Marigold Kitchen’s New Restaurant Has a Name

Last week, we had the news that Andrew Kochan and Tim Lanza from West Philly’s Marigold Kitchen were going to be opening a new restaurant together. Kochan is the owner. Lanza is going to be his executive chef. And this is big news because, together, the two of them have already been running one of the best, most creative restaurants in the city. And now they’re going to be moving in on one of the most booming mini-neighborhoods in the entire city–that odd little stretch of Walnut Street on the edge of Rittenhouse that is already home to Vernick (which took the top spot on our newest 50 Best Restaurants list a few months back), Jose Garces’s 24 (reviewed a couple weeks ago) and Res Ipsa (which I just reviewed this morning).

Now we have a few more details. The first thing we know? The name. It’s going to be called TALK (yeah, all caps)–as an acronym for Tim Andrew Lanza Kochan.

Here are some other things we now know about TALK:

• Unlike Marigold Kitchen’s modernist, experimental menu, TALK will offer “an eclectic, New American a la carte” menu. Kochan and Lanza will be floating between the two restaurants once TALK gets open, but on a day-to-day basis, Marigold’s Keith Krajewski will remain in place as executive chef.
• While the biggest change between Marigold and TALK will undoubtedly be the menu (which we haven’t seen yet), the second biggest difference? TALK is going to have a bar. From Kochan: “We are both eager to be a part of the Rittenhouse scene and to FINALLY be able to serve cocktails!”
• Lanza and Kochan have an opening date in mind: July 1.
• The dining room at TALK will seat around 55, with an additional 15 seats at the bar. Here’s the description of how the place is going to look, from Kochan and Lanza:

TALK will have the look and feel of an early 20th century hotel bar. Its design will mirror the gothic style of the building’s facade, which is being refurbished. Black hardwood floors and wooden tables will contrast against a white marble bar with old-world comfortable seats and barstools. The dining room will seat approximately 55 with another 15 seats at the bar.

Marigold Kitchen [f8b8z]