Restaurant notes: The HeadHouse
Details on Adsum, a chef's dinner at Table 31, and Saute.
The HeadHouse, replacing Zot at 122 Lombard St. (215-625-0122), is looking at a Thursday (6/10) opening. Partners Bruce Nichols, one of the founders of Philly Beer Week, is partnered with Madame Saito Ai on this craft-beer cafe that will feature more 100 bottled beers plus 20 on draft. (Previous coverage.) Alison two alum Tom Pittakis will handle the management. Chef Jimmy Chiu, who's worked with Nichols for 11 years at Museum Catering, will handle a gastro menu with such dishes as spicy pork carnitas with pineapple, cilantro, and lime; fontina fritters with tomato creme fraiche; chicken shwarma with cucumber, tomato, and spiced dill yogurt; and crabcakes with bacon-vegetable slaw. Price range is $5 for fries to $23 for an entree of boneless, braised beef short ribs. Here's the menu.
Saute, the bistro at 775 S. Front St. in Queen Village, is undergoing change. Opening chef Nicholas J. Cassidy has left for a sous chef job at Barclay Prime. His successor is Paul Martin, a Pod/Buddakan alum whose roots are in Louisiana.
Why the Comcast Center was crawling with chef-jacketed, toqued figures on Sunday: The Academie Culinaire de France hosted its 54th annual weekend in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Maitres-Cuisiniers de France. Georges Perrier cooked the reunion dinner at Table 31.
Jeffrey Power, new chef at Dettera in Ambler, has launched his dinner menu. (Click here.) A three-course prix-fixe option and bar menu are on the way.
Adsum, Matt Levin's forthcoming bistro at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets, has a GM: She's Heather Rodkey, formerly beverage and dining room manager at Rouge, where Levin is interim chef. He says Adsum will open this month. (Previous coverage.)