below. There’ll be a few specific comments after, but if you don’t care about weird, insider-y restaurant PR bullshit then you can totally skip it and just know that Sophia’s on East Passyunk is now going to be some kind of strange small plate/anti-small-plate/family-style/neighborhood/destination restaurant mutant serving cheesesteak soup dumplings and paella.

For reals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two New Happy Hours on East Passyunk

Posted by Foobooz on January 17th, 2013

noir-O-Canada

Noir is celebrating chef Marco DeCotiis‘ roots with the O’Canada, a Molson Canadian with a shot of Canadian Club for $5. The special is available during happy hour ( Tuesdays through Sundays) along with half-priced appetizers and other nightly specials.

And Christopher Lee at 1623 (or is it officially Sophia’s now) happy hour is being offered Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Get $6 appetizers, $3 beers, $5 wines and $6 cocktails at Christopher Lee’s new joint.

Noir [Official Site]
Sophia’s [Official Site]

Philly-ism Loves Christopher Lee at 1623

Posted by Alex Tewfik on January 2nd, 2013

Our new friends at Philly-ism gave Chris Lee’s Sophia’s pop-up a go, and they seemed to fall in love. Right now, the space is aptly named Christopher Lee at 1623, and like Grub Street mentioned a while back, they’ll close again in February for some reconstruction and reopen again as Sophia’s when all is said and done.

But for right now, it’s Christopher Lee at 1623, and he’s apparently put together quite the tasting menu.

Read the rest of this entry »

Christopher Lee Wants to Bring a New Striped Bass to Philadelphia

Posted by Foobooz on December 20th, 2012

Former Striped Bass chef, Christopher Lee talked with Grub Street’s Collin Keefe regarding his plans for Chef Christopher Lee at 1623, the interim operation at the former Salt & Pepper on East Passyunk that will become Sophia and his multi-city plans for expansion. Most exciting of which, would be his goal to open a Striped Bass-esque restaurant in Philadelphia.

Sophia Will Be the First of Several Restaurants Christopher Lee Opens Here [Grub Street]

Chris Lee To Open Sophia On East Passyunk Avenue

Posted by Alex Tewfik on December 10th, 2012

The Michelin decorated, James Beard acclaimed, four-bell adorned Chris Lee has returned to Philadelphia and he’s now working to turn Salt & Pepper into Sophia, a collaboration between himself and Salt & Pepper’s Joe Massara. According to Michael Klein, the goal is to open before New Years and then close again for a larger renovation that will include new fling-out windows and a new bar.

And come spring there will be a rooftop chef’s table and rear patio.

As for Chris Lee’s menu, expect a neighborhood friendly menu at the bar and more ambitious American fare in the dining room.

What’s Shakin at Salt & Pepper [The Insider]

Gastronaut: New York State of Mind

Posted by Jason Sheehan on December 6th, 2012

Philly has been luring Manhattanites away from the Big Apple for years. Now we’re taking its chefs—and concepts—as well.

For decades, Manhattan has been a kind of protected game preserve for chefs and foodies, a rarified environment where restaurateurs with big names could lure in enough of the monied trade to make the cripplingly high rents and off-the-charts food costs work with $300 tasting menus and $18 cheeseburgers. And because the biggest names in the game opened there, the best crews flocked to them. The best suppliers. It was a system that worked only because every piece of it depended on the willing suspension of all good sense, and a kind of universal acceptance by the people of Manhattan that they were living (and dining) in the greatest food city on earth.

Continue reading the Gastronaut »

Four-Bell Winning Christopher Lee Returning to Philadelphia

Posted by Foobooz on September 21st, 2012

Michael Klein is reporting that Christopher Lee, who earned four-bells while manning the kitchen at Stephen Starr’s Striped Bass is returning to Philadelphia. Lee is partnering up at Salt+Pepper with another Starr vet, Joe Massara. Salt+Pepper remains open and a timeframe for Lee’s concept to open.

Back in December of 2011, Drew Lazor sat at the same table as Lee and discovered that the then executive chef at New York’s Aureole wanted to return to Philadelphia to execute a seafood concept.

Christopher Lee confirms his return to Philly [The Insider]

Quick Bites: What We Missed in the Last Week

Posted by Foobooz on January 3rd, 2011

The former Â¡Cuba! in Chestnut Hill will house Chip Roman’s next restaurant. Lacroix alum Jason Cichonski will be in the kitchen. [The Insider]

In Craig LaBan’s weekend review he drops the scoop that the Fork & Barrel team is looking to open a Center City gastropub this spring. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Modo Mio/Paesano’s Peter McAndrew has settled on MonsÃº for the name of his new Sicilian restaurant at 9th and Christian. He’s aiming to open by January 21st. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Christopher Lee, the former Striped Bass front-man is coming back to Philadelphia and is looking for a spot for his seafood concept. [Meal Ticket]

Alex Capasso’s Blackbird Dining Establishment in Collingswood is moving in with its sibling, West Side Gravy on Haddon Avenue. Blackbird won’t stay empty long though as IndeBlue, Collingswood’s tasty Indian restaurant is moving across the street Â to the bigger space. [The Insider]

Rick’s Steaks is leaving the Shops at the Bellevue. Where next hasn’t been reveled. Â [The Insider]

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