Table Talk: Angling for business on South Street
David Ralic, whose family owns Ralic's Steakhouse in Haddonfield, looked across the Delaware and saw what he called a void in the seafood market.
David Ralic, whose family owns Ralic's Steakhouse in Haddonfield, looked across the Delaware and saw what he called a void in the seafood market.
Ralic's on South (119 South St., 215-418-0600), which opened last month, seeks to remedy this.
An enormous, whimsical octopus now hangs over the double storefront that last was Black Angus Steakhouse for five minutes. Ralic's has a bright exterior with a snappy-looking front bar with 12 beers on tap and plenty of TVs.
Chef John Anninos executes a family-friendly menu of Shore-type favorites; most entrees are in the teens and low $20s, and there's a sizable vegan section.
It's open daily from 11:30 till late.
What's new
Steve Gariffo seemed to have it all: beautiful wife, three boys, thriving physical-therapy practice. He heeded the call of the restaurant business, and he's selling his practice. He and his wife, Roxann, have opened My Three Sons, a cheery-looking hot dog shop and bottled-beer emporium in downtown Media (300 W. State St., 610-565-3674). Instead of rehabbing people in slings, Steve now slings custom-butchered, all-beef, 10-inch doggies off a flat-top into crusty, flash-grilled 8-inch Aversa rolls. The spacious dining room offers picnic-bench seating and TVs. Current hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
What's coming
Dan Clark and Ed Hackett of Pub & Kitchen are looking at a February debut of Fitler Dining Room, where Meme was at 22d and Spruce Streets. The 32-seater, serving beer and wine, will have a post-industrial '20s and '30s look. Two beer taps will dispense small-batch crafts; a dozen or so bottles will complete the list. Artisan wine list will include an enviable champagne selection. Executive chef Robert Marzinsky will execute a neighborhood-friendly American bistro menu.
Toward the end of January, Clark and Hackett plan to close Pub & Kitchen (20th and Lombard Streets) for a two- to three-week renovation. When the dust settles, executive chef Jonathan Adams will be gone; he wants to concentrate on Rival Bros. Coffee, the mobile coffee operation he and friend Damien Pileggi opened in fall 2011.
Tapestry, the corner bar at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets that closed in September amid a falling-out among its owners, looks to reopen in early February.
Entrepreneurs Shawn Darragh and Matyson chef Ben Puchowitz have secured a location for CHeU Noodle Bar, the ramen-centric concept they have been testing at Matyson. They plan to open at the old Maru Global (255 S. 10th St.) before the end of February.
Java joints
OCF Coffee House is perking at 21st Street and Fairmount Avenue, across from Eastern State Penitentiary - a redo of what was Mugshots (which moved a block and a half away last year). Industrial-chic with a shiny hardwood floor, this third OCF cafe is more ambitious than its siblings owned by Ori Feibush of OCF Realty: A real kitchen turns out breakfast and lunch, and mimosa and Bloody Mary mixes are offered for BYOers. Hours are in flux, but it's open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays (kitchen closing at 4 p.m.), 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends (kitchen open till 8).
Mobile coffee pioneer Drew Crockett of the Penn-based Hub Bub Truck is getting a brick-and-mortar home on Jan. 14, in addition to the truck, which is parked weekdays at 38th and Spruce Streets. Hub Bub Coffee Bar is coming to Three Logan Square (1717 Arch St.), filling the ground-floor space that last was La Primavera Cafe. There's a wraparound coffee bar, plus lots of reclaimed wood from an old barn and subway tiles.
New York's Joe Coffee is targeting early March for its Philadelphia debut, at 1845 Walnut St. Later on, it will open at 3200 Chestnut St. on the Drexel campus.