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Friday, July 10, 2009

Ansill closes

Citing the economy, David Ansill has closed Ansill, his ambitious, Euro-style foodie-centric bistro at Third and Bainbridge Streets in Queen Village.

It opened in February 2006 as an offshoot of Pif, his now-closed French bistro in South Philly.
Posted by Michael Klein @ 6:23 PM  Permalink | File Under: TableTalk | 12 comments
12
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  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:25 PM, 07/10/2009
    the restaurant business is tough, even in booming times. today it is even harder.
    — linda dubin garfield
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:36 PM, 07/10/2009
    Sad to see this one go...didn't he close Pif because he wanted to concentrate on Ansill?
    — J H
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:08 AM, 07/11/2009
    I eat my lunch from a sack.
    — MBW
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:00 PM, 07/11/2009
    JH: Ostensibly yes, but it seemed like he had always been struggling, what with the ridiculous deals he always ran, like the happy hour, buy one get one dinners, industry discounts, etc.
    — BarryG
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:20 PM, 07/11/2009
    The sign on the door actually reads closed for the summer. My wife and I were frequent visitors when we were actually home and not traveling. We sensed something was up when the wine inventory diminished to almost nothing over the past month or so and they adopted a BYOB policy for Monday through Friday, where as in the past it was only Tuesday's. We discussed the possibility of the business failing but hoped it would hang on through the typically tough summer. The combination of the poor economy and the fact that the restaurant biz is weak in the summer must have taken it's toll. We are very disappointed and hope it is as indicated on the door temporary.
    — transientone
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:17 PM, 07/11/2009
    This is really surprising because the restaurant always seemed busy when I was there. I will definetely miss their happy hour. I guess times are getting tough for everyone.
    — phoodtales
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:44 PM, 07/11/2009
    What an overrated bore of a restaurant. Now will someone please bring back Judy's?
    — Nognig
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:28 AM, 07/13/2009
    Ansill never received the support/credit it deserved. As much as this city loves to crow about it's restaurant scene, it's still basically a two horse town in terms of high-end restaurants...Stephen Starr's and Jose Garces's empires. The rest of the better restaurants are left to fight for whatever attention span remains from the city's fixation on these two. Philadelphia can call itself a "restaurant city" when a place like Ansill isn't forced to stand on it's head for attention with discounts/coupons and special offers...then ultimately close due to lack of interest. Not while Disney-like mini-chain restaurants prosper.
    — kyle19125
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:00 PM, 08/03/2009
    We really hope David & Crew can come back. Since 2001, David has introduced to Philly some extraordinary but simple French dishes. Whether it be mussels in rosemary or chicken with fiddlehead ferns, he found a way to excite our palates. Philadelphia, this guy is the best chef in town - he is inventive and true to form - understands complimentary flavors and textures. Sure, there are some wonderful celebrity chefs. But for my money, I'll sit at David Ansill's table. Let's make sure there is one for us to enjoy!
    — rickstine
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:32 AM, 08/14/2009
    I loved Ansill. I hope someone comes up with something similar and just as good.
    — kalina
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:41 AM, 08/18/2009
    I like turtles.
    — Baba Booey


12 comments
About Michael Klein
Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
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