Archive: August, 2009
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Now who didn't see this one coming?
One week after opening Verdad -- the Euro tapas-oriented restaurant on Bryn Mawr's main drag -- chef Nick Farina has closed Blush, his three-year-old upscale American restaurant/lounge on nearby Merion Avenue.
Blush staff will move to Verdad.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Thursday night (8/13) marks a new chapter in the life of Meritage, which has seen a few reconceptualizations in its five years at 20th and Lombard.
A 10-day work order by owners Michele DiPietro and Irene Landy has yielded hardwood floors, new windows and tables, and high-top seating across from the bar. The color scheme has reverted to yellow.
Prices have come down. New chef Anne Elizabeth Coll, a Susanna Foo alumna, is rolling out a menu -- nothing is over $21 -- that includes a few Asian influences.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Mezza Luna's move a block away, into the corner of Eighth and Christian Streets, is almost complete.
Owner Pietro "Pete" D'abbraccio expects to open Thursday (8/13) for dinner; at midday Wednesday, he was waiting for the installation of a bar top. The liquor license is not yet in hand, so it'll be BYOB at the outset.
The door of its former home for 10 years, at 763 S. Eighth St., has an ominous sign indicating that the landlord took possession of the premises and changed the locks.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Lots of last-minute hammering going on in Northern Liberties.
Kong -- the Hong Kong-style street-food bistro from Michael O'Halloran and wife Sophia Lee (partnered with Old City's Luca Sena) -- is bracing for a Saturday (8/15) opening at 702 N. Second St., formerly Sovalo. There's a Chinese lion dance scheduled for 5:30.
Here's how Michael O'Halloran, who owns Bistro 7 in Old City, got to "Hong Kong street food." His mother-in-law, Ping Suet Chiu, was born there, and they return to visit family.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Thursday morning on Fox29’s Good Day Philadelphia, anchor Kerri-Lee Halkett will deliver an advisory on self-defense, inspired by an incident two weeks ago in which a man tried to get into her hotel room in Bar Harbor, Maine, at 4 a.m.
In a posting on her Facebook page only hours after the July 31 incident, Halkett described the intruder as wearing a mask and gloves and carrying a crowbar. She said she got in his face and told him to leave, and the man fled. Police responded to a 911 call within moments, according to accounts.
Her friend, New York anchor Jodi Applegate, asleep in the room and wearing earplugs, told the Mount Desert Islander newspaper that she was awakened by Halkett’s screaming and saw a man in the doorway.
In a story posted Wednesday morning on the Islander’s Web site, Police Chief Nathan Young questioned Halkett's description: “We haven’t had any incidents like this with a masked man running around Bar Harbor.” In an interview today, he also said that Halkett didn't tell his officers about a mask at the time.
That doesn't square with the accounts of two women at the Ledgelawn Inn. Manager Dawn Lueck told me today that moments before Halkett called police, someone tried to gain access to a housekeeper’s room downstairs. The housekeeper, who asked that her name not be used, told me that she crept out and found Halkett outside of her room, phoning police. Lueck and the housekeeper said police didn’t talk to them.
The housekeeper said Halkett had indeed told police that the man wore a mask and carried something.
“I stand totally behind my initial statement,” Halkett said. “It’s the absolute truth. When it happened, I did the first thing that came to mind: I responded." She said she’d address the issue on Thursday's show and “after that, I’m moving on."
(This post has been edited based on additional reporting.)
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Buoyed by the recent success of Azie on Main (which replaced the upper half of Maia in Villanova), Win Signature Restaurants is aiming for a Sept. 1 opening of Parker's Prime in Newtown Square.
PP will fill the space at 4755 West Chester Pike left by Roux 3.
The early look shows tile intermingled with natural accents, leather, flagstone -- in a word, "handsome." The walls are painted a deep chocolate brown and one of the circular banquettes is being transformed into a wine tower with a mosaic floor.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Philly-area locales will play heavily into this season's work on the Food Network show Dinner: Impossible.
Wednesday's season premiere (10 p.m.) was shot in May in Wildwood at the Colossal Coastal Roller Derby Convention, hosted by the South Jersey Derby Girls.
Chef Robert Irvine prepared a meal for 250 skaters and fans attending the event and one Derby Girl, Rachel “Billy Rae Siren” Morera, spent the day helping Irvine, his staff and skaters.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
The very well-traveled husband-wife team of David Gilberg and Carla Goncalves (Matyson, Loie, Coquette, Ugly American) is taking over the Northern Liberties storefront at 614 N. Second St., which previously housed Copper Bistro and Aden.
Their BYOB will be called KOO ZEE DOO, the phonetic pronunciation for the Portuguese adjective for “cooked” (and the first word in the traditional dish cozido á Portuguesa, a boiled dinner with a variety of meats, including smoked sausages and vegetables).
The couple -- her background is Portuguese -- married seven years ago, a year after their graduation from Haverford College. The idea, they say, is to use quality ingredients prepared simply. Check average will be under $20. After some sprucing up, they hope to open in mid-September.
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Diego Ramos, released from Q102 in January after 19 years, is getting into the bar business next week with Diego's, at 2670 Bridge St. in Bridesburg, near the Bridge Street exit off I-95.
The place is currently Scruffy's. He starts Monday but plans to spruce up the facade and do a grand opening in early October. The second floor is a lounge, while the first floor is a traditional bar.
Ramos says the hook is that instead of displaying photos of himself with celebs, he'll feature photos of his customers posed with famous people.
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Michael Klein, Philly.com
This is how Seth Green and Matthew Senreich roll:
If the creators of the loopy Adult Swim animated sketch comedy Robot Chicken seem a bit groggy this week, it's because they've been riding on a tour bus to plug the DVD release of Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.
At each stop, they strap on roller skates and host a skating party.
