Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Mar 11, 2008

>> NOW SEATING

The enviro gears are grinding at David Arrell's Good Karma, which opened last week — the owner consulted Old City firm Greenable to work green features into the interior, including tables made from sustainable kirei wood and rubber flooring derived from recycled tires. It also boasts some of the most ambitious café hours around — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Bite This: The Good Karmaccino features organic caramel, fair-trade chocolate, two shots of espresso and your choice of skim, whole or soy milk.

>> WAITING LIST

Bruno Pouget, OG founder of Caribou Café and current proprietor of LBI's Blue, will open this bilevel "bespoke cocktail lab" this spring. Blue chef Steven Cameron is putting together a small-plates menu. And oh, the cocktails — Pouget's recruited a pharmacist with experience in naturopathic medicine to help develop them. Hypothetical task: pinpointing a natural alternative to a mixer like Red Bull.

Details are emerging about Privé, the Mediterranean tapas joint opening in May in the two-story space that housed Bluezette. Ow ners are cousins Nick and Billy Lavdas, who own West Berlin, N.J.'s Victory Lane and Haddonfield's Corner Bistro, respectively; chef is Peter Karapanagiotis (Buddakan, Brasserie Perrier). "We'll have dishes the city hasn't seen yet," he promises. Bite This: One plate the chef teases is a trio of jumbo lump crab shooters with avocado slushee, spicy bloody mary and mango sauces.

First, a clarification — a location of Cape May's Ugly Mug is not replacing Sassafras (though rumors persist that the concept will still come to Old City). On to the real deal — Serrano/Tin Angel owner Donal McCoy and partner Neill Laughlin are resurrecting the 30-year-old café. They're keeping things the same, save for major cleaning and buffing; the international menu (lamb burger!) is making a comeback, as well. Though McCoy thinks they'll be open by the end of March, he'll need until fall to convert the second floor into an "old-school gentleman's club" (think high-back leather chairs).

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