Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: May 22, 2007

>> NOW SEATING

Joseph and Li Liu, who owned the popular Mandarin Garden (1736 Chestnut St.), are back with A Mandarin, a few blocks up on the corner of 21st and Chestnut. Li says that, at around 40 seats, the space is a tad smaller than her original venture, and differs in approach: The menu features Chinese favorites, but also branches out into other Asian cuisines. Take, for example, lettuce wraps, a Malaysian fave. Bite This: Topping off the chef's specialty column are Thai classics like pad thai and lemon grass chicken.

This bright two-floor coffee house has all the requisites covered � sandwiches, soups and salads, espresso drinks, breakfast bagels ... even pancakes. But what really sets this brand-new café apart from the pack, aside from boffo service, is its completely separate Ethiopian menu � the very first of its kind, to our knowledge, in the arterial cluster of the Rittenhouse restaurant roster. West Philly, consider yourself not visited as often. Bite This: Kitfo is lean chopped beef seasoned with spiced butter and powdered chili peppers � an Ethiopian take on steak tartar. (Almaz can also serve it cooked on request.)

Open for about a month, this glossy standalone concept from Carlson Restaurants (agh, T.G.I.Friday's!) caters to post-work decompression. With around 20 specialty drinks (including the "Queen of the Night" ... behold, the first recorded Bodyguard reference of the young century), happy hour here comes off decidedly cheery. The "exploratory" menu encourages the pairing of high-end "bites" (beef carpaccio, rock shrimp, etc.) with custom cocktail flights. Bite This: The smoked pork melt is topped with Gruyere, apple-caraway slaw and cranberry-orange mayo.

>> WAITING LIST

Pac A Deli, we hardly knew ye. That defunct pit stop's primo locale will soon be home to one of Pennsylvania's very first Potbelly Sandwich Works, a Chicago-based chain that was toasting hoagies long before Kid Quizno learned how to spell salami. This location will debut sometime in July; before that, another store is slated to open in the Penn Tower building (399 S. 34th St.). Bite This: Sammy choices include "A Wreck" (salami, roast beef, turkey, ham, Swiss) and "Big Jack's PB&J."

 

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