Craig LaBan’s favorite whiskeys for gifting | Let’s Eat
Inside Michael Schulson’s new Dear Daphni, a chic holiday pop-up, and the tastes of France and Cameroon at a new BYOB.
Craig LaBan is getting into the holiday spirit with his annual rundown on giftable bottles. This year: whiskeys from all over.
Also in this edition:
First look: Get inside Michael Schulson’s long-in-the-works Mediterranean restaurant, Dear Daphni.
Holiday magic: See an Instagrammable pop-up at the Divine Lorraine.
What’s new out there: Read on for first word of a Main Line wine bar, Atlantic City’s first new LGBTQ+-owned nightspot in two decades, and the impending shuttering of a South Philadelphia beer cafe. Also: Get peeks at two newcomers: Chateau Rouge, a BYOB where France meets Cameroon, and Doom, a home for fans of doom metal, drinks, and bone marrow.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Craig LaBan and his panel of whiskey nerds sampled 49 whiskies and came up with 17 winning bottles that offer something for everyone, including Eagles fans. There are malt-based U.K. classics, bourbons, ryes, and locally distilled gems at a variety of price points.
Also holiday-related:
🎁 What to send to the food-loving friend who has everything? Here are some ideas, including a cheesesteak, a fried pickle kit, or the city’s best bakery treats.
➕ Here are some great restaurants that you don’t need a reservation for.
🚗 How about ordering a holiday feast for takeout?
Philadelphia is going Mediterranean in a big way, and Michael Schulson’s sumptuous Dear Daphni near Rittenhouse Square is a stunner.
Also new:
Testa Rossa, a spritely Italian spot and sibling of White Dog Cafe and Rosalie, has opened in the Brandywine Valley.
Mona, an over-the-top Mediterranean destination, is in its first week in Center City.
The mother-daughter duo behind Philly’s Wine Garden are putting holiday magic into a pop-up designed to remember the women who worked at the Divine Lorraine Hotel decades ago.
Scoops
Nature’s Vin, a natural wine bar/boutique with a small-plate menu and a tasting room, is on its way to the former Cowan’s Flowers at 193-195 E. Lancaster Ave. in Wayne, which closed last year after 101 years. Ragini Parmar, who lives nearby, wants to champion women ownership: “Think women winemakers, women farmers, women leadership in the industry,” she said. She spent more than 20 years in the tech industry, focusing on recruiting, culture, and diversity, “so I’m pairing that with my passion because I love wine.” Parmar also wants to partner with other local women-owned businesses and “drive more empowerment so we can increase representation.” She hopes to open in the first half of 2025.
The ByrdCage, positioned as the first new LGBTQ+-owned establishment in Atlantic City in two decades, expects a January opening at 3426 Atlantic Ave., previously Good Dog Bar. (And before that, the Role Play Lounge, a swingers club.) Caterer/party planner Jason Tell said he intends the ByrdCage as a space for all with a brunch menu, happy-hour specials, and nightly dining, with a first-floor piano bar and second-floor entertainment (drag shows, theme nights, and the like).
Hawthornes Cafe, which has held down the corner of 11th and Fitzwater Streets since 2009 (minus a year between 2014 and 2015 after a fire), will close Jan. 5. Owners Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico told me that they’re moving on to other projects, including the mid-January revival of Sonny’s Cocktail Joint at 1508 South St., which has been closed since an April 2022 fire. Now trading as Happy Monday Hospitality and also operating the Euro bar Grace & Proper in Bella Vista, Fetfatzes and Annechiarico are developing Penny’s Bagels in Haddonfield and two new restaurants in Rittenhouse.
Mike’s BBQ of South Philadelphia has joined the food lineup at the Wells Fargo Center.
Restaurant report
Chateau Rouge. “African essence, French finesse” is how Jeannette Jean (seen below) describes her sharp-looking Graduate Hospital-area BYOB, her first restaurant.
Jean’s mother is from Cameroon and her stepfather was French; she was born in Cameroon and educated in France before moving to Philadelphia.
Growing up, Jean said, “my stepfather would cook French food and my mother would cook Cameroon, and then they would have parties where some of the people would be like, ‘Oh, no. I don’t eat escargot. That’s too white.’ And then [some of the white people] would be like, ‘Oh, no. I don’t eat n’dolé.’ That’s very typical of Africa.”
What made her happiest were the plates that had some of both cuisines, “where everybody just had a big smile.”
Chef Giuseppe Dosseh, Italian-born and French-raised, with Togolese parents, offers à la carte, as well as a $55 prix-fixe: appetizer (suya wings, tuna pastelles, or vegetable salad); a main course (grilled chicken, beef, lamb, or chicken brochettes, grilled halibut, yassa chicken, or sauteed green beans); two sides (misole, ratatouille, white rice, and mashed sweet potatoes); and dessert (banana flambée, caramelized pineapple, fruit salad, or fondant au chocolate). If that sounds like a lot of food, it is.
The atmosphere is lively, with Richard Bona jazz-funk hits piped in.
Chateau Rouge, 2108 South St. Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 5-11 p.m. Saturday, 5-10 p.m. Sunday. It’s not wheelchair accessible; the restroom is in basement.
Doom. Doom — after the heavy-metal subgenre known as doom metal — is the name and theme of a brooding bar-restaurant from former Royal Izakaya general manager Justin Holden, replacing Voltage Lounge next to Franklin Music Hall in the warehouse district next to Northern Liberties. There’s vinyl for sale, a balcony stocked with visuals, music from Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, and a full bar, plus a wild menu from chef Ian Hunter.
By “wild”: nachos, wings, a mapo chili dog, a sausage and pepper sandwich (appropriately from Heavy Metal Sausage Co.), bone marrow and garlic bread, and scads of vegan items such as a roasted mushroom sandwich, fried seitan nugs, and salt-and-vinegar shisito peppers.
That’s Holden at right and Hunter at left in the photo above; note the stunning chandelier by Amanda Ballew, known as @satanicbyman, below.
Doom, 421 N. Seventh St. Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday-Sunday; kitchen is open till 1 a.m.
Briefly noted
Why did Alma del Mar, a seafood restaurant made popular on the Queer Eye series, close? Michelle Myers spoke to the owners, who cite crime, among other misfortunes.
Venezuelan fast-casual spot Puyero will soft open its University City location (3428 Sansom St.) on Thursday with three free tequeños with each order. On Friday’s grand opening, the first 100 people (starting at 11 a.m.) get a free empanada.
Passyunk Avenue’s third annual Hot Chocolate Crawl returns to more than two dozen participating eateries from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Cocoas, boozy cocoas, and ice cream-infused specialty cocoas will be available. Tickets ($12, including a souvenir mug with lid, or $20 for an exclusive insulated TINI glass) are available here.
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s third Philadelphia location (1504 Sansom St.) is soft open now. It will be crunchier next week, presumably.
Gold-dusted chicken wings are among eight $8 specials available for the eight weeks leading up to the eighth anniversary of Somo in Manayunk. Wings are among five food dishes, and there are three drinks, including a tequila cocktail, draft prosecco, and a cold-brew martini.
I’d call this a sign: The jaunty neon cowboy hat that for decades directed Pottstown Pike drivers to Brickette Lounge near West Chester was repaired and reinstalled last week. It had blown down in a storm Feb. 29.
Haraz Coffee House, an offshoot of the Yemeni coffee shop out of Dearborn, Mich., has papered over the windows of the former Starbucks at 34th and Chestnut Streets in University City. Bryn Mawr’s Farah Khan, a lawyer, and her husband, neurosurgeon Hamza Shaikh, are eyeing a February opening. Here’s more on the project.
You can rent a mobile Philly sports pub that was handcrafted in Delco. Stephanie Farr reports that “the dark wood and cozy interior transported me back to Ireland, which was pretty impressive since I was actually closer to Clifton Heights than the Cliffs of Moher.”
❓Pop quiz
A popular espresso martini served at Bar1010 in Philly has a distinctive topping. What is it?
A) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
B) whipped cream
C) Miracle Whip
D) a “lid” of dark chocolate
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
Any idea when Tequila’s will reopen? — Emily L.
January, says owner David Suro, who says they’re almost there but wants to wait till after the holidays to reopen his luxe Mexican restaurant at 1602 Locust St., damaged by fire in February 2023. Suro and his family are opening a second, more casual restaurant on the Latimer Street side called La Jefa, serving breakfast to late night, with coffees and cocktails. Tequila’s will serve dinner only.
📮 Have a question about food in Philly? E-mail your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.