Under the Table

by Marc Kravitz

So who’s in charge at the restaurant(s) formerly known as Dock Street? Dock Street The Original (the new name for the location on 18th Street) managing partner Weaver Lilley was forthcoming. "There are quite a few owners," said Lilley, who is also proprietor of Friday, Saturday, Sunday. "I was the silent partner up until Jeff Ware (who now owns Pizza Rustica in University City) left [about three years ago] and then I became managing partner." One of the minority partners, Olivier de Saint Martin, was recently relieved from his management and executive chef duties. Why’s that? "We wanted to get away from the French brasserie concept. It wasn’t what people wanted. We are [now] looking for more of an American feel." The new menu will be more casual, like that of a bar and grill. "Our entire kitchen [staff] is gone. We are building a whole new staff from the bottom up." The new executive chef is Paula Maraston, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and most recently sous chef at Rococo. Michael Rothberg was Lilley’s selection to manage day-to-day operations. "Michael is running the restaurant now. He is not one of the owners at this point, but if he is able to turn this around, which I expect him to do, he will end up with some sort of ownership." As for de Saint Martin, he is one of a handful of Dock Street The Original partners who also own the Dock Street Brewpub at Reading Terminal and the airport. Last week, they came to an agreement to change the name of the two pubs to Independence Brewpub. (If you recall a few years ago, Independence had plans to open a brewpub in the spot now occupied by The Capital Grille.) The official changes will take place June 1. Why use the moniker of the Northeast Philly microbrewer that ceased their bottled beer operation — which they will now resurrect — a few years ago? They believe with the amount of tourists passing through both locations, they can capitalize on Independence’s graphic Philly-esque logos. (Ben Franklin’s mug on the Franklinfest beer label is as Philly as it gets.)... Although no changes are imminent, Thomas J. Baldwin, executive vice president and CEO of the Morton’s Restaurant Group, says the national steakhouse chain has hired Greenhill & Co to evaluate their business and to explore strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the company. Locally, the Morton’s of Chicago along Walnut Street will operate as usual.… Blue (LBI in Surf City), the sister restaurant of Caribou Café, has been named one of the top ten Jersey Shore restaurants by artfuldiner.com for New Jersey Online.… Le Bec-Fin general manager Nicolas Fanucci says there’s no truth to the never-ending rumor of the property having been sold.… Maggiano’s Little Italy (1201 Filbert St.), a Southern Italian chain out of Chicago, is opening May 31.