Fishtown’s newest eatery, Cedar Point Bar & Kitchen has gotten a lot of buzz since opening this spring at a six-point intersection less than a mile from Johnny Brenda’s, the neighborhood’s flagship restaurant. Sadly, the kitchen didn’t live up to the hype on my visit. From the mushy BBQ grilled cheese sandwich to the way-undercooked greens to the fried pickles that lost their crispy batter jackets at the slightest touch, dinner was a big disappointment. The chicken-and-waffles and goat-cheese-filled beet ravioli (with beets replacing pasta in the dish) only slightly raised the bar from the absolute bottom. Still, vegans may appreciate the many options the menu holds for them (including a vegan “cheese” board), and the bartenders are warmer than most in this too-cool-for-school neighborhood. But unless you’re a liquor-loving vegetable enthusiast, there’s really very little reason to spend any time here.
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.
In this week’s edition of the Wildy Weekly, Alla Spina general manager Steve Wildy revelas he is a pescetarian, which has to be some sort of special torment when you work at the pork-tastic Alla Spina. But now with spring (theoretically) upon us, chef Mike Deganis has rolled out a menu that is Wildy friendly. Fully a third of the menu is vegetarian, and roughly half is pescatarian friendly. There will still of course be those meaty faves, but nice to know you can now take your “weird-o” friends to Alla Spina.
Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby’s Vedge is that most unlikely of operations: a dedicated vegan farm-to-table restaurant that, in just over a year, has become a destination for both vegetable enthusiasts and their more omnivorous friends. Here, we take a look at one of Vedge’s “Dirt Lists” and ask Kate Jacoby how it came to be.
GQ’sAlan Richman names the most outstanding restaurants of 2013 and Philadelphia’s Vedge is #3. Here’s some of what Richman had to say.
The cooking strutted past tolerable to remarkable. I had no idea so much flavor could be delivered without butter, cream, milk, eggs, and other kitchen staples. Chef Richard Landau’s staff must include a benevolent gremlin or a fairy godmother who sprinkles magic dust over the pots and the pans. I had trouble understanding how vegan food had advanced this far and this fast without an accompanying outpouring of acclaim.
Washington D.C’s Little Serow, a “transformational”Thai restaurant is ranked number one. Hog & Hominy out of Memphis, Tennessee is number two.
So with that said, by my count that makes the City of Brotherly Love the best burger town in the US of A. So with cheesesteaks and burgers it looks like we’ve got the meat thing down. But what to do about our vegan brothers and sisters? Luckily, it looks like Philly is improving on this front as well, serving up killer veggie burgers at some of the same joints making our top meaty burgers. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, try one of these six options on for size. Who knows? Maybe you’ll convert. (But probably not.)
Kevin Sbraga has planned some creative and festive tasting menus for his Chef’s Counter. Monday through Thursday the counter holds one seating a night for up to six people. The six courses are $75 with a $50 beverage pairing. From now until mid January Sbraga’s counter will be full of holiday themed dishes, including a Halloween Harvest, a Sbraga Thanksgiving with a take on Turduken and “leftovers,” and special dinners for Hanukkah, Christmas, and Three Kings Day.
Next on the menu after the current Back to School lineup is a healthy all-vegetarian menu including “Faux Carrot Pho” and cauliflower “steak.” The Veggies Only menu runs from October 1 to the 11. Check out the full menu along with the full Chef’s Counter schedule after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Two new restaurants are adding to Baltimore Avenue’s already full restaurant district. The first is Hibiscus, a vegetarian café that opened two weeks ago at 4907 Catharine St. Though they are currently without an online presence, Hibiscus is in full swing serving up smoothies, juices, vegetarian and vegan fare from $2 to $10. A full menu to post online is in the works as are concrete hours, but for now Hibiscus is open from 10 to 8 p.m. every day.
The second addition, Rue 52, is a creperie and espresso bar coming to 503 S. 52nd Street. Rue 52 will serve a Philadelphia twist on traditional French café fare from 7:30-6pm Monday-Thursday, 7:30-7pm Friday and Saturday, and 10-6pm on Sundays. The café plans to open to the public on September 15th but will confirm it via their Facebook and Twitter as the date moves closer.
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