Starr Restaurants

Iron Hill Re-evaluating Ardmore

Posted by Foobooz on April 18th, 2013

Check out the week’s most interesting posts on Philadelphia magazine’s real estate blog, Property. Iron Hill is “re-evaluating its involvement in Ardmore and editor Liz Spikol imagines a world where Questlove and Stephen Starr bring Hybird to South Street.

Follow Property on Facebook and Twitter.

Where We’re Eating: El Vez May Be the Most Fun Restaurant in Town

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on April 8th, 2013

El Vez 2

Because I was tired of hearing overeducated food types in Philadelphia talk a ton of smack about Stephen Starr’s always-packed Mexican joint El Vez, I decided to put the restaurant to the test with a demanding Saturday-night birthday party 10-top, including some fussy suburban eaters and one each of the picky-eater and vegetarian species. We ordered beers. We ordered margaritas. We ordered a wide range of food. And we dropped $40-plus in the photo booth, where, yes, my shirt came off. (Pictures available upon request.) Not a bad plate or drink was served. The server didn’t stumble once. And we made it out the door for under $40 per person. You can hate all you want, haters, but the fact is, El Vez may be the most fun restaurant in town.

El Vez
121 South 13th Street
215-928-9800

First appeared in the April 2013 edition of Philadelphia magazine

HyBird, Questlove’s Food Concept Opening in New York with Stephen Starr

Posted by Foobooz on April 3rd, 2013

hybird

Philadelphia’s Questlove and Stephen Starr are joining forces to open Hybird, a fried chicken, dumplings and cupcakes stand in New York’s Chelsea Market. Look for the kiosk to open in early May.

Questlove has been toying with starting a food operation for a couple of years now, having fed drumsticks to gleeful Feastival eaters and Night Market VIPs. But now there’s something concrete and we have to wonder, can a Philadelphia location be far behind?

We hope not.

Hybird [Official Site]

Is HipCityVeg Coming to Midtown Village?

Posted by Foobooz on April 2nd, 2013

thirteen-street-bistro

Real Estate honcho, Allan Domb has his name on the liquor license that has popped up on the “Thirteen Street Bistro” (the fake name the landlord gave the former Full Moon Saloon). Domb’s name appears on more liquor licenses connected to Stephen Starr than Starr himself, but Michael Klein says he hears Starr is not involved in this project. Instead, Klein says that Nicole Marquis of HipCityVeg is considering the space.

Domb, who owns the bricks of HipCityVeg’s first location can’t say enough good things about Marquis and lets us know she’s considering 13th Street but stops short of confirming she’ll be doing HipCityVeg or another concept at 131 South 13th Street.

Interestingly, Nicole Marquis’ name was attached to neighborhood discussions for another project that had Allan Domb on the liquor license. That project wound up being Starr’s Fette Sau. And the other name on the 13th Street liquor license is Tom Jackson, a common enough name but also the general manager of El Vez.

So is 131 S 13th Street going to be a new Marquis vegetarian friendly concept with liquor license or something else altogether? Marquis says she’ll let us know as things develop.

Photo by Arthur Etchells

Stephen Starr Talks His New D.C. French Restaurant Le Diplomate

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on March 8th, 2013

Later this month, Stephen Starr will open Le Diplomate, a 260-seat, 7,500-square-foot French restaurant in Washington D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood, exactly a mile north of the White House. Starr has been itching to make the move to D.C. ever since he first opened the Continental here in Philadelphia so many years ago. “I’m fascinated by politics,” Starr told the Washington Post. Read the rest of this entry »

Serpico Delayed Till at Least Late Summer (Or Not)

Posted by Foobooz on January 31st, 2013

Word out of the Starr camp is that Peter Serpico’s Serpico isn’t likely to open before late summer/early fall at 6th and South. No clear reason has been given for the delay other than there are other projects ahead of the noodle bar. The only project we know of that is slated to open before Serpico is Washington D.C’s Le Diplomate, a project Starr Restaurants is actively hiring for. Perhaps Stephen Starr has some other projects (a hotel or two) that might be delaying Serpico?

Seems like this night with Chris Painter and Peter Serpico at Il Pittore might be your only chance to taste Serpico’s food for some time.

UPDATE: A representative for Stephen Starr informs us that Serpico is still on schedule for a Spring opening.

Painter and Serpico, Together for One Night at Il Pittore [f8b8z]

Painter and Serpico, Together for One Night at Il Pittore

Posted by Alex Tewfik on January 22nd, 2013

The similarities between the two chefs count little to none. Chef Chris Painter, a Pottsville, PA native, stands on eurocentric culinary grounds, masterfully crafting creative takes on modern Northern Italian cuisine at his namesake restaurant on Sansom Street. This, of course, being a relatively new venture after stepping away from his post as culinary director of Starr Restaurant Group.

Peter Serpico, on the other hand, was the culinary director for a different empire. He was the taste buds and visionary for the asian-inspired, edgy-yet-sophisticated menus spewing from David Chang’s Momofoku empire—an empire that has dotted the culinary map of New York, Sydney, and Toronto. So what do they have in common besides once being culinary directors for successful restaurant groups?

More »

Philadelphia in the New York Times: Starr 5, Cheesesteaks 0

Posted by Foobooz on January 4th, 2013

Philadelphia made the New York Times in another of their 36 Hours pieces. This marks the third time Philadelphia has been featured in the series, other visits coming in 2006 and 2009. In that time we’ve gone from 5 cheesesteak mentions back in 2006 to zero in 2013. Across that same timeframe we’ve also seen Stephen Starr and his restaurant mentions go from zero to 5 this year.

36 Hours in Philadelphia [New York Times]

Photo via Mark Makela for The New York Times

Stephen Starr to Open El Vez in New York

Posted by Foobooz on December 5th, 2012

In addition to talking hotels, Stephen Starr is also expanding his presence in New York. Starr tells the New York Times that he is planning to open an El Vez in Battery Park City.

New York’s El Vez, which will be in the Goldman-Sachs building will be bigger than the Philadelphia location with more than 200 seats. If all goes according to plan, Starr aims to open in late 2013.

Stephen Starr to Bring El Vez to Financial District [New York Times]

Stephen Starr on CNBC

Posted by Foobooz on November 27th, 2012

Stephen Starr appeared on CNBC yesterday as part of the network’s Recovery Road Trip. Starr discussed Philadelphia, his business and expansion.

Among the most interesting tidbits:

Average ticket is back to pre-recession levels.
He feels a sense of optimism in Philadelphia.
Believes Philadelphians are ready to make and spend money.
A graphic showed Starr is looking to expand in the Las Vegas, Miami and DC markets.
The threat of a fiscal cliff is not changing his behavior

To hear more from Stephen Starr, check out Thinkfest this Friday night.

Stephen Starr on CNBC [CNBC]
Thinkfest [Philadelphia Magazine]

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