Dining notes
Emptying my notebook: New restaurants, celeb sightings.
Jalsa is the name of a highish-end Indian restaurant penciled in for the former Prive (246 Market St.) in Old City. I'll have more details later.
I have it on good authority that Rx at 45th and Spruce in West Philly is closed but not for good; rather, it will be reconfigured under a new chef and will reopen in a few weeks.
As Center City District Restaurant Week winds down, Chima Brazilian Steakhouse at 20th Street and JFK Blvd. is extending its $35-a-head AYCE feeds for an extra week, from Feb. 5 to 9.
Facebooking: Krups has opened voting on its Facebook page for the "best" coffeeshop in Philly. Nominees are Ultimo, Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar, Shot Tower Coffee, Elixr Coffee, and Spruce Street Espresso.
And the high cost of peanut butter has spurred Philabundance to action. ShopRite will donate a jar of peanut butter or jelly to Philabundance for every new fan that "Likes" Philabundance on Facebook from today through Feb. 14. Each person who joins the Spread the Love event page on Facebook will be entered to win a $500 airline voucher within the continental US from US Airways or a 7-night stay at a Caribbean resort.
Speaking of peanut butter: PB and U, the goober-centric shop in Wayne, will open another location, in Moorestown Mall, on Feb. 8.
Liberty Union Bar & Grill opens tonight in Chester Springs, Pa. Info.
Nomad Pizza opens Feb. 10 at 611 S. Seventh St.
Rex 1516 is to open around Valentine's Day at 1516 South St. Check out the dinner, brunch, and dessert menus here.
Eater.com has come to Philly. Collin Flatt, formerly with The Feast, is the local editor.
Kim Cattrall was in the city last night, dropping into Vedge (1221 Locust St.) with three others for a vegan repast that included portobella carpaccio and hearts of palm crepe, which she washed down with a $15 Dogfish My Antonia.
On the nonvegan side, Robert De Niro's driver stopped at Claudio's, the cheese emporium on Ninth Street in the Italian Market, yesterday to pick up Bob's "usual": a three-pound tub of fresh mozzarella. Supposedly De Niro is here, doing reshoots for the movie The Silver Linings Playbook.