Alexandra Holt Takes Her Avant-Garde Dining Experiment, Roxanne, to Headhouse

Dessert at Roxanne (house-made chocolate with hazelnut, mandarinquat and edible money) is chef Alexandra Holt’s comment on the ethics of the chocolate industry. / Photograph by Rebecca McAlpin

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. We’ve got lots to get through this week — everything from late-night tacos and sushi to commemorative Eagles liquor, Hawaiian jerky, and Philly’s only Goatoberfest. But let’s kick things off with the biggest news of the week, concerning chef Alexandra Holt’s next big move … 

Roxanne, v2.0

There was no way Roxanne was going to last. Not in its current incarnation. Not as the brilliant, wild, revolutionary project that Alexandra Holt began behind a purple door in South Philly two years ago. 24 seats, straight BYOB, a multi-course tasting menu that changed week-to-week (and sometimes day-by-day) executed every night by Holt alone? There were a thousand reasons why it wasn’t going to be around forever — many of them discussed, at length, by Holt and me for this profile I wrote about her last year.

“Roxanne is, at every level, an experiment — a rough, physical refutation of so much that the industry finds sacred and necessary. From simple, harmless resistance (like putting potatoes on a dessert plate) to asking structural questions about whether or not a kitchen requires a brigade to function, Roxanne operates like a test of what, exactly, a restaurant needs to be weighed against what one can be… [And] no one except Alexandra Holt could have opened Roxanne. Her life, her mistakes, her self-sabotage, her triumphs — they’re there on every plate. She understands better than most that sometimes you have to do the impossible just to prove that it’s not. You have to be willing to let it all burn, and then, the next night, do it all again — because that’s the only way to make something you love better for those that come after you.”

That was Roxanne, in a nutshell. And almost the minute that piece came out — in May of last year — Holt was already talking about what had to happen next:

“What’s next for us: closing, eventually. This project isn’t meant to last more than another year, really. Along with feeling better comes the ability to embrace people again, so our life here is short and someday I’ll open a real restaurant (with staff).”

That was from Roxanne’s Instagram. May, 2023. And here we are, just a little over a year later, and guess what?

Alex Holt has a new space. A whole new restaurant. With staff. And though there’s nothing even resembling a hard date, she’s hoping to have it open by the end of this month. It will also be called Roxanne, after her mother (who has been in town, helping her with the build-out), and is opening in the old Queen & Rook space at 607 South 2nd Street in Headhouse Square.

Do I know a ton about what she’s planning on doing there? I do not. But I do know a few things. This new spot will seat almost three times as many as the original Roxanne, with 65 on the floor when it’s fully committed. And she’s got a local liquor license now, so she will be serving PA spirits while still allowing wine nerds to bring their own favorite bottles. I know she’s not going all-prix-fixe this time, but that there will be tables set aside for a tasting menu, which will be balanced against an à la carte board and a list of bar snacks.

And this time around, she’s going to have a staff. Servers on the floor and cooks in the kitchen. A much more sustainable situation, to be sure, but also a huge change from the original, which more or less defined itself by being this bonkers one-woman show that, on any given night, was equally likely to be the best dinner party you’ve ever been to, an absolute disaster, or simply closed with very little warning.

Holt has been teasing the upcoming opening (a little) on the Roxanne Instagram feed. She also gave a great (long) interview on Eli Kulp and Marisa Magnatta’s Delicious City podcast, where she talked a lot about the new opening — while at the same time, managed to give very little away beyond a design aesthetic of vintage skateboards and Giving Tree prints.

But no matter how this all ultimately shakes out, this is huge news. First, because Holt is a remarkable talent — a chef who operates every night like she has absolutely nothing to lose. Like she hit this scene with “Fuck around and find out” tattooed on her heart. Second, because as much as I adored the chaos of the original Roxanne, a stable version of that vibe that comes with the same energy could be a sight to see. And third (and most importantly), because this is an evolution that Holt has chosen for herself. Along with feeling better comes the ability to embrace people again, she said a year ago. And that’s exactly what she’s doing.

The old Roxanne has served its purpose. It did exactly what it was built to do.

Now it’s time for something new.

Late-Night Tacos and Ramen

Photograph courtesy of Yanaga Kappo Izakaya

We’ve got not one, but TWO restaurants leaning into those rapidly approaching long winter nights this week.

First, Hi-Lo Taco in Midtown Village has a new late-night menu. They’re doing $4 tacos, smoked and fried wings, nacho fries, shot-sized cocktails called “chupitos” (served in pairs), and a tequila-and-Tecate Citywide variant called “Beer & A Boot” for $10. The new menu is currently up and running on Friday and Saturday nights, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at Yanaga Kappo Izakaya in Northern Liberties, they’re also launching a late-night happy hour with a “curated selection of small plates” from the regular menu (think Japanese potato salad sandwiches, wagyu hot dogs, YKI instant ramen, poke bowls, and spicy tuna rolls), along with regular drink specials. Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 10 p.m. to midnight.

But YKI is also doubling down on the deals by adding on a whole extra service. Starting yesterday, they tacked on a Monday “Neighborhood Night” from 5 p.m. to midnight, with beer and drink deals and a special “Neighborhood Menu” available only on Monday nights. Bonus: They’re not taking reservations on Monday nights. The whole thing is being done walk-in only.

Hot Chicken and … More Hot Chicken

Look, I love a good hot chicken sandwich as much as the next guy. Probably as much as the next three guys. But Philly has been in this kind of escalating hot chicken war for years, with opening after opening and expansion after expansion moving in on every neighborhood in the city, and I’m beginning to wonder if it’s ever going to stop.

I mean, I don’t want it to. I honestly don’t believe there’s any such thing as too many hot chicken options. But if things keep on like this, we’re going to reach some kind of mathematically implausible saturation point where every block has its own chicken spot, and then another place across the street for when you get tired of the first one. It’ll be hot chicken all the way down. There’ll be no space for anything else.

But we’re not there yet. So, for now, let me just inform you that we have two new hot chicken spots, both of which opened just last week. First, there’s Asad Khan’s chicken-and-smoothie juggernaut, Asad’s Hot Chicken (my personal favorite), which opened its 10th location at 542 Berlin-Cross Keys Road in Sicklerville on Friday. Then, across town, Nanu’s Hot Chicken opened its eighth shop at 1947 Street Road in Bensalem. That grand opening also happened on Friday — and right around the corner from (you guessed it) a different Asad’s.

And Now, Some Sad News

Cafe Ynez / Photograph by Alex Tewfik

It looks like Cafe Ynez is shutting down after a decade of bringing a little bit of Mexico City to Washington Avenue. Jill Weber, Evan Malone, and exec chef Gabriel Romero will be shutting down for good come September 15th.

“Our goal at Cafe Ynez was to create a second home – and a little bit of Mexico City – in our dining room,” Weber posted on social media. “Through the years, we have hosted your birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events. We will miss you and will miss celebrating these big moments with you as well as all of the wonderful day to day interactions with our regulars … Thank you so much for bringing us into your lives and for helping us to create amazing memories.”

No reason was given for the closure, but a 10-year run for any restaurant these days is solid — particularly when it comes with a pandemic in the middle of it. And between Sor Ynez, Jet Wine Bar, and Rex at the Royal, it’s not like Weber and Malone will be at a loss for things to do.

Still, they’re not shutting off the lights without throwing a party first.

This Thursday, September 12th, they’re celebrating 10 years worth of memories for friends, family, and regulars. There’ll be food, drinks available at the bar, fresh ceviche, and house guacamole. The catch is, there’s only going to be a single seating — a 6:30 p.m. arrival for a 7 p.m. dinner — which means there’s only space for a couple dozen people. Tickets are $75 for the dinner, and you can get yours right here if you’re looking for a last chance to say goodbye.

Now how about some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Scenes from The Philly Goat Project’s GOAToberfest / Photograph by Kerri Sitrin

You guys remember Bird Gang, right? That’s the very Philly-centric, Eagles-branded liquor being put out by Andrew Auwerda’s BOTLD bottling company. Well, they’ve got a new series they’ve just rolled celebrating the 75th anniversary of the 1949 World Championship. It’s an optimistic way to kick off the new season, for sure. So if you’re a fan, a collector, or just someone who can’t eat or drink anything that doesn’t come in Kelly Green, you can pick up bottles of Bird Gang 1949 vodka, bourbon, tequila, and/or spicy tequila at the BOTLD shop in Rittenhouse.

Puyero has its own kind of celebration going. In honor of World Arepa Day (Saturday, September 14th — mark your calendars), they’re selling a “Philly Trio” of arepas for $14 each. The trio consists of a cheesesteak arepa with smoked gouda and caramelized onions, a roast pork arepa provolone, garlic broccoli rabe and roasted red peppers, and a hoagie arepa with turkey, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion, and pink sriracha.

No, I’m not sure what pink sriracha is, either. But for $14, I guess you can find out.

The Philly Trio is available for one day only, Saturday the 14th, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Puyero’s 524 South 4th Street location. So get ’em while you can.

This weekend, Wm. Mulherin’s Sons is bringing in NYC street-pizza expert chef Justin Smillie of SlowFires to sling pies in the garden from his mobile pizza oven. He’ll be doing his thing on Friday and Saturday, the 13th and 14th, starting at 5 p.m. He’ll be doing specialty pies featuring “ultra-seasonal local ingredients.” Basically, it’s whatever Smillie can find that day, like green zebra tomatoes, mozzarella, labneh, roasted garlic and feta, or a pie with smoked mushroom, heirloom summer squash, rosemary, and crescenza.

You won’t know the actual menu ’til you show up, but it should be interesting. You can get your reservations here.

I know we’ve talked quite a bit lately about Kiki Aranita and Poi Dog Sauces, but I just heard about another one of her collaborations that I had to let you know about. Seems that jerky raconteur (and former Foobooz pen-for-hire) Marcos Espinoza of Side Project Jerky got his hands on some of Aranita’s Huli Huli sauce and created Huli Huli Hawaiian chicken jerky. Available for sale now at Side Project and Poi Dog Sauces, it’s basically a blend of pineapple, miso, and Chinese five-spice flavors that sounds kinda awesome. You should check it out if you like jerky. And who doesn’t like jerky?

Finally this week, GOAToberfest. There’ll be beer. There’ll be food. There’ll be drag queens. There’ll be a costume contest, goat art raffles, and historic cemetery tours. And, of course, there will be goats. And if this all sounds a little weird, that’s because it is, but that’s exactly why I’m telling you about it. Because there are some of you out there that just don’t have enough goats and drag queens in your lives.

GOAToberfest is an annual fundraising event for the Philly Goat Project, taking place this year on Sunday, October 6th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Laurel Hill West Conservatory. It will be your first chance to see (and purchase) their 2025 Goat Calendar, which features goats posing at some of Philly’s most iconic landmarks. Triple Bottom Brewing is supplying an official GOAToberfest-branded beer, and the event’s custom cocktail (the Ray Ray) is named after a goat (Ray), who is, in turn, named after Raymond Pace Alexander — the first Black judge to be appointed to the Common Pleas Court, and who is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery. And, of course, 13 goats from the Goat Project will be there for you to meet. Because we shouldn’t ever lose sight of who the real celebrities are here.

Anyway, it all sounds like a good time, and it’s certainly for a good cause. So I guess we’ll see you all there.