Meet Philly’s newest ‘it’ chef | Let’s Eat

Chef Liz Grothe’s semiprivate dinners are the hottest thing going. Read on and we’ll tell you what’s next for her. Also this week, let us show you three fancy Italian dinners, the new edition of Jim’s Steaks on South Street, and the atelier of a Main Line sourdough baker — which happens to be his living room.

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Liz Grothe, chef behind the popular supper club Couch Cafe, is moving herself up the food chain. She is headed to Queen Village this summer for her first restaurant, Scampi, where the menu will change frequently. Margaret Eby sat down with Grothe to talk about life, cooking, and the new restaurant — which won’t have a couch (since it’s not her apartment) but will host a rose gold shrimp disco ball and a karaoke machine.

👁️Want an early look at Scampi? Grothe, 29 — oh, and say her name like “growth-y” — will be chef-in-residence on Friday and Saturday nights at the cozy Wim Cafe (226 South St.) for the next three months, starting this week. The five-course tasting menu is $75 a ticket, though walk-ins will be accommodated for à la carte. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Menu was not set before deadline, but I’m told of a southern Italian focus plus Pennsylvania wines, beers, and spirits.

At three high-end Italian restaurants — Salvatore at Irwin’s, Ambra, and Elma — not only are the tasting menus expensive, but reservations are among Philly’s toughest. Are they worth the splurge and the effort? Read on, and critic Craig LaBan will tell you about that call he got from a concierge.

Jim’s Steaks is back today, 694 days after a fire. The landmark has expanded next door into the Eye’s Gallery. In addition to cheesesteaks, now you can feast your eyes on never-before-seen mosaics created by Philly-bred artist Isaiah Zagar. Photographer Steve Falk and I take you inside this South Street institution.

John Concher quit his CFO job to bake. Though he’s no longer the breadwinner at home in Rosemont, as Jenn Ladd tells us, the sourdoughs from his Wild Yeast Bakehouse make him, um, the toast of the Main Line.

Speaking of Wim Cafe, the 25-seater in the Yowie Hotel at 226 South St.: Forin, straight out of Kensington, is now running the coffee and food. Wim will keep its name while the Forin-ers will add creative coffee beverages, expanded culinary offerings, and lively programming, including that Liz Grothe residency.

Moma Mediterranean Kitchen. I’ve been following chef Bledar Istrefi for 15-plus years now, first at Bellini Cafe in Center City, then at Il Polpo in Northeast Philadelphia, which he sold. His current holdings are Trattoria Moma in Mount Airy and Dua Mediterranean Kitchen in Bryn Mawr. Last week, he opened Moma Mediterranean Kitchen, a mod date-nighter in the Glenside storefront last occupied by Pinto. Like the others, it’s BYOB.

I snagged the menu, which is not yet online. Like Dua’s, MMK takes a trip throughout southern Europe and the Middle East: a few Italian inspirations (like a sublime cotoletta topped with greens and pecorino) but mostly rustic dishes from his native Albania, like the fergese you see above (a warm dip of cottage cheese, peppers, and tomato).

There’s paella for two, pistachio-crusted lamb chops, and grilled fish, plus pistachio cheesecake baklava for dessert.

The street-level dining room, with its seafood case on a counter, is a bit snug. if you want to spread out with a bottle of wine (or three), the second floor is your roomier option.

Moma Mediterranean Kitchen, 24 E. Glenside Ave., Glenside. Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Lee’s Dumplings & Stuff. “I’m just cooking the food I want to cook,” says Gally Lee, who is putting out Southeast Asian grub at his takeout/delivery spot on Front Street beneath the Market-Frankford El near York-Dauphin.

Lee was riding high at the Northern Liberties good-for-you eatery Kale Yeah until the pandemic sent him and his wife, Lisa, “underground,” making and selling dumplings out of their apartment. Gally Lee said he kept the delivery-order tablet at his bedside. When it chirped with an order, he’d head down to the kitchen to cook, no matter what time it was.

At his new takeout, he keeps regular hours and a full crew. Shown above is one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten all year: a crispy scallion pancake topped with slices of cured salmon, slices of avocado, arugula, and 2 sunny-side eggs. Below is a rice bowl with a Kale Yeah throwback: roasted sweet potatoes and kale, along with chicken and soy garlic ginger sauce. Don’t miss the Korean-style dumplings filled with kimchi, ground pork, onions, dried shrimp, and veggies.

Bold flavors, and everything is cooked in olive oil. It’s available for pickup or via Grubhub.

Lee’s Dumplings & Stuff, 2313 N. Front St. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Phone: 267-213-3758.

Somebody say, “Free margaritas”? The Philadelphia Eagles and BOTLD have created Bird Gang Tequila, and you can taste the new Silver variety from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at the BOTLD shop in Rittenhouse (119 S. 18th St.). The Bird Gang Spicy (available May 10) can be preordered; both are $34 a bottle. The Silver is slightly sweet, with flavors of lime, lemon, and a touch of vanilla, while the Spicy has a hint of habanero. The tequila is distilled at Orendain in Jalisco, Mexico, and is bottled by BOTLD. (Oh, one marg per guest.) Here’s more on that Eagles-BOTLD partnership.

Tun Tavern may be coming back. A group has made an important first step in its campaign to rebuild Tun Tavern, birthplace of the U.S. Marine Corps and a few local nonprofits that held their meetings there before the Revolution.

“Workers must be paid.” That’s the message behind a recent employment dispute that ended up being litigated on Facebook. Lizzy McLellan Ravitch tracked down the parties.

The Garces Foundation’s annual benefit, which is Friday night at the Loews Philadelphia, will assemble 30-plus chefs and independent local restaurants, plus specialty cocktails, live music, and an auction for its eleventh year. The foundation provides health care, education, and other support to Philadelphia’s immigrant community. Tickets, starting at $175, are here.

Chef Richard Cusack is bringing the duck press from his June BYOB to his casual Café le Jardin in Audubon, N.J., on Monday nights, starting May 6, for what he calls “Press Frites.” He’ll press duck, steak, or poisson (fish) for guests, serving them tableside, with frites. Et voilà — steak frites, duck frites, or poisson frites. It’s $85pp plus tax and tip for the three-course experience, which starts with wild mushroom soup with black truffle and Madeira and wraps with tableside-scooped chocolate mousse with berries, vanilla crème anglaise, and toasted croissant slices. The house needs 48 hours’ notice. Since May is National Cancer Research Month, and Cusack’s mother is a breast cancer survivor, proceeds from May sales will benefit Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Chef Carlos Aparicio at South Philly’s El Chingón will donate a cut of proceeds from May’s Mi Madre lunch menu to Moriviv Latin Cancer Support Group. The dishes — tamales de frijo, fideos secos, and costillas de cerdo — are available à la carte or as a $50 tasting menu.

The Phillies’ next “buy one, get one” hot dog night will be Tuesday. Forty years ago, the Phils tried serving a particular dog that was — to be frank — awful. What was it made with?

A) turkey

B) chicken

C) tofu

D) scrapple

Find out if you know the answer.

I see a new restaurant has opened in the former site of South Philly Barbacoa. What’s it all about? — Gloria P.

There’s not much online yet about Fronterizo, done up in sky blue in its two dining rooms at Ninth and Ellsworth. I’ve scored the two-page menu — see it here and here. It balances Mexican and Honduran cooking, with some inspiration from El Salvador. (The restaurant’s name means “border,” although Mexico and Honduras don’t share one.) First-time restaurateur Jose Marvin, a Catracho, has friends and relatives turning out pastelitos, tamales, and yuca con chicharrón plus plates of meats such as rib-eye and pork chops, as well as chilaquiles.

Bring your Spanish and your appetite. I got 2½ tasty lunches out of the Combo Fronterizo, the platter shown above that includes six shrimp, grilled chicken, strips of beef, a pork chop, salad, two strips of quesa fresca, a puddle of creamy refried beans, a scoop of rice, and three pupusas — all for $20.

Fronterizo, 1140 S. Ninth St. Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. BYOB.

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