Restaurants step it up for the holidays. This week, we fill you in on what’s out there. Also: We check out a breakfast taco spot, a new Filipino BYOB, and a cool cocktail lounge, and we share word about Wawa’s planned expansion.
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Holiday specials in Philly
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December is the busiest month, passing by in a whirlwind of errands, get-togethers, and — ideally — cookies. That’s all the more true for Philly’s restaurant scene, which observes the season with a festive decorations, holiday spreads, New Year’s Eve dinners, and other special events. Colleague Jenn Ladd writes about two highlights and a shortlist.
Also:
Craig LaBan reviews Taco Heart 🔑
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Taco Heart’s fresh flour tortillas — which become Texas-style breakfast tacos at this South Philly newcomer — are critic Craig LaBan’s new passion. As owner Nano Wheedan told him: “Eating one should hold a sense of deep comfort, of feeling safe and loved.” 🔑
NoChe returns as a lounge. Cocktail boards, anyone?
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Just when you’ve felt safe from charcuterie boards and maybe even butter boards comes the cocktail board. The DIY experience, where guests complete the drink-making, is the signature move with certain drinks at NoChe, which soft-opened last weekend on the second floor of 1901 Chestnut St., above a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams shop. I take you inside for a look at the newest addition to the hot Rittenhouse neighborhood.
Westward yo: Wawa expanding into Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana
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Wawa is on the move, writes colleague Joe DiStefano. The Delco-bred convenience chain is eyeing locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Coupled with ongoing growth down South, Wawa will more than double the number of states in what they’re calling Wawaland.
Center City District Restaurant Week returns in January
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Center City District Restaurant Week will be back Sunday, Jan. 15-Saturday, Jan. 28 with 60-plus restaurants offering three-course menus: $25 at lunch, $40 at dinner, plus tax, tip, and beverages. Among the restaurants are the new Patchwork (shown above), an all-day spot inside the Hyatt Centric Hotel, across from Pizzeria Vetri, at 1620 Chancellor St. There will be discounted parking for $9 or less at Interpark, BexPark by Brandywine, and PPA garages. The CCD has the list of participants, and menus are gradually being added. A couple of interesting dishes spotted so far: At Libertine at 13th and Spruce Streets, chef Derek Davis’ offerings include cranberry-glazed pork rib. At Melograno BYOB (2012 Sansom), one of chef Gianluca Demontis’ selections is a grilled pork chop in green peppercorn brandy sauce. At Pumpkin BYOB (1713 South), chef Ian Maroney’s fish option is steelhead trout with cauliflower and long hots in a black-eyed pea vinaigrette.
Restaurant report
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Chance Anies and his Filipino food cart Tabachoy are now a South Philly BYOB. There’s big food and big energy in snug, simple quarters at 932 S. 10th St. in Bella Vista, which has housed a few spots (Carluccio’s, Jambatan5, Predella) since it was the legendary Shank’s & Evelyn’s sandwich shop.
“Tabachoy” is an affectionate way of calling someone “chubby” in Tagalog. The logo, hanging on the rear wall in yellow neon, is a dancing pig.
Menu is a combo of smaller and larger plates, including lumpiang, ukoy, pancit, three kinds of adobo (two of them vegetarian), and Anies’ specialty, fried chicken with gravy and atchara. In the photo above, Anies is putting up an order of lechon kawali (pork belly). Shown below is the menu’s lone vegan entree: ginataang kalabasa, a stew of butternut, kabocha, and delicata squash with coconut milk and pepitas.
Desserts include ube sundae and pandan cheesecake. Reservations would be wise because there are only 28 seats, including four at the counter. Bring a crispy white (or several), or beers.
Tabachoy, 932 S. 10th St. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
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Briefly noted
We miss late-night diners, of course, but have you also noticed how few evening options there are in the city that don’t involve bars? Colleague Jake Blumgart explains.
Need a wine to pair with spicy food? Wine writer Marnie Old tells us about a mouthwatering Vouvray.
Giveaways will be part of Cake & Joe’s second-anniversary observance at its shop at 1401 E. Moyamensing Ave. in Pennsport this weekend. Starting Friday, all cakes will be buy three and get one free. On Sunday, the first 30 customers beginning at 11 a.m. will receive a comp chocolate mousse cake. Be advised that Cake & Joe’s Sarah Qi and Trista Tang are expanding to 2012 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown in late winter.
Openings on the way: Two Robbers, the “seltzer taproom” from the Philly hard-seltzer brand, is looking to open at the end of next week. (It was originally named Burgers & Seltzers.) ... Old Homestead Steak House will reopen at Borgata in Atlantic City on Dec. 22.
Scoop
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The Center City location of Sugar Factory lasted all of nine months at 1214-16 Chestnut St. before its closing just after Labor Day. The new tenant of the sprawling bar space, opening Thursday, Dec. 15, is Wicked Wolf, billed as “pub by day, sports party bar at night.” (Hence the confetti.) It’s an offshoot of one in Hoboken, N.J., overseen by Jamie Powell, who managed the pandemic-shuttered Mad River Manayunk, and it’s owned by John Sullivan, whose previous holdings included McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park. Opening hours are 4 p.m.-midnight Monday-Wednesday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday. Kitchen is open till 10 a.m. daily. Wicked Wolf plans to open for weekday lunch in January.
That immediate area will be popping in 2023. A new nightlife project is planned for 1210 Chestnut St. whose operators are laying low for now, and Barcade, the syndicated fun house, will expand from Fishtown with a branch at the Hale Building, 1326 Chestnut St.
That quiz I promised you
Last week, I told you about Andra Hem, a new Swedish-theme bar-restaurant in Center City. Do you know what “Andra Hem” stands for?
A) “Second home”
B) “Comfort”
C) “Cocktails”
D) It’s the name of the mother-in-law of the founder of Ikea.
To find the answer, read the article.
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December 14, 2022 at 11:49PM
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