Philly’s newest sushi chef is a robot | Let’s Eat

This week, Jenn Ladd heads to Fitler Square for what may be the finest takeout sushi rolls in the city. The fish and rice at Fishtown Seafood are dialed in, while the chef is plugged in.

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At The Inquirer’s Food desk, we’re already thinking ahead to next year’s edition of The 76, our list of the restaurants that define our local dining scene. What did we miss this time? Tell us! We’ve opened our questionnaire to all.

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Robots have been creeping into Philly’s workforce for years. You’ll find them patrolling Lowe’s parking lots, packing orders in Amazon warehouses, serving drinks in Center City, and busing dirty dishes in Chinatown. At Fishtown Seafood’s latest shop, near Fitler Square, a robot creates some of Philly’s best grab-and-go sushi rolls; Jenn Ladd dropped by to watch “Suzy” in action.

At Binding Agents, the new cookbook shop in the Italian Market, owner Catie Gainor‘s “Philly Phlavor” shelf is filling up with books by local chefs/restaurateurs and authors. This year‘s crop includes three coffee-table titles. There’s Zahav Home from Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook of Zahav, et al., whose lessons include spatchcocking a chicken and making matzo ball soup.

November will see the release of Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, in which Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon of Kalaya will tell stories from her life and share the recipes for dishes like her southern-style crab curry. In The Vedge Bar Book, Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby of Vedge and Ground Provisions lay out 75 all-vegan drinks, bar snacks, and small plates. In terms of sheer practicality, it would be tough to top You Gotta Eat by Inquirer deputy food editor Margaret Eby, a motivational book that, in the publisher’s words, is “a resource for getting something on your plate when you have too much on your plate.” For instance, Margaret had a gaggle of friends coming over last minute (and probably got stuck editing me). No problem. A few minutes and on-hand ingredients later — cheese-stuffed mushrooms. Deadlines? Phht.

Other recent local-book ideas? Slow Drinks by Danny Childs won a James Beard Award last year. The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by suburban-based Deanna Segrave-Daly and writing partner Serena Ball came out in May. Two other 2023 hits included Adventures in Cheese by Tenaya Darlington and Backcountry Cocktails by Steve Grasse and Adam Erace.

This season at the Wells Fargo Center, concertgoers and Flyers and Sixers fans can enjoy food from two new vendors: Cheryl‘s Southern Style Cuisine, out of West Chester, and AC Subs, which makes its hoagies on rolls from Atlantic City’s vaunted Formica Freitag Bakery. Jose Garces has added tacos and rice bowls to Buena Onda’s menu, while Marc Vetri has brought in pizza stylings from Pizzeria Salvy, his celebrated spot in the Comcast Technology Center, as Henry Savage reports.

Culinary arts teacher and pitmaster Matt Groark carries celebrity status at Washington Township High School, where his students number among his 5 million followers on social media. What’s it like in his class? “Cooking and eating — that’s all you do,” one student told Melanie Burney.

Restaurateur Dave Magrogan is offering a free holiday party at one of his eight Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar locations to a family, nonprofit, or company that, in his words, has had a rough 2024. Interested? Email him your situation before 11:59 p.m. Nov. 29. A winner will be selected via email, and Magrogen says the comp party for six to 80 guests can be held in mid-to-late December or early January.

If food has you thinking about seeing a show — meaning that the current political climate hasn’t made you lose your appetite — consider heading to Plays and Players Theatre for This Is The Week That Is: The Election Special, on through Sunday. Our critic Gauri Mangala gave a strong upvote for 1812 Productions' annual production — a live, theatrical comedy variety show centered on the 2024 presidential election, but with none of its dread.

Need a restaurant idea nearby? There’s always Parc for people-watching and French bites, as well as the Italian BYOB stylings of La Viola.

Haraz Coffee House, a growing Yemeni coffee shop brand out of Dearborn, Mich., is coming to University City next year, with other branches following in Fishtown, South Jersey, and King of Prussia. South Jersey’s Farah Khan, a lawyer, and her husband, neurosurgeon Hamza Shaikh, had been thinking of opening a coffee shop. On a visit to Paterson, N.J., they dropped into a Yemeni coffee shop, which have become popular “third spaces” in communities throughout the U.S. Next, they explored the cafes of Dearborn, Mich., home to the largest concentration of Arabs outside of the Middle East. They decided to partner with Haraz founder Hamza Nasser, who imports beans from the namesake region in Yemen. “We were really homing in on University City first because we think the students would love something like this,” Shaikh said. “The culture is moving away from alcohol-based hangouts.” And, he said, away from grab-and-go. Ergo, this first Philly-area Haraz will replace a shuttered Starbucks at 34th and Chestnut Streets.

Chef Eli Kulp and the “Delicious City Philly Podcast” team (Marisa Magnatta and David Wesolowski) are cooking up an awards ceremony to honor Philly’s culinary scene. “The Tasties,” in partnership with OpenTable and benefiting MANNA, will premiere Feb. 2 at Live! Casino in South Philadelphia. Tickets ($175pp for the awards and party, $95pp for the party only) are on sale, with an early-bird discount this week. Fifteen awards categories include Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Breakout Chef, Best Cocktail Program, and Best Neighborhood Spot, and categories and nominees — selected anonymously among by a panel of writers — will be announced throughout October and November. Throughout December, the public can vote on people’s-choice awards.

My Local Brew Works, the Frankford nano-brewery, is expanding onsite in the Globe Dye Works into 5,000 square feet next door. MLBW founders Tim Montague and Wayne Humphrey, along with Home Sweet Homebrew’s George Hummel, will be able to brew for more restaurants and bars and to host events. MLBW is also now scouting Center City for a taproom.

It‘s only 20 minutes from Noir, an Italian restaurant amid the hubbub that is East Passyunk Avenue, to small-town Westville, Gloucester County. Seeking a change of pace for their second restaurant, Marco DeCotiis and his wife, Donnamarie, recently took over Speranza Wood-Fired Italian Kitchen (158 Broadway in Westville). A 12-seat bar topped with three TVs and warm lighting were added during a top-to-bottom renovation. It’s now called Speranza Ristorante, and there’s a pizza/pasta/sandwich menu.

Speranza Ristorante, 158 Broadway, Westville. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sunday.

Essen Bakery’s long-delayed Kensington location at Berks and Hope Streets has set its grand opening for Friday.

Rosemary, which opened 16 months ago in Ridley Park, has dialed back its ambitious culinary program to boost traffic. The menu has morphed into starters, sandwiches, and pizzas. The bar remains, and the happy hour has been stepped up.

ESO Ramen Workshop, the temporary, six-seat incarnation of Neighborhood Ramen while owners Jesse Pryor and Lindsay Steigerwald await their visas for a planned relocation to Japan, will open Nov. 8 for Friday-Saturday service at 526 S. Fourth St., about 2½ blocks from their former location. They’ll be there for about a year, Steigerwald said. Keep an eye on Instagram for details.

Cloud Cups, Galen Thomas’ gelato/sorbetto shop, is set to revive its Fishtown-Kensington location (2311 Frankford Ave.) on Friday.

Yards Brewing Co. will mark its 30th anniversary Friday with an evening of 1990s nostalgia at its Fifth and Spring Garden flagship from 6-11 p.m. The party will include 1994 pricing ($3.75 for a 20-ounce pour) on some beers, such as Philadelphia Pale Ale, Brawler, and Extra Special Ale. Guests Fergus “Fergie” Carey of Fergie’s Pub and Tom Peters of Monk’s Cafe will tap a firkin of ESA, Yards’ first beer and a key driver of the move toward traditional cask-conditioned beer in the United States. Founder Tom Kehoe will be honored, as well.

Cantina La Martina’s menu for its Día de Los Muertos party on Saturday includes alligator barbacoa, snake chorizo nachos, and calf’s brains fried quesadillas, in addition to the more usual dishes. The fiesta at the restaurant, 2800 D St., includes family activities from 1-11 p.m.

Need a spooky wine for Halloween? Marnie Old recommends that you scare up Bogle’s “Phantom” red blend.

What food did Tyler, the Creator buy for his fans while in Philadelphia to promote his album Chromakopia?

A) $4,000 worth of Tastykakes

B) $4,000 worth of cheesesteaks

C) dinner for 40 people at Barclay Prime

D) 5,000 soft pretzels

Find out if you know the answer.

Kamala Harris has visited local restaurants during her recent campaign stops. Famous 4th Street, I know of. Please tell me more about Freddy & Tony’s. — Ellie P.

In the late 1970s, Tony Santiago and Freddy Rivera opened their Puerto Rican restaurant at Second and Allegheny in the city’s Fairhill section, catering to the neighbors — workers by day, families by night — with a mix of island favorites in homey, diner-like environs reminiscent of a courtyard in Old San Juan. After Rivera stepped aside in favor of auto sales, Santiago and his wife, Dhalma, and their children have run the place. Santiago died June 12 at age 70. The vice president didn’t have time to eat during her Sunday visit, Dhalma told me. The restaurant packed up the signature chicken mofongo for her to go, though.

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