Craig LaBan’s favorite birria tacos | Let’s Eat

Philly’s dripping with birria tacos nowadays, and critic Craig LaBan shares his two dippy, drippy favorites. Also this week, we see signs of relief from the pandemic. The indoor-dining vaccine mandate has been dropped (though a few dozen restaurants are maintaining it), and there’s word that Center City District Sips, the warm-weather happy-hour situation, will return.

❓ And now for the quiz:

Ardmore, a slice of the Main Line, is rich with shopping and especially restaurants. What was the town’s original name?

A. Muffytown

B. Athensville

C. Swampoodle

D. Kobetown

❗ For the answer — and a nifty rundown of what to see and do in Ardmore — click here.

📝 Send me tips, suggestions and questions here.

📧 If someone forwarded you this newsletter and you like what you’re reading, sign up here to get it free every week.

– Mike Klein

Griddle-seared birria tacos with a cup of broth for dunking have been served for generations in Jalisco, Mexico. But they were reimagined in Tijuana and Los Angeles around 2015, and lately migrated east on the wings of Instagram. Critic Craig LaBan has made the local rounds, and is especially jazzed about the tacos from the Delos Santos family’s Mi Pueblito truck and Jennifer Zavala’s edgy, new Juana Tamale eatery. What does good birria need? “Depth, spice, soul, sacrifice should be in every drop,” Zavala told Craig. “It should be amazing every day.”

After a two-year absence, the James Beard Foundation is back with its restaurant awards. The batch of semifinalists includes Ellen Yin of Fork, a.kitchen, et al (for Outstanding Restaurateur), Friday Saturday Sunday (for Outstanding Restaurant), Amanda Schulman of Her Place Supper Club (Emerging Chef), Laser Wolf (New Restaurant), Angela Cicala of Cicala at the Divine Lorraine (Outstanding Pastry Chef), Rhonda Saltzman and Mercedes Brooks of Second Daughter Baking Co. (Outstanding Baker), Steve & Cookie’s (Outstanding Hospitality), a.kitchen + bar (Best Wine Program).

The following have been nominated for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic: Anthony Andiario of Andiario, Joey Baldino of Zeppoli, Adam Diltz of Elwood, Antimo DiMeo of Bardea Food & Drink, Bill Hoffman of The House of William and Merry, Jesse Ito of Royal Izakaya, Cristina Martinez of South Philly Barbacoa, Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon of Kalaya Thai Kitchen, and Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer of Canal House Station. This list will be culled to finalists on March 16, and the awards will be handed out in Chicago on June 13. Here’s what it means.

Corinne’s Place in Camden is one of six recipients for this year’s James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award, which seeks to honor “locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.” Corinne’s festive atmosphere helps, too.

Remember Ben Berman, the Wharton MBA student who raised money for charity by giving away pizzas from his Center City apartment by lowering them out the window? He graduated and on his way out to his new company in New York City, he has given away Good Pizza to one of his chosen charities, Philabundance. (Here’s a second Ben who recently left Philly for New York, delighting people in the process.) Although Philabundance won’t use Berman’s rope-and-pulley system, it will help the community via tasty pizza.

When the city of Philadelphia dropped the mandate to demand proof of vaccination for indoor dining, some restaurants kept their policies in place. The rationale: They want to allow people to go maskless, which makes for a more hospitable hospitality experience. We’ve compiled a list of these restaurants.

Wednesday, Feb. 23 marks the debut of The Dutch in its new home on the former site of Fond, at 11th and Tasker Streets in South Philadelphia. The upshot: An all-day restaurant serving hearty breakfast, lunch, and (starting next month) dinner, with cocktails. The move is poised to be a win-win for owners Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki-Styer, who’ve also made Dutch chef Kevin Watters a partner in the process. Oh, and the pork belly and mushroom soup from Fond? They’re not going anywhere.

Also in brunch news: Old City’s Forsythia will add a brunch menu on weekends beginning March 5.

This one’s a twofer: A 20-minute chicken recipe and a tutorial for making an easy pan sauce that will step up your cooking game. Part of the trick is to get your pan hot, chef-author Daniel Holzman writes. “If you’re not regularly setting off your fire alarm at home, you’re not really cooking.” You’ve heard of the James Beard Awards? Get the recipe and win yourself a pullet-surprise.

“Let’s have fun,” reads the Instagram profile of the new Olea, and that’s the spirited elegance that Luis Pedrogo and his band of merrymakers deliver behind the velvet curtain at this cheery, cash-only BYOB in Old City, replacing the landmark Chloe.

Chances are good that Luis (say it “Lewis”) has waited on you at some point in his long career (from the Union League long, long ago to Little Fish and Noord). He’s brought in chef Alex Ipri, last at Casta Diva, with an Italian-inspired menu that’s evolving as he goes. Meals start with a comp board with olives, hummus, and pita. Early touts include the octopus with chorizo, potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and romesco sauce (shown below); artichokes in white wine, garlic, anchovies, and lemon butter; tortellini filled with veal ossobuco, goat cheese cream, pancetta, and peas; and branzino over fregola in a lemon vinaigrette. Figure on about $50 per person plus tax and tip.

Olea, 232 Arch St. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 5-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. (Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.) Cash only.

Briefly noted

Center City District SIPS, the 14-week program promoting dozens of local bars and restaurants as they provide discounts on Wednesday evenings throughout Center City, will return after a two-year break. Starts June 1, runs through Aug. 31, and offers $6 cocktails, $5 wine, $4 beer and half-priced appetizers.

Hate starting off with a numeral, so I’ll say that 1911 BYOB opens Friday, Feb. 25 at 1911 E. Passyunk Ave. Chefs Jonathan Raffa and Mike Gingras met while cooking at a previous occupant of the space, Will BYOB. It’s opening with a $55 three-course menu. Casual airs, with cooking that’s elegant but still refined. (Witness this first course of pork rillette, espelette, and pickled delicata with grilled sourdough.) Open Wednesday-Sunday for dinner, for now.

Good Luck Pizza Co. (not to be confused with Good Pizza) opens Thursday, Feb. 24, at 105 S. 13th St., a reconceptualization of the Jamonera space by owners Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran. Chef George Sabatino’s thick-crust pizza has a light, crispy result through a high hydration and long fermentation (gluten-free pizza options and appetizers, too.) Craft cocktails and local, independent breweries are on the tap list, with varietal focused, natural and grower-centric wines from Italy, Austria, and the United States. Initial hours: 5-10 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday; an expansion to seven days is due in the spring.

The Queen Village space at Third and Catharine that housed Dmitri’s (and, for a spell, Mari BYOB) will become the third location of Nirvana Indian Kitchen, now in Blue Bell and Lafayette Hill. Owner Nabin Chhantyal says he hopes to open during the third week of March. It will offer takeout and delivery only during the cold weather, with outdoor tables open in the warmer months.

Ignoring the recent unseasonably high temperatures, I’ll remind you it is February and soup season. Reader @noahgrantlevine is partial to the signature hu tieu nam vang (Phnom Penh noodle soup) at the Khmer-owned New Phnom Penh, a humble corner spot at Seventh and Wolf Streets in South Philadelphia. Get an order of fried bread sticks to dunk, and it’s a party. Reader @sidchanpuriya, meanwhile, shouts out the made-to-order Nashville hot chicken sandwich from Love & Honey at Front and Wildey Streets in Northern Liberties. Todd and Laura Lyons brine the breast in buttermilk, fry it, dredge it in hot chili oil, and pop it on a toasted brioche bun with buttermilk ranch slaw, sweet pickles, and buttermilk ranch dressing.

🍲 Keep reading more food news.

📱 Follow me on Twitter. Or follow me on instagram.