Bistrot La Minette Announces Closure After 16 Years

Bistrot La Minette will be closing its doors this summer. / Photograph courtesy of Bistrot La Minette

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the Foobooz food news round-up. We’ve got a whole bunch of news to get to this week — everything from pierogi-flavored potato chips and apple-pie dumplings to NSFW after-hours baking and the public unveiling of a new pastry ATM machine. Anyway, it’s a lot of news, so let’s just get right into it. My dad used to say that it’s always better to get the bad news out of the way first, so we’ll get things rolling this week with this…

Bistrot La Minette Announces Final Service

July 31st. That’s the final night at the Bistrot. Last call for the lapin roti, the coq au vin, the escargot dripping in garlic butter and comté quenelles swimming in mushroom sauce.

Chef Peter Woolsey announced it on Instagram yesterday, saying (in part): “I started the Bistrot when I was just 30, and 16 years later I have spent a third of my life cooking in the heat, cooling off in the walk-ins, organizing food storage, mentoring cooks and chefs, double checking invoices, telling dirty jokes, and managing the stress of being a restaurateur.”

That kind of thing? It takes a toll. Ask anyone who has stood for even a single Mother’s Day brunch service, and they’ll tell you. It takes a special breed to be able to work in kitchens as long as Woolsey has been working in kitchens, and stepping away is never a matter of if, only of when.

Still, hearing him announce that final service kind of got to me. Because, while I’ve loved and lost plenty of restaurants in this town, Bistrot La Minette holds a unique place in my memories. It was the first place in Philly I ate while interviewing for the food editor’s job at Philly Mag way back when. Certainly not the first place in Philly I’d ever eaten, but it was over cassoulet and brown liquor in the Bistrot’s comforting dining room that I first decided to make a go of it here.

I’m not saying that the job alone wasn’t enough. (Honestly, I would’ve left Seattle for a roll of nickels and the promise of a hot lunch.) But Woolsey’s cooking and the energy of Queen Village on a Friday night was what sold me.

Anyway, to this former French-trained chef-turned-food-writer, Bistrot La Minette was a special place. I went back whenever I could (which was never often enough). I brought friends, paid cash, kept my head down, and never made a thing out of it. But I truly liked it there. And my affection for it never really dimmed. So I’m going to miss the place, for sure.

The good news? We’ve all still got a little bit of time to say goodbye. Woolsey and company are going to be having a couple of wine dinners to clear out the cellars. They’re still going to be cooking and serving right up until the end. So if you’ve got the time, stop in and say hi. I know I’m not the only one enchanted by the place over the years.

Now what’s next …

Cantina La Martina is Expanding (Again)

From left: Camaron suizas; Chef Jiménez preparing barbacoa in the backyard of Cantina La Martina. / Photographs by Michael Persico

Cantina La Martina is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Philly, hands down.

I mean, I could name 10, maybe 20 spots scattered across the city that do great tacos, stunning cemitas, killer birria, cochinita and pozole and enchiladas worth standing in line for. But on any list of the best, Cantina La Martina is still going to come out on top. Yesterday, today and maybe tomorrow, too.

And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Chef Dionicio Jiménez has won awards. He’s been nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of the best chefs around. And while I would love to see a half-dozen Mini Martinas popping up all over town, that isn’t what Jiménez and his wife, Mariangeli Alicea Saez, have in mind.

We’ve already talked about the upcoming La Baja in Ambler — the couple’s 30-seat semi-experimental foray into BYO Mexican-Mediterranean-Asian fusion at 9 North Main Street. It was supposed to open in the spring, but, looking at the clock, it feels like they’re running a bit behind on it.

Still, that hasn’t stopped them from announcing that they’re taking over the trolley car space at 2217 Frankford Avenue and turning it into La Placita Fishtown. They were basically hand-picked for this spot by the Fishtown neighbors and the folks at the New Kensington Community Development Corporation. They’ll be operating a food concession stand, serving Puerto Rican street food Thursdays through Sundays, then using the rest of the space for collabs and community programming.

So yeah, picnic tables, sun shades, Puerto Rican food. What could be better?

Well, how about a second La Placita? Because while the new Fishtown concession has also run into some delays, the Cherry Street Pier La Placita is up and running right now. There, Jiménez and his crew feature three different concepts — Mexican street food, Puerto Rican chinchoreo favorites, and ice cream. You can read all about it in our Waterfront guide.

Anyway, it looks like the Cantina La Martina team is going to have a very busy summer. Here’s hoping they’ve got a plan for keeping all those balls in the air at once.

What This City Really Needs Is a Gluten-Free Pastry ATM

Lila Colello of Flakely Gluten Free in front of the Flakely Gluten Free Pastry ATM. / Photograph by Mike Prince

And starting today, that’s exactly what it’s got.

Manayunk-based baker Lila Colello of Flakely Gluten Free has been operating her bakery from behind a pink door at 220 Krams Avenue since 2021. She specializes in croissants, bagels, French breads and pastries, all done without gluten and to the same exacting standards that she learned working for Wolfgang Puck, Eric Ripert, Stephen Starr and other big-name talent. Colello was trained in traditional baking and did that for years, but then a celiac diagnosis temporarily derailed her career. So, she taught herself how to produce the same kinds of products, without the gluten.

Which is great, right? The problem was that she was never able to find enough staff for her bakery. Also, all her products kept selling out. She was really only able to maintain a takeout-window operation in Manayunk a couple days a week.

So she got to thinking: What if there was a way to do this without having to worry about staffing the window? What if there was a way to do this as a vending machine?

And thus, the first Flakely Gluten-Free Pastry ATM was born.

It works kind of like one of those Amazon Fresh stores. Everything inside is frozen and tagged with a microchip. You tap your credit card, open the door, and get charged for whatever you take out.

Colello will be stocking this first machine with croissants, bagels, baguettes, cakes, Danish pop-tarts and more. You just bring it home, heat it up, and you’re good to go.

Philly’s first pastry ATM opens today at Salt & Vinegar at 905 South 9th Street in South Philly.

The original Flakely is still only operating Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. (Colello is hoping to add a third day soon) But the ATM will be available seven days a week, during all the hours that Salt & Vinegar is open. Plus, if this little mini-automat experiment works, she’s hoping to expand to other small businesses in Philly.

So we’ve now got a 24-hour cheese vending machine in Kensington, a pastry ATM in South Philly and dumpling automats on South Street and in University City. Could this be the start of a whole new vending machine revolution in Philly? I sure hope so. And if I live long enough to see the day when I can get a plate of tacos and a flute of champagne from a machine, I won’t feel like I got cheated out of anything in this life.

Oh, and speaking of dumpling automats …

Brooklyn Dumplings Has a New Summer Menu

Sticking with the automated food delivery theme, I just got word that Brooklyn Dumpling Shop — the increasingly inaptly named dumpling automat with locations in Philly, Austin, Dallas, Queens, North Carolina and Calgary, Canada — is rolling out a new “Summer Bites” menu.

On the savory side, they’re adding mac-and-cheese dumplings and a bacon-cheeseburger dumpling — a little weird, considering the place also sells actual burgers in non-dumpling form. For dessert? Apple-pie and brownie “smashed” dessert dumplings, served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What’s more, Brooklyn has a third location in the works. The new shop will be at 1504 Sansom Street (the old Snap Custom Pizza location), according to their Instagram.

Moving on …

Desserts After Dark at Cake Life

Photograph courtesy of Cake Life Bake Shop

I’ve got very good news for anyone out there whose kink happens to be freshly-baked cookies.

Cake Life Bake Shop is hosting a one-night-only NSFW cookie decorating party called “Desserts After Dark” on Thursday, June 27th. And I’m just going to let them describe it for you:

“[Desserts After Dark] is an intimate, after-hours erotic dessert decorating soirée where attendees will delight in a spread of themed snacks as they decorate anatomically-apt, blush-worthy treats, enjoy free-flowing beverages, and revel in seductive, luxurious décor. Perfect for a date night or an outing with open-minded pals, Dessert After Dark [will be] hosted by Cupcake Wars winner, Cake Life Co-Founder Lily Fischer, in collaboration with boutique, woman-owned tablescape company Citrine. Fischer will guide attendees through frosting, piping, and sprinkling gingerbread, chocolate and vanilla cookies to create the jaw-dropping, kinky, body-positive cookies of their dreams.”

So … yeah. That sounds like a good time, right? Cake Life will be providing snacks. Drinks will be courtesy of Phizzie, a new hard seltzer from Philadelphia Brewing Co. There will be two seatings for the event — 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. — and tickets will run you $85. You can get yours right here, while supplies last.

Herr’s Announces This Year’s “Flavored by Philly” Finalists

Image courtesy of Herr’s

Herr’s just announced the finalists for its annual “Flavored by Philly” contest. This year, the three flavors voted into the finals by the good people of Philadelphia are Mom-Mom’s Kitchen Potato Pierogi, Talluto’s Cheese Ravioli With Marinara, and Romano’s Special Hot Stromboli.

While I think it should be obvious which one of these should win (*cough* Mom-Mom’s *cough*), I am a man with a deep and abiding respect for the democratic process. So by all means, get out there and buy some chips (available wherever Herr’s are sold). Try them all, admit to yourselves that pierogi chips are absolute genius because they’re essentially potato-flavored potato chips, with a little bacon for good measure. And then vote for your favorite right here.

You’ve got until August 9th to cast your ballot. The winning small business gets $10,000 and the honor of being named the best of the best for 2024.

Power to the Pierogi.

Now who’s in the mood for some Leftovers?

The Leftovers

New summer cocktails at Bolo. / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

I’ve been keeping an eye on Rosemary in Ridley Park for some time now. And I just got word that they’re rolling out a new cocktail competition series called Shaken & Stirred. The inaugural battle will happen in the garden on July 26th at 6:30 p.m. There’s room out there for about 75 people, and what those in attendance will be witnessing is a three-round, knock-down, drag-out bartender battle. The three drink slingers competing in three rounds of mystery-ingredient cocktail making are Phillip Breen of Rosemary, PJ Dolan from Dolan’s, and Casey Parker from Jose and Sancho Pistola’s and Trouble’s End Brewing.

Everyone gets to sample, everyone gets to play along. And everyone can feel good about it because the whole thing benefits HEADstrong. Tickets to the event are $40, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Speaking of cocktails, Bolo has a new beverage director. Tony Jimenez hails from Puerto Rico, hit Philly in 2021 and most recently worked the bar at Post Haste. But now he’s in charge of the program at Yun Fuentes’s Latin American restaurant and rum bar, and he’s wasting no time in putting his mark on the menu. The new summer list includes everything from a rum and Chinola riff on the classic daiquiri with lime, red aperitivo, and hibiscus to a Don Q cherry colada and something called a Las Croabas made with gin, chili oil-washed dry vermouth and aji passion ceviche brine, which I’d like three of, served immediately.

In concert with the new cocktail list, Fuentes is adding some summer flavors to his menu, including morcilla with figs and smoked almonds, slow-roasted pork pernil with sour orange mojo, and sea bass with coconut-ginger pitipuas and avocado purée.

Illadelph Vodka / Photograph by Neff

Sticking to the booze beat, Philly has a new distiller in the game. The owners of Illadelph Glass, purveyors of fine glass art (and some truly space-age-looking bongs), have partnered with Irene Cutler’s Illadelph Spirits, which is now producing Illadelph Vodka. Unsurprisingly, the beaker-shaped glass bottle looks really friggin’ cool.

The triple-distilled vodka is the flagship product of Illadelph Spirits. Bottles are available now at City Distilling in Holmesburg (where the vodka is being produced) for $25 a pop. A wider roll-out to select bars and restaurants is expected soon.

Oloroso is launching a new monthly Sunday afternoon party called “Fever Dream.” It’s basically an industry-night-slash-happy-hour that happens in the middle of the day. Starting Sunday, June 23rd, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and continuing on every third Sunday of the month, you’ll be able to roll in and hang out while hitting the build-your-own G&T bar, sampling reduced-priced and complimentary tapas, and listening to the DJ spin. Drinks are $8 and most of the tapas are $5. And the whole thing is designed to be very cool, very chill and just lively enough to chase away the Sunday Scaries.

What’s that? You need something to do on Saturday afternoons, too? Then check out the new summer brunch parties at Assembly Rooftop Lounge. Happening once a month on random Saturdays (June 22nd, July 27th and August 17th), there’ll be seasonal cocktails, DIY mimosas, “elevated brunch dishes” (deviled eggs with caviar, cheese and charcuterie, crab-avocado toast, etc.), plus live music. Check out Assembly’s Instagram for more details.