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Owen Kamihira also owns Bar Ferdinand, the Spanish tapas bar, across the way. Before getting into restaurants, Kamihira had a hand in some of Stephen Starr's designs, including the Buddakan Buddha and the iconic martini olive at the Continental.
ECR's atmosphere will be rustic, supposedly evoking a dusty, low-lit, turn-of-the-20th-century cowboy-bar setting, down to the oak flooring. Artist Murf Sherman carved an eight-foot longhorn skull from a pine tree for one wall. Joe Brenman created a wooden Virgin of Guadalupe, enshrined in a steel bathtub illuminated by Christmas lights. The bar was pieced together from reclaimed oak from a covered bridge in Lancaster; the backs of the vinyl seats were hand-sewn from Mexican falsa blankets.
Oh, yes, the food: Chef Jen Zavala, who's lived and worked from Connecticut to California (including Northern Liberties' Deuce and Silk City), is aiming for a northern Mexican experience with two separate menus: Texas barbecue on one, and Juarez-style staples, including her grandmother's refried beans and carnitas, on the other.
Price range is $3 to $22. Drink list will include many bourbons and tequilas (25-plus varieties of each).
Rylei has moved from Frankford Avenue in Mayfair to Bucks County's Mallard Creek shopping center (130 Almshouse Rd., Richboro). Jennifer Brennan-Vargas and her husband, Jose Vargas, are keeping its New American BYOB concept and phone number, 215-335-0414.
Ho Sai Gai, closed for nine years, has reopened at 10th and Arch Streets after an extensive redo. Its sibling near 10th and Cherry will remain.
Seasons 52, billed as a "fresh grill and wine bar," is aiming for a spring opening in the "Bistro Row" next to Nordstrom at Cherry Hill Mall, near a California Pizza Kitchen, a Maggiano's and a Capital Grille. This will be the eighth Seasons 52 and the first outside of the Southeastern United States from Darden Restaurants, whose brands include Bahama Breeze, Capital Grille, Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Running counter to steak-house/comfort-food trends, Seasons 52 focuses on healthful dining with a seasonal menu. It serves 60 of its 120 wines by the glass. See an overview at www.seasons52.com.
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