Is Philly bougie enough for a caviar kiosk? | Let’s Eat

You can bump into someone on the sidewalk. But you’d probably rather get a caviar bump on the sidewalk. Philly’s first caviar kiosk is open next to the Four Seasons, and we’re so there.

In this edition:

— Mike Klein

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Philly is having its Grey Poupon moment: a caviar kiosk on the sidewalk next to the Four Seasons Hotel. Along with tins and accoutrements, Biederman’s offers caviar bumps and blinis topped with caviar, smoked salmon, and crème fraîche. Is Philly bougie enough for this?

Liz Grothe, who grew up in Oklahoma and learned to cook Italian food in some of Philly’s best kitchens, brings a lot to the table with her quirky new restaurant, Scampi. Kiki Aranita sat beneath Scampi’s shrimp-shaped disco ball and got to learn what “middle-class fancy” is all about.

🔥 Scampi is one of 30 new or soon-to-open restaurants in Queen Village, arguably the hottest neighborhood right now.

We went down the shore to meet Mike Hauke, who makes flavored mozzarella sticks from fresh mozz at Tony Boloney’s in Atlantic City. He wants to take them national under the name Mad Mutz. Does he have enough pull?

Uncle Gus' Steaks opened last weekend at Reading Terminal Market, and the owners are two second-generation Terminal folks (Joe Nicolosi of DiNic’s and Dave Braunstein of Pearl’s Oyster Bar) as well as Danny DiGiampietro of Angelo’s Pizzeria, who is supplying the rolls. They’ve been cooking this one up for years.

Inis Nua Theatre Company’s Pop-up Plays in a Pub series launches with Drip, a one-person performance, and the venue is Fergie’s Pub, the venerable Center City watering hole. Admission includes a glass of beer or wine, and a pie from Stargazy, the British pie shop. Reviewer Frank Schierloh calls it “a unique theatrical experience that is joyful, sweet, and simple.” The pies, meanwhile, are savory.

Provenance is the most ambitious fine-dining restaurant to open in Philly in a minute, and the most over-the-top French haute cuisine situation it’s seen in years. Critic Craig LaBan was less than wowed. But colleagues Margaret Eby and Kiki Aranita had their own thoughts. They all agreed to talk it out, and we’re sharing this peek behind the critical curtain.

Lily Fischer, co-owner of Fishtown’s Cake Life Bake Shop, has won Cupcake Wars and Winner Cake All — and made Beyoncé’s birthday cake, twice. She’s now on Hulu’s Cookie, Cupcake, Cake (judged by Buddy Valastro), and Jenn Ladd found out her TV secrets. Some of them, anyway.

Lauren Biederman has more than caviar on her plate (or the back of her hand, as it were). The owner of the eponymous Italian Market-area appetizing shop is opening a raw bar called Tesiny in a restored garage (shown above) at 719 Dickinson St., down the block from Cosmi’s Deli. Two bars, actually: a large U to accommodate the open kitchen inside, and a drinking bar across the way. The menu also will include charcoal-grilled items. “I want to eat shrimp cocktail in South Philly,” she told me. “There’s not that many places to do that right now.” She’s aiming to open April-ish. Read on for more details.

Galen Thomas of Harrowgate’s Cloud Cups Gelato has been sprucing up his old location at 2311 Frankford Ave. in Kensington (the former Pizza Brain), and now comes word that Kyle Cuffie-Scott of Darnel’s Cakes of Old City will join him in the sweet adventure. Grand opening will be 3 p.m. Friday. Hours: 3-8 p.m. Friday and 1-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. That’s Cuffie-Scott at left, Thomas at right in the photo above.

Tamarindos. Yucatan-born Fernando Sauri has been part of the Eastern Montgomery County Mexican-dining scene for 25 years, from his start in a strip center in Broad Axe to his 2015 relocation 10 minutes away to Flourtown. Bit by bit, he’s spruced up his operation, starting with the dining rooms and over the last few years adding a covered patio outside.

This month, he obtained a liquor license and converted a small dining room into a modest bar. This is a good news/bad news proposition, though. In Tamarindos' BYOB years, there were comp margaritas. The list of five craft cocktails (most priced at $15) include a Chocolate Abuelito, which combines Vida mescal and chocolate, and a rum drink with mint, thyme, and blackberries called Berry Takeover. Most activity in the bar or dining room stops, however, when La Despedida ($16) is served: It’s avocado fat-washed tequila, toasted coconut, and soursop in a highball glass; the bartender lights it on fire and tosses in cinnamon, creating a shower of sparks.

The menu is still refined, with memorable mole and fajitas. Even 25 years later, you can’t go wrong by sharing a red snapper (shown above), roasted and topped with salsa, parsley, garlic, and white wine.

Tamarindos, 726 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown. Hours: 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (lunch) and 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 3:45-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday.

Matines Cafe. The name means “morning bells” — sing it, “sonnez les matine” from “Frère Jacques.” Two years after premiering in Chestnut Hill, Arthur and Amanda de Bruc just opened their second cafe, taking a building across from Devon Square in Wayne.

This one’s a bright, sunny reuse of the former GSI Bath Showplace, and besides the light menu, pastries, coffees and teas, et al., there’s a large assortment of French gifts. You can BYOB and they’ll sell you mixers for breakfast, brunch, or lunch cocktails. Above is a croissant sandwich, filled with Swiss cheese, bacon, and caramelized onion and toasted as a waffle.

Chef Sophie Bourgogne, who’s from Montpellier, urged them to get into dinner, and they will ease into it Fridays and Saturdays starting Dec. 6. (As a preview, she’s planning a raclette dinner on Dec. 5.)

Matines Cafe, 757 Lancaster Ave., Wayne. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. (Dinner from 6-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, starting Dec. 6.) Parking lot in the rear of the building.

Downtime Bakery’s shift from pop-up world to Mount Airy bread/pastry shop begins Friday at 6624 Germantown Ave. Dayna Evans and Sam Carmichael are starting off 9 a.m.-noon Friday-Sunday before a few additional soft openings next week, culminating in Dec. 5’s planned opening. Here’s the back story.

Fishtown Seafood’s third location — 114 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield — opens 11 a.m. Saturday with a free half-dozen oysters to the first 100 people. The product line will be similar to the Fishtown and Fitler Square locations, though sushi won’t get rolling till 2025.

Cellar Dog Philly, a venue with games and live jazz out of NYC’s West Village, has set a public opening for Friday at the former Howl at the Moon, 258 S. 15th St. (A new location of Garage is prepping to open next door, at the former Fox & Hound.) Pianist Ehud Asherie is curating the music five nights a week, with late-night sets on Fridays and Saturdays. (His collection of instruments includes a 1945 Steinway piano and A-100 organ from 1978.) On the game side: pool tables, ping pong, shuffleboard, chess and checkers, and vintage arcade games like 1980s Tetris, NBA Jam, and bubble hockey. Opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

Pierre Calmels, former chef/co-owner of Bibou, will return to his former space (now Paffuto) to revive one of his signature dishes. Two months after competing at the Championnat du Monde de Pâté-Croûte in Montreal, Philly’s unofficial king of pâté en croûte is stepping back into Paffuto (1009 S. Eighth St.) for a Dec. 17 dinner dubbed “Paffuto en Croûte.” Three seatings (5:15, 6:45, and 8:30) with a prix-fixe menu ($75, plus tax and tip) Reservations via Resy, beginning at noon Wednesday.

Which restaurants are open for Thanksgiving: We run them down.

Thanksgiving to go: We have them, too.

Why did a South Carolina man sue Subway?

A) Not enough meat in his Philly-style “Steak & Cheese.”

B) His 6-inch sub measured in at 5½ inches.

C) The “Eat Fresh” slogan is a misnomer.

D) When a so-called Subway Sandwich Artist’s beret fell off into the plaintiff’s sub, he invoked the “3-second rule” and resumed making it.

Find out if you know the answer.

What happened to Nick’s Roast Beef in the Northeast? Closed? — Tony W.

My inbox flooded Sunday and Monday with reports of its abrupt closing after six years. Not only did the Nick’s Roast Beef on Woodhaven Road shut down, but so did Dockside Bensalem, both owned by Matt Rossi. He cited financial issues. Folks are scrambling to rebook parties and find work.

Also on this week’s closings list is Black Squirrel Pub & Haunt in East Falls, as building owner Mark Sherman is selling the bricks. Chef-owner Art Cavaliere still has the nearby In Riva.

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