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Table Talk: Coyote Crossing gets a new look

What's new El Poquito, a family-friendly Mexican cantina, has emerged on the site of the former Chestnut 7 at 8201 Germantown Ave.

Carlos Melendez (left) and chef Jose Antonio Hidalgo at Coyote Crossing.
Carlos Melendez (left) and chef Jose Antonio Hidalgo at Coyote Crossing.Read moreMICHAEL KLEIN / Philly.com

Coyote Crossing, at age 18 one of the region's longer-running Mexican restaurants (800 Spring Mill Ave., Conshohocken, 610-825-3000), has reopened after a dramatic renovation.

Owner Carlos Melendez did more than reconfigure and revamp the bar and dining room, playing off the vaulted ceilings yet keeping the warmth. He brought in a new chef, Jose Antonio Hidalgo. The men met in Mexico while Melendez was there developing a line of Coyote Crossing mezcal, the agave-based spirit that now is a specialty at the bar. He also hired his former wife, Jennifer Melendez Lazorcheck, as general manager.

Dinner entrees are $17 to $28. It's open weekdays for lunch and nightly for dinner.

What's new

El Poquito, a family-friendly Mexican cantina, has emerged on the site of the former Chestnut 7 at 8201 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill (267-766-5372). Front man is George Atterbury, a former director of operations for Garces, and chef Andrew Sabin, most recently chef de cuisine at Garces' JG Domestic, is keeping the menu simple and easy-priced. Bar has a complement of tequila and eight beers on tap plus bottles. It's open for weekend brunch and nightly dinner.

Liberty Hall Pizza, serving wood-fired Neapolitan pies, is new in the Canal Studios Complex at 243 N. Union St. in Lambertville, N.J. (609-397-8400). Chris Bryan, whose resume includes Nomad Pizza, and business partner Danny Popkin of Modern Recycled Spaces have a Valoriani oven at the 50-seat BYOB.

In brief

Snockey's, the century-old, family-run oyster house, is for sale. The brothers - who have no plans to close in the meantime - are asking 1.35 million clams for the business, the building (including two apartments), and liquor license. Snockey's has been at 1020 S. Second St. in Queen Village since 1975.

When the smoke clears at 1 Logan Square and a new hotel opens in 2016 on the current site of the Four Seasons, the main dining option will be Urban Farmer, a farm-to-table steakhouse by Sage Restaurant Group, the Denver-based management company. Sage also owns Urban Farmer restaurants in Portland, Ore., and Cleveland. Sage's cofounder is Peter Karpinski, who spent a few years as a top manager with Starr Restaurant Organization. The Four Seasons will close June 6, 2015, pending a move.