That’s what Zagat says, anyway.
Zagat, which we normally consider a reliable source, reeeaaaaalllly missed the mark on this one. Here are their top three choices for outside eating on Passyunk Avenue: 1) Adobe Cafe, 2) Pat’s 3) Geno’s.
Are you kidding?
Adobe, that paragon of outdoor dining. Pic from TripAdvisor
They round out the “8 Best Restaurants for Sidewalk Dining on East Passyunk” list like so:
The Bella Vista chocolate shop Golosa is closing May 24 after six years, reports Foobooz.
Pic from Uwishunu
The shop, at 6th and Passyunk right up the block from what would have been Triangle Park, is holding modified hours until the end so you can go get a last taste of their sweets (on sale, no less).
UPDATE: This post has been updated from an earlier version.
Le Virtu’s new patio, which we told you about in March, will get its public unveiling with a party on Sunday. But it looks like it’s ready to go already.
On Sunday, Chef Joe Cicala will serve Le Virtu soup, “the restaurant’s namesake and a quintessential Abruzzese spring dish made with more than 40 ingredients, grilled Arrosticini (lamb skewers) and grilled sausage and vegetables,” according to a news release. Tickets for the party, which runs from 1 to 3 p.m., cost $45 and include wines from the recently added tap wine system.
The corner storefront that has played host to a series of coffee shops at 10th and Carpenter just got another one called Down Dog Healing Cafe.
We first told you about paper going over the windows here in February and mentioned that the space has seen Mazag, Filter and inFusion come and go over the years. It had been empty for more than a year until Down Dog opened there yesterday. Although it is another shop serving coffee, the good news is that Down Dog Healing will distinguish itself from its predecessors.
The Northern Liberties cult brunch favorite Honey’s Sit N Eat opened its 21st and South location a couple months back after a loooong delay, but it seems like it was worth the wait.
Although Philly Weekly’s Brian Freedman went in skeptical…
Sequels are rarely as good as the original. Sure, there are exceptions — The Dark Knight, Before Sunset, Justin Timberlake’s post-N’Sync career — but in general, follow-ups tend to fall short.
UPDATE: Just passed by and the sign on the new location is going up!
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The long saga of Artisan Boulanger’s move has inched another step forward. The bakery has closed at 12th and Morris in anticipation of its relocation to 1218 Mifflin St., which was deemed so inevitable last summer that Philly mag listed the new address as current in the September issue.
Out with the old…
The move lines up with the request of new building owner Chris Scaduzio (and partners), who told us in February that they had given the bakery 90 days to vacate. They plan to tear the building down and start fresh with a new building for his upcoming restaurant, which will have about 50 seats and a bar.
After a deceptively quick build-out, Noord opens for dinner tonight - only two days before the guess we made in January – and chef Joncarl Lachman invited us to take pictures of the lovely corner dining room.
And even if you don’t have a reservation, you can stop by tonight for a champagne toast.
Don’t know how we missed this one, but on Sunday, the Inquirer’s Craig Laban weighed in on Sophia’s at 1623 E. Passyunk Ave., one of our new neighborhood favorites.
The bar at Sophia’s. Pic from Visit Philly
He found plenty to like…
It was only in November that we told you about a new sandwich shop at 1703 S. 11th St. called Lil Snuff’s, which had some well-crafted old-school delights on its menu.
The one sandwich we had – the Forget About It chicken cutlet – was tasty, but we never went back. Maybe that’s why it closed.
Adios, Snuff
After months of delays and countless headaches, the patio at American Sardine Bar is finally starting to emerge. Philly Mag’s new Property blog snapped a few shots:
The two pictures by Art Etchells of Foobooz
ASB owner John Longacre had to endure two hearings before the Zoning Board of Adjustment and some nasty battles with a few neighbors before finally getting approval at the end of February for a patio, which he said will “distinguish the American Sardine Bar from every other bar in the city.
