Same Same in Northern Liberties is Same Same
The plan to convert the Saigon street-fooder into a more elegant destination has been scuttled for now.
Chef Chad Kubanoff and Michael Crostarosa have put the brakes, for now, on the planned transition of their Vietnamese two-bell BYOB Same Same in Northern Liberties into a more refined, dinner-only restaurant called Tri on 2nd (614 N Second St.).
They're serving the Same Same street-food menu - banh mi, salads, bun, and the like.
Over the summer, the partners redid the interior, removing all vestiges of the hip Saigon drop-in, except for the open kitchen and counter. They added stained wooden tables, banquette seating, and dramatic red lighting in the front room, and more refined touches in the small back room.
The plan was to change this into Tri and to open a new restaurant nearby that would become Same Same.
But a personnel issue as well as a scuttled real estate deal forced them to dial back the changeover.
Ergo, Same Same is the Same Same, but Kubanoff will add some Tri specials to the menu in October.
Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 1 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday.