Posted on Thu, Jan. 22, 2009
Alison at Blue Bell (721 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, 215-641- 2660), which shut down in September as chef-owner Alison Barshak devoted her time to building her Alison two in Fort Washington, will reopen Feb. 5.
Aside from new paint and carpet, the most noticeable change will be the menu, migrating from contemporary American to Mediterranean, reflecting chef Anthony Bonett's Italian heritage. He'll make his own pasta. The price point will drop, with dishes ranging from $5 to $22.
It will serve dinner only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, offering wine by the glass and beer by the bottle. Renovation did not call for a credit-card swiper; it's still cash only.
South Philly boomlet
For five years or so, Ninth Street near Washington Avenue, smack in the Italian Market, has become Philly's Mexican restaurant row. The budget cuisine is as homespun as the decor - as in, you're as likely to find a hauntingly delicious Acapulco-style sopa de cameron as you are to find a soda case plopped somewhere in the dining room. All restaurants are open from midmorning through late night daily.
Just north of Washington is the new
El Costeño (940 S. Ninth St., 215-925-1010), a taqueria in an old wine shop from Ernesto Atrisco, who owns Lupita's, a nearby grocery. There's a liquor license.
Just south of Washington is the new
Fiesta Acapulco (1122 S. Ninth St., 215-551-0850), a Veracruz-style seafooder from Gabriel Bravo from the nearby La Lupe taqueria. Fiesta Acapulco is a few doors from
Moctezuma (1108-10 S. Ninth St., 215-218-4008), which opened about a year ago.
Smack in the middle is
Teri's (1126 S. Ninth St., 267-761-9154), which is not Mexican at all. It's a deli-cum-luncheonette serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. This week, Teri's picks up a new chef - Culinary Institute of America-trained Davis Denick, formerly at Coquette - for budget dinners Wednesdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. (They'll put out tablecloths and real art.) Among the selections on Denick's menu are duck confit ($9) and caramelized onion and gorgonzola tart ($7) as appetizers, and crispy striped bass ($18) and butternut-squash ravioli ($15) as entrees.
Briefly noted
Change is coming slowly to
Azul Cantina at 10th and Spruce Streets, now under new management. Chef R. Evan Turney, who's taken over with George Anni, is revamping the menu and will start next week for Center City Restaurant Week. Eventually, the Mexican theme will give way to a gastropub called VargaBar.
Justin Hoke, last at Table 31 after three years at Le Bec-Fin, has joined
Kite & Key Tavern (1826 Callowhill St. in Franklintown) as chef. Logic dictates that as pricier restaurants tighten payrolls, their chefs will seek employment further down the food chain - a boon to the gastropub crowd.
Conshohocken-based
Saladworks has a deal with a developer to open nine locations in the San Diego and Palm Springs, Calif., areas.
How to attract lawyers amid new steak-house competition?
Morton's in Center City is hosting Lawyers' Month in February as a benefit for the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. It will donate 1 percent of all sales to members of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and Philadelphia Bar Association to the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.
Savona, the fancy French-Italian mix in Gulph Mills, has cut its hours. It's now serving Tuesdays through Saturdays for dinner only. Brunch is due to restart in May.
Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com. Read his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/phillyinsider.
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