A few food projects:

Slate: Veteran bartender Laurentiu Muras hopes to open his gastropub in the former Cafe Habana space at 102 S. 21st St. by New Year's or right after. He's hired Eric Paraskevas, a former sous chef at Lolita, to run the kitchen. Slate's working name was Mamaia (to honor Muras' Transylvanian ties).

Broad Axe Tavern: After a gazillion years under renovation, this central Montco landmark is finally eyeing a February-March reopening under a group fronted by chef Matthew Doman, late of the William Penn Inn. He says he'll have 16 beers on tap and a global small-plate menu.

Wolfgang Puck is coming to town with two locations, but it's not what you might think. I'll have more details in Sunday's "INQlings" column.

No name, but: The property at 216-218 South St. will become a noodle house, assuming that the building's sale comes off as planned in January. The prospective owners run a large eatery on Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia.