Dining returning to the Latham
The hotel at 17th and Walnut, undergoing a makeover, will have a restaurant.
This one's really under wraps at the moment, but I can tell you of plans to open a restaurant in the ground-floor space at the Latham Hotel as part of a top-to-bottom renovation.
The 138-room Latham, a boutique hostelry at 17th and Walnut Streets, was was once among the finest hotels in Center City -- the Four Seasons of its time.
From 1970 to 1993, Eli Karetny ran the room as Bogart's. Then, celeb chef Michel Richard came with a swish spot called Michels. After that, it went dark until 2001, when Jolly Weldon -- who had split from the Prime Rib and his brother Garth, down the street -- opened it as Jolly's, which ran till the end of 2006.
So now, the new restaurant, so far unnamed, will be Italian in theme and open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will not be a full-scale restaurant - more like small plates, salads, sandwiches, plus cocktails and wine, in a lounge-type of atmosphere.
Opening will coincide with the relaunch in the fall.