Table Talk: Franzone's from Montco opens pizzeria in Manayunk

The Franzone family of Bridgeport and Conshohocken has made it to the third generation in the pizza business, as Charles Franzone III opened a branch of Franzone's Pizzeria at 114 Levering St. in Manayunk (215-508-1050).

It's the same deal - thin-crust pies, sweet sauce applied in a spiral - as the original founded by his grandfather in 1955.

Unlike most other quickie spots in Manayunk, Franzone's closes at midnight - the building's historical certification does not allow later hours. "We're serving the neighborhood," the 24-year-old said.

A new brand in Ardmore

Jean Broillet and Julie Foster coined a word to brand the new follow-up to their Tired Hands Brewing Co., a brewery/cafe in Ardmore:

Fermentaria (35 Cricket Terrace, Ardmore, 484-412-8743) "takes inspiration from the art of fermentation, sounds Spanish, and is feminine - which is challenging to most in our manly beer world," Broillet said.

Two blocks from Tired Hands, in a long-ago trolley-repair shop in Schauffele Plaza, Fermentaria is vast. It will ramp up Tired Hands' beer production, and seat more than 250 people for beers, tap wine, tap coffee, and house-made soda.

Head chef Bill Braun and Fermentaria chef Kyle Yates will serve tacos, "but not Mexican tacos," Yates said. "We're using the tortilla as a platform." Also on the menu will be salads, raw seafood (oysters, crudo, and ceviche), and larger plates such a braised lamb shank, fried chicken platter, and smoked-fish boards whose rye bread will be baked in-house.

Fermentaria will be open from noon till "when we have to close," Broillet said. It will be closed Tuesdays, to dovetail with Tired Hands' Monday day off.

Sunday is the target opening of Waffles & Wedges, a takeout at 1511 Pine St. (215-309-3222) specializing in Liège-style waffles and thick-cut potato rods that are baked and not fried. Andrea Capecci, partnered with Laura Judy, got a taste for movable feasts through her Pbon's Fresh Phood truck, which continues. Menu is focused on waffles (regular and gluten-free), the wedges (sweet potato, waffle "fries," and regular potatoes), and sandwiches served on pretzel buns.

Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico of the Cambridge and Hawthornes have snapped up the space at 1600 South St. vacated before opening by Calexico. They plan to open Tío Flores, a Mexican bar-restaurant, this summer. The couple is planning Grace & Proper, what they call a "classy neighborhood taproom," in a long-empty deli at Eighth and Carpenter Streets in Bella Vista. That project is about a year away, they said.

Sylva Senat - awaiting the end of heavy construction that will yield him Maison 208, on the former site of Letto Deli at 13th and Chancellor Streets - is getting into the tortilla game, at least for a spell. Senat, who has been running a restaurant in Virginia after stints with Tashan and the former Saint James, is behind Dos Tacos, a tiny taco shop due to open by June at 120 S. 15th St., the frequently changing luncheonette next to a parking garage at 15th and Sansom Streets. Highlights will be late-night service Thursday to Saturday, and a "secret" chef's menu you have to know to order from.