After years of cooking for others, chef Dave Conn is his own boss, opening Alice in South Philadelphia

When asked about opening Alice, a sunny American bistro in South Philadelphia, chef Dave Conn smiled and replied: “This might sound silly, but it’s really feels like a bit of a rebirth for me.”

Conn, 41, has spent his career opening and operating restaurants for other people, namely Jose Garces, for whom Conn worked for a dozen years. Alice represents his first time in years back behind a restaurant stove on a daily basis.

With support from his wife, Sarah (and their three children), this is also his ownership debut. Conn signed the lease for the northwest corner of Ninth and Christian Streets — the century-old butcher shop that later housed the BYOBs Butcher’s Cafe, Paesano’s, and Monsù — in fall 2021.

Alice moved slowly through red tape, acquisition of a liquor license, purchasing of equipment, and hiring of staff. It opened last weekend for dinner only, Wednesday to Sunday, with brunch on the way.

Conn said he wants Alice to be a “casual neighborhood spot that also delivers a level of refinement that makes for a great special occasion dining experience as well. We’re looking to achieve balance here between some more forward-thinking combinations and then some more accessible dishes as well.”

Central to his kitchen equipment is a charcoal grill. He uses it for naan, plus vegetables and meats.

The oven’s multiple grates allow him to grill items simultaneously, either cooked directly on the grates or roasted in a vessel. The heat, 550 to 600 degrees, gives deeper flavor from the caramelization, and keeps the proteins and vegetables juicy.

Menu includes a few smaller plates; figure on main dishes in the $20s, with a couple of dishes such as Colorado lamb rack and Wagyu beef around $40.

Conn said two things attracted him and his wife to 901 Christian St.: “It’s drop-dead gorgeous on the corner here and we love the character of the neighborhood,” he said. This slice of Bella Vista and the Italian Market has seen a restaurant boom in recent years, with Fiorella Pasta, Mawn, Tabachoy, Roxanne, Angelo’s Pizzeria, and Grace & Proper joining veterans such as Ralph’s, Blue Corn, and Villa Di Roma.

The footprint also worked with Conn’s idea. The dining room seats 30, and there are 12 bar seats, plus 20 seats outside. The bar, built out of the kitchen, is surprisingly well-stocked for such a cozy space. There are seven cocktails, nearly two dozen wines, eight canned beers, and nonalcoholic selections.

Let’s clear up any confusion: Conn named the restaurant after his late mother, Alice, whose name was pronounced the usual way, “AL-iss.” It is unrelated to Alice, the Roman pizzeria with a U.S. location at 15th and Locust Streets in Center City, which is pronounced “ah-LEE-chay.”

Conn, a Baltimore native, said his mother, who died in 2009, was an exceptional cook. She also liked to eat barbecue and “casual things you could eat with your hands.” His earliest memories were at the Canopy, a little smoke shop in Ellicott City. “We would go get burnt ends in a Styrofoam cup and I can still remember how it looked and smelled,” he said.

With his mom’s blessing, Conn started cooking. His first kitchen was Ethel & Ramone’s, also a casual restaurant. In 2002, two years out of high school, he moved to join friends in Philadelphia. His stops inched higher on the food chain: Philadelphia Fish & Co., Novelty, and Washington Square, a Starr restaurant with chef Marcus Samuelsson at what is now Talula’s Garden.

Next was 12 years in the employ of Jose Garces, from the 2005 debut of Amada through the national expansion to Arizona and California. That Amada lineup, incidentally, was a Philly all-star team, including Chad Williams (Friday Saturday Sunday), Joey Baldino (Zeppoli, Palizzi Social Club), Natalie Maronski (foundation.), Tim Spinner (Taqueria Amor, after cofounding Cantina Feliz), Art Cavaliere (In Riva, Black Squirrel), and Andrew Sabin (El Vez).

Conn, who later ran the kitchens locally at such Garces restaurants as JG Domestic and Village Whiskey, was also one of Garces’ on-camera sous chefs during Garces’ time competing on Iron Chef America a dozen years ago. He met his wife, Sarah, when she was a hostess at Tinto.

After leading the retooling of the menu at Bar Volver at the Kimmel Center in 2016, he moved to Stephen Starr’s organization, where in 2017 he landed as executive chef at El Vez. He reached back to his past to hire Robert Scully, who spent eight years as a Garces manager and two with Starr, as general manager.