High on Himalayan | Let’s Eat

The rustic cuisine of the Himalayas now has an outlet in Roxborough, fittingly one of the city’s highest points.

Also this week, check out the new Bucks County branch of a popular barbecue-and-blues bar, and get a taste of a newfangled pizza from one of the city’s master pizzaiolas.

And speaking of heights: On Monday, the Four Seasons Hotel rolls out Jean-Georges and JG SkyHigh Lounge on the 59th and 60th floors of the Comcast Technology Center, while Vernick Fish, from hometowner Greg Vernick, opens on the ground floor.

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— Michael Klein

I’d like Tibet that you’ve never eaten at a Himalayan restaurant in Philadelphia.

Grab a Sherpa and head up to Roxborough, where The White Yak just opened at 6118 Ridge Ave., off Green Lane (215-483-0764), in a shiny, wood-appointed storefront space. (I checked my altimeter: Though it’s at an impressive 259 feet above sea level, I decided to leave my helmet and harness in the car.)

Tsering Parshingtsang, a contractor who emigrated to the U.S. in 1996, and his wife, Treley, are turning out the cuisine of their native Tibet. Think Indian with a hint of Chinese. There are plenty of vegetarian options.

I tried the momo (dumplings, offered steamed or fried), pingsha (clear sweet-potato noodles in a broth full of beef chunks, cubed potatoes, bok choi, and black mushrooms), and the squishy steamed buns known as tingmo. The chef, who goes by Dakpa, is a former Tibetan monk who last cooked in New York.

Prices top out at $14. As it’s BYOB, I’d go the beer or cider route.

It’s open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, with a break from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

N.B. A few opening glitches. The website is probably a few days from readiness. The listed phone number, for example, is the owner’s cell, and the correct number for the restaurant is temporarily nonfunctional.

Cilantro New Mediterranean Cuisine | Queen Village

Egyptian-inspired buffet at 613 S. Fourth St., which has hosted a series of eateries since The Latest Dish folded.

Jean-Georges and JG SkyHigh Lounge | Logan Square

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten goes high above the city at the new Four Seasons Hotel with his 59th-story restaurant and 60th-story lounge; public opening is Aug. 12.

The Lucky Well | Warrington

See below.

Vernick Fish | Logan Square

Aug. 12 is the public debut of what chef-owner Greg Vernick calls his interpretation of a Jersey Shore oyster bar, on the ground floor of the Comcast Technology Center on the 1800 block of Arch Street.

White Yak | Roxborough

See above.

Rose Tattoo | Franklintown (temporary)

I’m told that the new owner of this bistro is awaiting a liquor-license transfer; it is closed for now.

Royal Tavern | South Philadelphia (temporary)

Repairs to this popular pub will shut it down for about two months after service on Sunday, Aug. 10.

Sketch Burger | Fishtown

The renowned burger shop on East Girard is getting a makeover as it changes hands; previous owner tells me it will be back soon.

Taqueria Feliz, 4410 Main St., 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Chef Tim Spinner and his biz partner Brian Sirhal have been rocking the Mexican game for eight years now, starting with Fort Washington’s Cantina Feliz and picking up shortly after with Fairmount’s La Calaca Feliz, followed by Taqueria Feliz in Manayunk.

Manayunk’s happy hour is a wonderful option for Main Liners who need a stopping point on their way home from Center City. It’s an energetic room with a view of the canal.

Food specials include tacos, which are priced at $5 for an order of two (the fish taco is $5 each). I’d steer you to the carnitas, whose pulled pork has a pleasing crunch factor, or to the cauliflower, whose red chili garbanzo puree is tamed by the honey-lime-yogurt dressing.

Drinks: $3 Corona Light and Dos Equis, $5.50 margs, $4 sangrias, and $2 off craft beers and cocktails.

The Lucky Well, 1613 N. Main St., Warrington

Barbecue-and-blues-theme bar-restaurant The Lucky Well, which chef Chad Rosenthal opened in downtown Ambler in 2012, has rolled out a second location, presenting an indie dining option in the chain-heavy country of Warrington, Bucks County, at Valley Square on Route 611. As at his Ambler original location, the interior is rustic and open, and — by golly, Mabel — LOUD. There’s also outside dining beyond the roll-up garage doors.

Rosenthal, a Food Network Star contender a few years ago and brother of retired Bachelorette hunk Reid Rosenthal (married now with a kid), has added a few dishes from his smoker to the Warrington menu, including the smoked trout salad you see here; Alabama white pulled chicken sandwich on a spicy butter-toasted bun; and Mexican cauliflower, whose florets of healthfulness are treated like the corn dish known as elotes (slathered in mayo and topped with cotija).

It opens daily at 4 p.m. Kitchen starts at 4:30. Live music will commence in a few weeks.

N.B. Rosenthal is looking at October for a branch at 990 Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia, as well as a Chicago outpost in mid-2020.

Giuseppe & Sons, 1523 Sansom St.

Philly’s pizza scene is mushrooming, and everyone seems to be getting into the act.

Chef Jeff Michaud, one of the earlier proponents of Neapolitan pies in Philly when he and Marc Vetri opened Osteria on North Broad Street in 2007, is now working with chef-restaurateur Michael Schulson.

He and Schulson now own Osteria, and among Schulson’s holdings is Giuseppe & Sons, the South Philly-inspired Italian in Center City. G&S’s street-level luncheonette serves a menu of sandwiches and apps, backed by a bar specializing in Negroni and other Italian drinks.

Michaud just fired up an oven and he’s turning out crispy, thin-crust pizzas with sturdy bottoms (always a good thing, no?) and outer crusts that are studded with air pockets. The pizzas are light and easy to eat. Even the more heavily topped varieties won’t weigh you down. Menu is here, and there’s more info here.

Luncheonette opens at 11 a.m. weekdays, 4 p.m. weekends, and runs till late.

N.B. Michaud and Schulson are working on Via Locusta, a small, pasta-focused Italian due to open this fall at 1723 Locust St., between Parc and the Prime Rib.

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Craig LaBan’s Q&A does not appear this week.