You chose the best hoagie of them all | Let’s Eat

We’ve found a winner in our “best Italian hoagie” bracket, and solved a mystery in the process. (Always crust the process, as they say in the hoagie-rating biz.) Also this week: Craig LaBan reviews Kpod (the latest from Stephen Starr and Peter Serpico), Jersey Shore pizza destination Manco & Manco sets up shop with the Phillies, and Federal Donuts gets dough to fund an ambitious expansion.

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In that spirit, colleague Jenn Ladd would like to hear from readers for an upcoming story: How did the pandemic change the dining experience? Have digital menus changed service? Should fancy takeout be here to stay? The Inquirer wants to hear your insights on how COVID-19 changed drinking and dining for you.

❓ Quiz time! John’s Water Ice opened earlier this week for its 78th season. Name the two bestselling flavors:

A) cherry and chocolate

B) cherry and lemon

C) blueberry and lemon

D) pineapple and cherry

❗ Click here for the answer and for more cold facts about this South Philly landmark.

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– Mike Klein

Two weeks ago, we asked Philly to crown the best Italian hoagie in the city by working up a bracket in the style of the NCAA tournament, and you showed up. Boy, did you show up. We received more than 7,500 completed brackets. After all the virtual oil stains were blotted up and stray bits of onions were swept away, one shop’s creation rolled up into first place. (Can you ID the shop from this photo?)

We created this bracket, by the way, to highlight a few businesses and have a bit of fun. As we watched the votes roll in, however, we noticed voting irregularities. My colleagues Evan Weiss, Sam Morris, and Jonathan Lai responded by spending way too much time (and fun) investigating. For your consideration: The Case of the Overstuffed Hoagie Bracket.

The Phillies made a couple of slick offseason deals. The biggie: They signed the Ocean City pizza fave Manco & Manco to a four-year deal at Citizens Bank Park. Fans can get 12-inch pizzas to eat in their seats. The much larger 18-inchers will be served in the suites. The Phillies and Aramark also unveiled new foods, including a burger with peanut butter and jelly that might change your life.

Former Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is bringing his fried-chicken restaurant, Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken, to a stand near the Phillies’ dugout. Was this some idea out of left field? He told my colleague Matt Breen: “I kind of just threw it out there like, ‘Man, I think it would be really cool to have the restaurant inside the ballpark.’”

Peter Serpico is chef at the much-awaited makeover for Stephen Starr’s Pod in University City. But instead of the modernist twists he performed at his former restaurant on South Street, Serpico is diving diligently into Korean classics such as bibimbap, pajeon, and buda jjigae. As critic Craig LaBan writes in his review, Serpico is cooking to reconnect with his roots.

There are 11 Federal Donuts locations now, which started in South Philly in 2011. In a few years, there could be 150 of them. Founders Mike Solomonov, Steve Cook, and Tom Henneman inked a deal with a Main Line private-equity firm (the same investors in Duck Donuts) to grow the brand, and they told me where they’re looking for new locations. 🔒

Good times ahead for chef Cristina Martinez, owner of the popular South Philly Barbacoa. She’s a five-time finalist for a James Beard Award (that comes up in June) but first, she’s readying a new restaurant space next to South Philly Barbacoa. She’ll test the menu this Friday night, and she’s opening it to the general public, who can try her stewlike guisado-style tacos with sides for $15, dessert included.

Martinez joined two dozen chefs last month at Quorum at the University Science Center for Global Tastes, the 100th anniversary gala of Nationalities Services Center, which does important work supporting refugees and immigrants with legal help, job placement, and language services. About 400 supporters enjoyed bites from South Philly Barbacoa, Everybody Eats Philly, Sate Kampar, Wonton Project, and KitchenComplex.

Umami Steak & Sushi Bar is in the softest of soft-opening phases at 727 Walnut St., the sultry subterranean bar space beneath American Mortals hair salon off of Washington Square that was Sedition and previously Six Feet Under.

Menu highlight from owner Alan Su is the “U-temaki” (hand-rolled sushi in nori served upright and unwrapped in wooden holders), like this one (above) with scallop tartare, tobiko, and spicy X.O. sauce. They’re served at the 12-seat sushi bar in the back. Don’t miss the maki as well as hot dishes, including koji-aged steak and miso black cod. Lunch and ramen are on the way.

Umami Steak & Sushi Bar, 727 Walnut St., 267-534-5395. BYOB for now. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Briefly noted

Kismet Bagels’ first brick-and-mortar shop will open at 113 E. Girard Ave in Fishtown at 7 a.m. Friday, April 8. Kismet started as a pandemic pivot for Jacob and Alexandra Cohen, who grew it via pop-ups and wholesaling. Takeout only, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. or sellout Wednesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends. They’ll continue to sell bagel packs and schmears via retailers. There will be drip coffee from Moonraker Coffee Roasters, grab-and-go items, rotating salads, bagel sandwiches, etc.

Rex at The Royal at 1524 South St. has added full café service and sidewalk dining from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily (followed by standard restaurant hours of 5-10 p.m.). Breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and parfaits, followed by lunch dishes such as she crab soup and Carolina pulled-pork sandwich.

Stickman Brews is hosting a pop-up taproom at BLDG39 at the Arsenal (5401 Tacony St.) on Fridays from 4-8 p.m. starting April 8. The offering is three or four seasonal Stickman Brews and food by a partner from Culinary Collective’s shared kitchen; Bao & Bun Studio is first.

Manatawny Still Works will open two additional tasting rooms this summer. One is set for 49 W. Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore, and a second will follow shortly after on North Lee Street near Thompson across from Pizzeria Beddia in Fishtown.

Let’s paws to put this one on your radar: Bark Social, a Maryland-based social club with activities for dogs and their owners (and with a human bar serving beer, wine, and coffee), has inked a spot at 3738 Main St. in Manayunk. Opening is months away, and we can expect other such operations.

The plan for an “Ocean City Winery” hit a major snag in front of the Cape May County Agricultural Development Board last week. As my colleague Amy S. Rosenberg tells it, the 80-seat winery plan appeared to hit a significant snag brought on by several cascading legal maneuvers that left all sides, well, perhaps needing a drink.

Mercer Cafe, the diner at Mercer and Westmoreland Streets in Port Richmond for 24 years, has closed. The pandemic did it in, said Liza Tacconelli Bello, daughter of owner Tom Woltjen. The family is close to reopening its Mercer Cafe location at the Navy Yard.

Coffee bar? Cocktail bar? How about both. Jared Adkins has a cocktail bar at his Bluebird Distilling in Phoenixville. He’s gone to Ardmore with the new Char & Stave, an all-day cafe that melds his loves of spirits and coffee, at 21 Rittenhouse Place.

Adkins and his head distiller, Scott Gilbert, roast their own coffee and age it in the barrels used for Bluebird’s whiskeys and bourbons. Plenty of boozy notes (vanilla, toffee, cedar, etc.) infuse the beans.

Beverages are of the coffeehouse variety (traditional brewed coffee, espresso, nitro cold brew, nitro draft lattes), plus coffee cocktails and more conventional cocktails using Bluebird spirits and a line of nonalcoholic drinks. There’s a light pastry menu.

Great idea if you want a happy-hour buzz — perhaps an espresso martini (above) with Bluebird vodka, espresso, and toasted cardamom — and your friend wants, say, an espresso tonic (citrus, agave, thyme, and tonic) from the “drips & drams” menu.

Char & Stave, 21 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore. Hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-midnight Friday, 8 a.m.-midnight Saturday, and 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.

This truffle ramen from Bardea Food & Drink struck the fancy of @daves_jawns. (Bardea, incidentally, was one of four Wilmington restaurants that Craig featured last month.) Meanwhile, @shannon_banannon says “highly recommend” about the chicharron pork pupusa, hilacha chicken tostada with plantain chips, and cheesy rice that she enjoyed at El Merkury’s location at 2104 Chestnut St.

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