The rest of the Shank's story
Shank's left South Philly for Center City, and here's what's going in its place. Meanwhile, Shank's is returning to South Philly.
Let's recap the Shank's & Evelyn's story.
The colorful luncheonette, on 10th Street near Montrose since 1962, closed April 30. (See Rick Nichols' take on the situation.)
Under new ownership -- but still with Shank and Evelyn Perri's daughter Pamela Poppa out front -- Shank's reopened in late July as Shank's Original, on 15th Street near Sansom.
Today, Shank's PR arm announced the mid-December opening of an outpost at Pier 40 on Delaware Avenue. (See menu here. Click through the photos for a rendering of the new stand.)
Now for the status of Shank's original location, 932 S. 10th St.
Back in the summer, South Philly entrepreneur Carlo Nigro started installing his own restaurant, gutting the two-story building. The Royal Crown Cola sign and awning -- gone. Lunch counter? Scrapped. The grill up front -- gone. A Garland stove now sits in the back.
Nigro's plan is to open in a couple weeks as Carluccio's, serving lunch (at first) Tuesdays to Sundays, with dinner planned later. The 26-seat downstairs dining room is an attractive cream color, with a tile floor and marble counters; it awaits artwork that Nigro's parents, Aniello and Carolina, are bringing back from a trip to Italy. There's a slightly larger upstairs dining room accessible through the side alley.
Nigro's self-made Italian immigrant parents started with an auto-body shop and built a real estate portfolio.
Carlo Nigro, the chef, says he has a culinary background here and in Italy, but declined to identify the establishments where he has worked. He says his menu will be "priced for working people" with two sides to it: classic Italian and rustic Italian.
South Philly is looking good. Two blocks away, at 11th and Fitzwater, the beer-friendly Hawthornes awaits an opening next week.
(Name of restaurant corrected.)