Sunday Girl, a New Cafe and Co-Working Space, to Open in Old City

Becca Grites, owner and creator of Sunday Girl opening in Old City next month. / Photograph by Mike Prince

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the Foobooz food news round-up. We have made it through the run-up to Valentine’s Day, the day itself, and the inevitable recovery that accompanies one of the industry’s biggest holidays. And just like I promised, now that that’s all over and everyone has started looking toward spring, the scene has lit up. I’ve got so much news this week that the only way to get through it is at a dead sprint. So buckle up, kids. It’s time to put the pedal down. And this week we’ll start with…

Soul and the Sunday Girl

Sundays in Restaurant World are a kind of liminal space. Unless you’re banging out a packed brunch, Sunday services are slower, more chill. It’s a day for neighbors and for friends; for lingering over a drink at the bar, some snacks and a chat at a place close to home or close to your heart.

Becca Grites gets that. She understands the soft rhythms of Sundays behind the bar. And she’s hoping to be able to bring a bit of that cool, relaxed coziness to the corner of 3rd and Vine in Old City with the opening of her new cafe and co-working space, Sunday Girl.

“Sunday Girl embodies a home-away-from-home in the heart of the city,” she explains. “Having managed and worked in small-sized establishments, I know from experience that the person behind the bar sets the tone for making a new place into a new favorite place. I always love working Sunday shifts; it’s typically a sleepier pace, with a mood that begs for soul music, and offers a real ability to get to know, communicate, and make connections with guests. I’ve always relished being any bar’s ‘Sunday Girl.’”

What she’s dreaming of is an eco-conscious, locally-focused neighborhood cafe that brings those Sunday vibes every day of the week, plus a dedicated, membership-only co-working space (in a separate room) for creatives, artists and WFH neighbors looking to get off the couch for a while. She’s thinking cafe drinks, of course. A coffee bar menu featuring local coffees. Simple, fresh and “nostalgic” menu items featuring all-PA producers and suppliers, with most of what she’s envisioning coming straight from the Philly region.

Take, for example, her “Cheese, Louise!” cheese program, featuring exclusively Pennsylvanian cheese on a rotating basis for customers to assemble as a cheese board, eat one-by-one, or have packaged up by the ounce to take home. And she’s planning on the same sort of rigorous locality when she adds wine to the mix, which she’s hoping to do in the next year.

“I’ve been dreaming of owning my own space since before college, but never knew exactly what that would be,” Grites explains. “This place not only speaks to my values as a person, but speaks to my beliefs on giving back to and being a part of the unique community that is Philly.”

Sunday Girl had a preview party over the weekend to introduce the cafe — and the Sunday Girl coLAB co-working space — to Old City. And things at the space have come far enough along that she’s hoping for a March opening. I’ll keep you posted.

Hot Chicken for Audubon

A few dishes on Baba’s Hot Chicken’s menu. / Photograph by In Between Rivers

Yeah, it wouldn’t be Fobooz weekly round-up anymore if there wasn’t some hot chicken news. But this one is uniquely well-timed.

So right now, you can read all about the new(ish) pizza, poutine, fried chicken and qebapa restaurant opened by three Albanian brothers — Leo, Pep and Jim Osmanollaj — in the old Earth Bread & Brewery space in Mount Airy. That place is called Toska. I reviewed it for this month’s issue. And it is kind of awesome.

But Leo, Pep and Jim aren’t slowing down. Toska was a BIG project, but now that they have it ticking along smoothly, they’ve turned their wandering eyes toward Audubon (near King of Prussia, not South Jersey) and a space at 725 South Trooper Road which, as of yesterday, opened as Baba’s Hot Chicken & Brew.

It is, unsurprisingly, a hot chicken joint. Another hot chicken joint, in a town which, it sometimes seems, opens a new one every couple days. But also, a different kind of hot chicken joint because a) it serves beer, which is the perfect beverage to pair with hot chicken. And b) it’s an Albanian-style hot chicken restaurant — or at least one that’s working from a beloved family recipe that comes from the brothers’ 82-year-old grandfather, Baba, currently residing in Prizren, Kosovo, and who made the trip to Audubon for the grand opening yesterday.

The board is as simple as can be: There are sandwiches, wings, tenders and half-birds, cheese fries, hot fries, banana pudding, peach cobbler, custard and a couple sides. It is as focused a menu as Toska’s is wide-ranging — and they’re importing their lagers, IPAs and Kosovo-style beers from Mount Airy to Audubon to wash it all down.

Like I said, the place opened yesterday with a big party, free sandwiches and a DJ. I heard about it today. I’m probably going for lunch tomorrow. And if it’s even half as good as I’m hoping it’ll be, I’ll let y’all know about it as soon as I can.

Summer’s First Ice Cream Sighting

Milk Jawn owners Amy Wilson and Ryan Miller. / Photograph by Mike Prince

Amy Wilson and Ryan Miller just announced that they’re hanging a sign on a second Milk Jawn location — this one at 946 N. 2nd Street in NoLibs, right next door to Pera Turkish Cuisine. If you don’t know Pera, you should because it is my go-to spot for manti and baklava — both of which occupy an outsized bit of real estate in my brain almost all the time. And if you don’t know Milk Jawn? Then you’re just a person who can’t stand fun, I guess.

Milk Jawn started as an online-only hustle in 2020. The first brick-and-mortar location has been up and running in South Philly for 18 months and still draws big lines. The new spot will be moving into a 900-square-foot space and operating just like its sister space, offering flavors like caramel apple pie, Earl Grey with honeycomb and malted milk toffee to the masses. Right now, it’s looking like a June opening, so if you’ve been on the hunt for something to look forward to during these final gray weeks of winter, let this be your thing. I’m not saying happiness tastes exactly like lemon curd ice cream with blueberry basil swirl. But I’m not saying it doesn’t taste just like that either.

Dreaming Of Mexico City

Chef Alejandro Martín Sánchez / Photograph by Mike Prince

This is an experiment in manifestation.

Chef Alejandro Martín Sánchez does not have a restaurant yet. What he has is an idea for a restaurant. He has a VERY focused concept, a dream of bringing a high-end Mexico City-style tasting menu to Philadelphia, and a name for the concept — Mesona, which means table, because the entire restaurant he’s dreaming of will consist of just one, 12-seat table (with a few extra seats at a chef’s counter).

Mesona doesn’t exist yet. Sánchez is still shopping for a space. But what he does have is an 8-week dinner residency at Taco Heart — Nano Wheedan’s breakfast taco emporium in Bella Vista — where he will be introducing his vision for Mesona to Philly via Thursday, Friday and Saturday night BYO tasting menus featuring squash chochoyote with uni, mussel tostadas with tangerine chutney and roe, lobster with carrot tatemado, a mole anisado with coffee, plantain and shiso, and more — all of it inspired by the fine dining restaurants of Mexico City and Puebla, sharpened by Sánchez’s time at LMNO and as exec chef at Mission Taqueria.

I love this story. Seriously. Dude grew up on the border, left home due to fears of being kidnapped, did his time under Michelin chefs and James Beard Award nominees in Texas. When he finds a home for Mesona, he’s gonna be BYO through and through, with a menu of NA cocktails for those of a sober bent. He’ll be on the floor telling folks where every dish comes from and why it deserves a place on his menu. You know how they say dress for the job you want, not for the job you have? Well, this is kind of like the restaurant version of that — just pretend your restaurant exists until the restaurant you’re dreaming of actually does. So if somebody out there has a space that would work for Sánchez, reach out. Let him know.

In the meantime, Sánchez’s residency will be a single 6:30 p.m. seating for the first weekend, starting on Thursday, February 29th, then go to a 6:30 p.m. and an 8:30 p.m. seating in the weeks following. A peek at the elephant will run you $110, tax included, for six courses. You can score your spot right here, but I’d hurry because nights are already starting to sell out.

Ninjas in Fishtown

Two weeks ago, I told you about an Atlantic City restaurant (and chocolate speakeasy) bringing a little gloss to Suburban Station with a sit-down restaurant called Rhythm & Spirits opening at street level on JFK Boulevard.

This week, I’ve got kind of an Opposite Land version of that story — a small Suburban Station grab-and-go breaking out and making it real with a sit-down location in Fishtown.

Ninja Bao has toiled below ground on the concourse at Suburban Station for a while now, slinging bao buns, donburi, ramen and gyoza to the commuters passing through. It’s a solid operation, ideally scaled for its location.

Now, though, the owners have picked up a new location at 2499 Aramingo Avenue for a concept they’re calling Bao Button — essentially Ninja Bao, but with a smaller, tighter menu and some tables. They announced the new spot on Instagram, soft-opened over the weekend and are now up and running with a menu of buns, rice bowls and gyoza for takeout, delivery or dine-in.

A.bar Goes Down the Rabbit Hole

a.bar / Photograph courtesy of High Street Hospitality Group

I like a good cocktail story. And this is a very good cocktail story.

The team at a.bar have always been experts at mixing a cocktail. Sure, there have been flashier joints in town. And there have absolutely been snootier joints in town. But the crew at a.bar have been both excellent AND dependable pretty much since the day the place opened. And that’s notable.

But now GM Harry Jamison has decided to kick things up a gear with a new monthly cocktail series called “Down The Rabbit Hole” which will feature one classic cocktail each month, reimagined in a different way each week. February’s drink was the Old Fashioned, and here’s what the a.bar crew came up with when let off the chain:

Spicy Lil’ Guy – a savory, earthy lil’ whippersnapper that punches above its weight
Mezcal, Sotol, Celery, Kummel, Salers, Salt

The Night Country – this dark and brooding sipper has a 21-year old rum and just the right amount of bitter bite
Aged Rum, Fernet Noveis, Oloroso Sherry, Campari

More Energy, More Footwork – a lot of hard-hitting ingredients in one glass, and each one contributes to this wild ride
Bourbon, Brown Butter, Palo Cortado Sherry, Tempus Fugit Cacao, Branca Menta

Cool, Calm, + Collected – this decadent mofo has winter spice and is only a little bit mean
Rye, Cognac, Russian Imperial Stout Reduction, Amaro Nardini

I don’t have a full menu yet for March or April, but I do know that March will focus on Martinis and Manhattans and April will be all about highballs. Honestly, I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Speaking of Bar Menus …

Know who else has a great bar? Irwin’s at the Bok. And Irwin’s is also announcing a re-vamped cocktail menu coming on the heels of their acquisition of a brand new bar manager, Damien Langarica, who comes to them from (you guessed it) a.bar.

The new menu will be launching in early spring — right about the same time Irwin’s opens up its rooftop seating. And while yes, the cocktails at the bar are important, obviously, the SECOND most important thing a bar does are its snacks. And along with Langarica’s drink menu, chef Michael Vincent Ferreri and crew will be rolling out a new Wednesday-and-Thursday-night bar menu that’s worth taking note of.

Leaning heavily on the Italian side of the Bok’s inspiration, there’ll be ricotta and ‘nduja toasts, San Danielle prosciutto, cheese boards and MVF’s own version of the classic cacio e pepe that uses milk whey for a creamier, smoother flavor.

There’s no hard date for any of this just yet, but suffice it to say that when the weather starts warming up enough for the house to open that stunning rooftop patio, that’s when the new menus will kick off. So keep your eyes open. Or just watch this space.

On Narcolepsy and Leap Day Pie

Tova du Plessis / Photograph by Mike Prince

If you missed Essen Bakery’s Tova du Plessis talking about her recent narcolepsy diagnosis, you should really take a minute and read this. She’s been struggling with this for the past 14 months, and just recently decided to speak publicly about how it has affected both her daily work at Essen and plans for her new, second location in Fishtown (which should be opening in the coming months).

But if you’re just here to hear about the pie, then I can help you with that, too. On Leap Day (February 29th) — which is also Rare Disease Day — du Plessis will be serving a special pie to raise money for narcolepsy research. Normally, Essen doesn’t do pies. They’re basically just a holiday thing. But this year, they’re making an exception. Available for pickup or delivery, this salted caramel maple pie (from a recipe by Lisa Ludwinski of Sister Pie in Detroit) will be sold for $29, with proceeds going to Wake Up Narcolepsy.

If you’re interested, pre-orders opened yesterday. Get yours here.

Now how about some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Chef Pierre Calmels / Photograph by Mike Prince

Pierre Calmels has been gone from the scene for a couple years, but now he’s coming back to his old stomping grounds for two nights, doing a cassoulet collaboration with the team from Paffuto (which opened in the former Bibou space at 1009 South 8th Street).

According to Daniel Griffiths, one of the Paffuto partners, “Cassoulet is known to be a perfect winter dish, and there is no one in Philly known to make better cassoulet than Chef Calmels, so we thought this was a perfect way to celebrate the end of the season while also paying homage to the restaurant space we took over.”

Calmels was into it, so now he’ll be back in his old kitchen for two Cassoulet dinners on March 18th and 19th. The menu is prix-fixe, BYO, three courses (winter salad, unlimited family-style cassoulet, then a collaborative dessert) and tickets will run you $95. You can make reservations via email at paffutophl@gmail.com. Just send your desired date, time and party size.

If you can’t get into the actual dinner though, there’s another option. Paffuto and Calmels will also be doing pick-up cassoulet on March 20th at Paffuto from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can put in your order via the same email as above, and orders will be taken through Sunday, March 10th.

Good news for deli fans. Hymie’s Delicatessen, which shut down due to flooding back on January 10th, has reopened at 342 Montgomery Avenue in Merion Station.

In Rittenhouse Square, the Oyster House is launching the BEST kind of collaboration series: A lobster roll collaboration series. The venerable House will be bringing in some of the city’s best chefs (Shola Olunloyo of StudioKitchen, Kiki Aranita of Poi Dog, Pat Alfiero of Heavy Metal Sausage) and, each month, having them design their own “Guest Chef Lobster Roll.”

Things kick off on Tuesday, March 5th, with Randy Rucker from River Twice (and Little Water) doing an XO sauce, collard greens, onion furikake and koji butter version, available for lunch and dinner through Friday, March 8th. Proceeds will go to benefit The Wardrobe in celebration of Women’s History Month. Other custom lobster rolls will follow in the future.

And finally, let’s wrap up this super-sized version of the weekly news with a super-sized collaboration. Diana Widjojo, formerly of Hardena, is throwing in with Joncarl Lachman again and bringing her Rice & Sambal concept back to Dankbaar for an extended residency. Starting mid-March, she’ll be doing $85 six-course prix-fixe menus on Thursday and Friday nights, and Saturday night rijsttafel-style liwetan feasts served in banana leaf-lined baskets and eaten by hand for $100.

The menus will be ever-changing and reservations are going to go fast. But really, you don’t want to miss this, so get your seats right now. First night of service looks to be March 14th.