Table Talk: Anastasi's expands to Manayunk

The seafood family's fourth generation is casting its net a bit wider. Four years after adding the BYOB Pescatore in Bala Cynwyd, siblings Mia and Tommy Anastasi and Pescatore general manager Frank Kemp have opened Anastasi Raw Bar in Manayunk (4161 Main St., 215-482-1800). Anastasi Raw Bar's menu is not voluminous - a half-dozen appetizers, a few salads, and eight entrees, from a lobster roll ($18) to branzino and halibut (each $26). There's chicken and pork belly for landlubbers. In the early going, it's open every day at 5 p.m.

This winter, the Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties will host a branch of Wahlburgers, the burger specialist founded by brothers Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg and the subject of an A&E reality show.

Before the opening, a Wahlburgers food truck will serve a limited menu at the site, in the former Darling's Diner at the Rialto at the Piazza (1033 N. Second St.), beginning Oct. 31.

Local developer Artie Giordano, who plans multiple area locations for the Massachusetts-based restaurant, is soliciting ideas for a signature Invincible Burger, inspired by Mark Wahlberg's 2006 movie Invincible about Eagles great Vince Papale. Wahlburgers will have a full bar.

Dizengoff, the Rittenhouse hummus shop opened only last year by Zahav's Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook, is in expansion mode. It's due to set up in early 2016 in the busy Chelsea Market in lower Manhattan. The building at 16th Street and Ninth Avenue, which houses offices and the operations of the Food Network, has a slew of grab-and-go shops. The Chelsea Market location would keep later hours than the one on Sansom Street because the market is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days, Cook said. The menu is not set beyond the shop's core of hummus varieties, pita, salads, and beer.

Philadelphia's Genji, which sells sushi in 165 Whole Foods stores in 18 states, always seems to be noodling around with something new. It's behind Hai Street Kitchen, the quick-service eatery specializing in sushi burritos. Now, Genji is extending its Japanese line with ramen bowls, and it has set up a ramen bar at the Whole Foods store in Cherry Hill's Ellisburg Shopping Center (1558 North Kings Highway, 856-651-5271), complete with counter and table seating. There are only two other Genji ramen bars, in Fairfax, Va., and Glastonbury, Conn. Prototypes? A rep would not say.

Genji's offerings include traditional Tonkotsu ramen, plus mazemen with thick whole-wheat noodles and a creamy sauce. They're $11.99 a bowl, or $8.99 for vegetarian varieties. Three bao buns ($3.99) - chashu pork, chicken teriyaki, and spicy shrimp tempura - and bibimbap complete the menu.

Verdad, the Latin restaurant in Bryn Mawr fronted by chef Nick Farina, has been buttoned up since Farina announced his departure, as he wants to work on his Union Taco brand. His business partner, Howard Taylor, did not return messages seeking elaboration.

More restaurant news at www.philly.com/mike.