Bloomsday and Green Engine Coffee Announce New Headhouse Square Cafe

A sneak peak at Loretta’s. / Photograph courtesy of Bloomsday

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. I know that most of you have probably been focused on the other news happening recently, but we’ve got a couple of new openings on the horizon, some great Summer Olympics specials, and, of course, some ice cream news. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Breakfast Plans In Headhouse Square

Here’s something I’m super psyched about.

Kelsey Bush and Zach Morris, the team behind Bloomsday and Green Engine Coffee, just announced late last week that they have a third concept in the works, scheduled to open this fall on the same block as Bloomsday in Headhouse Square.

Loretta’s is the name. And I’ll let them describe the concept to you.

“Loretta’s is a cafe rooted in specialty coffee, a robust sweet and savory pastry program, and seasonal lunch and breakfast staples. … Acclaimed specialty coffee service meets a lauded pastry program at this new spot, named for owner Kelsey Bush’s grandma. [Loretta’s] pays homage in both its concept and retro design to all the ‘steel magnolias’ who have paved the way for femininity, both traditional and new, within the hospitality industry.”

And while I’m just as excited as the next guy about retro design and femininity, what really has me checking the calendar is the proposed menu: egg-and-cheese hand pies, viennoiserie-style pastries, seasonal galettes (both sweet and savory), American cinnamon buns with cream-cheese frosting and sandwiches mounted on house-made focaccia.

410 South 2nd Street will be the eventual address. And while there aren’t a ton of details yet, I know y’all are going to want to keep an eye on this one. Which, conveniently, you can do right here.

Fall can’t come soon enough. But in the meantime …

Celebrating the Summer Olympics, Philly Style

The roasted duck breast from Townsend. / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

Greased pole climbing, doing laps in a dumpster pool, the 100-yard SEPTA dash — these are Philly’s Olympic events. But with the 2024 Games rapidly approaching, we thought it would be nice to shout out a couple places celebrating the XXXIII Olympiad in a somewhat classier fashion.

Take, for example, Panorama, the restaurant and wine bar at the Penn’s View Hotel. They’re already legit famous for their custom-built wine system that features 120 taps, each pouring from a different bottle of wine, and now they’re putting that system to good use by offering two different wine flights to celebrate the Games. First, in honor of the host country, they’ve got a five-label, all-French flight featuring everything from a biodynamic Alsatian riesling blend to a 2019 Château Toulifaut merlot. That’ll run you $38. And then, just to give that system a bit of a workout, they’re doing a second flight called “We Are The Champions,” inspired by the home countries of various medal hopefuls. So that means a Spanish tempranillo paired with an Argentinian cab/malbec and a South African Sangiovese. Again, five glasses in the flight, $36 all-in. And for those of you who are still thirsty afterward, Panorama is popping the corks on two special French champagnes for the event: a Grand Cru~Oger Blanc de Blanc Klepka Sausse for $45 and a Methode Traditionnelle Famille Heraud Champerriere Blanc for just $19.

Over at the Hyatt Centric, Patchwork has a Firecracker cocktail on the board, mixing vodka, Meyer lemon, cherry and blue Curacao for a riff on the classic rocket pop. Pair that with a burger or a roast pork sandwich for $29, and there’ll be no question about who you’re pulling for in Paris.

Meanwhile, the team at Townsend is really leaning into the French-ness of the whole affair with a “hyper-seasonal” chef’s tasting menu celebrating the pinnacle of French gastronomy. At $95 a head, the highlights of the menu are the confit rabbit tortellini with sauce lapin and maitakes; roasted duck breast with potato pavé; and the Valrhone chocolate souffle with amaretto creme anglaise. The menu will be available nightly from Friday, July 26th, to Sunday, August 11th.

I’m sure there will be more celebrations once we get past of the opening ceremonies. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know about anything particularly spectacular.

But for now, what’s next?

How ‘Bout Some Free Ice Cream?

Milk Jawn / Photograph by Mike Prince

It feels like forever ago that I told y’all about the plans for Milk Jawn to expand into No Libs. And while it sucks a little bit that they missed the worst of the heat wave, the good news is that the second location of the beloved local ice cream joint will be opening this Friday at 6 p.m. at 946 North 2nd Street.

Even better? They’re celebrating by giving away free ice cream.

The first 100 people in line get a free ice cream cup. That’s the deal. Doors open at right at 6 p.m. and I’m guessing there’s going to be a line, so plan accordingly.

After the initial rush, the new shop will be open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 11 p.m., serving up the same flavors that made the original spot famous: cold brew and caramelized cacao nibs, chocolate-hazelnut crunch, lemon curd with blueberry-basil swirl, old favorites like chocolate peanut butter, and vegan mango sticky rice.

The original Milk Jawn isn’t going anywhere. The new one will likely be expanding its hours once the rush of being in a new neighborhood subsides and the crew gets their bearings. And before you know it, the seasons will be changing, and the shops will be offering the caramel apple pie and Earl Grey with honeycomb — two flavors that make fall in Philly my favorite season.

Now who has room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Photograph courtesy of Essex Squeeze.

Speaking of favorite seasons, one of the best things about summer in Philly is the corn pizza at Olce Pizza Grille out in Skippack. That’s just a fact. It’s inarguable.

As a matter of fact, corn in general is one of the best things about Philly summers. On the cob, on a pizza, in pasta — however it comes, I’m a fan.

So it’s not really surprising that the “Cornucopia” dinner at Urban Farmer caught my eye. Scheduled for Thursday, August 15th, it is basically seven courses that are all about corn. From baby corn elote to sweet corn ravioli, charred corn panzanella to golden tilefish with corn maque choux and corn-sugar caramelized skin, corn is the focus of every single course, right down to the dessert — buttered popcorn ice cream with blackberries and corn sugar merengue.

Tickets will run you $120, and dinner starts promptly at 6 p.m., with communal seating in the Verdant Room, away from the regular dining floor. And if you’re down for it, there are also corn-based cocktails to pair with dinner, like a buttered-corn old fashioned ($20) or cold brew and corn liquor topped with whipped cream. You can get more details (and your tickets) right here.

Northern Liberties Night Market is on Wednesday night. Twenty-six food trucks (including some of our personal favorites), all getting together for one summer night on 2nd Street? Yeah, it’s a good time. It starts at 5 p.m., runs until 10 p.m., and you can get all the details here. If you miss this one, the next Night Market will be in September, so start making plans now.

Essex Squeeze, which got its start at the Essex Market in NYC, has kicked off its national expansion by opening its first non-New York location in Northern Liberties. The place does fresh-squeezed juices, shots, smoothies, lemonades, toasts and bowls. It’s a big menu (about 40 items long) squeezed (get it?) into a very small space — just 200 square feet at 1030 North 2nd Street. Healthy food at affordable prices is their thing. That, plus endless customization of their juices, smoothies and bowls. And they’ll be offering exactly that, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays). And if that sounds like your jam, I’ve got good news for you: This isn’t the only Philly location they’ve got in the works.

After 27 years serving Greek food in Washington Square West, it looks like Effie’s is closing up shop for good. The Business Journal is reporting that the BYO is up for sale, and that owner Effie Bouikidis plans to turn out the lights sometime in the next couple weeks.

Finally this week, it looks like Federal Donuts is expanding the menu at all of their shops by offering doughnut holes for the first time ever (on the regular menu, anyway). They come in four varieties: the three house flavors (strawberry lavender, cookies and cream, cinnamon brown sugar), plus a new powdered variety. They come 10 holes to a large plastic cup, one flavor per cup — and a big ol’ cup of holes will run you just $5.

So now at least we all know what we’re doing for breakfast tomorrow, right?