Table Talk: Music at the rathskeller

U-Bahn (1320 Chestnut St., 215-800-1079), the subterranean sibling of Bru next door, has much going on: arcade games, a stage where live acts will play at least three nights a week, and two bars.

The idea is subway-station-style rathskeller, and owner Teddy Sourias and crew took a year to scoop out the basement space to yield 16-foot ceilings and create rustic finishings including a full stage and sound system and what appear to be railroad tracks on the walls.

Fourteen local beers are on tap, and chef Andrew Gaspar's menu includes local cured meats and cheeses used in specialty sandwiches, large and small charcuterie boards, panini and such. Hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Friday; it opens at noon Saturday.

Parlor Suburban Square (30 Parking Plaza, Ardmore, 610-649-6200) is a reconceptualization of the Saint James in Suburban Square. Rob Wasserman has a wood-fired, Modena-made Pavesi turning out thin-crust pies while a kitchen offers pastas and salads, many of which are available in half-portions. Bar features cocktails as well as draft wines by the glass with reasonably priced Italian wines, starting at $6 a glass and $18 a bottle. It's open daily for lunch and dinner.

Chef Nick Farina on Thursday opens Eat, his pop-up restaurant venue, at 712 W. Girard Ave. Farina intends Eat as a kitchen for chefs who don't have their own restaurants - whether they wish to feed friends and family or cater to prospective investors and the paying public. The spot, next to the original Tiffin just outside Northern Liberties, was a branch of Farina's Union Taco. Most meals are $60, including tax and tip. More details and the initial lineup of chefs are at www.philly.com/eatphilly.

Approaching its first anniversary in the Kimmel Center, Jose Garces' Volvér is adding yet another less-expensive dining option. The six-course tasting menu, usually $75, is $55 if you arrive between 5 and 6 p.m. or 9 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The 12-course tasting menu is still $150 person and the adjacent Bar Volvér offers a smaller menu à la carte. Volvér dispensed with the tickets-only policy last fall and now allows walk-ins.

Laurel - Top Chef winner Nicholas Elmi's Franco-American BYOB on East Passyunk Avenue - has switched to tasting menus only ($85 for seven courses), giving up à la carte.

Clark Gilbert (ex-Four Seasons, Restaurant Taquet, the Saloon, La Terrasse, Gemelli, Bisou) has taken over the kitchen at Isabella in Conshohocken.

Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center will be the site of the 12th location of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant; it is penciled in for an early 2016 opening.

The Irish Pol has moved from 45 S. Third St. in Old City as owner Darin Urbaczewski signed a lease for a new location around the corner, at 114 Market St. The building, next to Franklin Fountain, has been empty for at least six years. Back in the late '90s, it was the swish Di Palma's, an Italian destination, but later sank into clubland as a hookah bar called Club One14.

at www.philly.com/mike.