Kylie Tsai tells Meal Ticket she hopes to have Cups & Chairs Tea Café, at 701-03 S. Fifth Street (the intersection of Fifth, Monroe and Passyunk) open by May. Tsai, a Taiwan native who worked for many years in the IT industry, will offer an international selectio of looseleaf tea, available to sip in at one of 30 seats or to go for home brewing. She also plans on serving lattes using matcha, the concentrated green tea Japanese traditionally use for tea ceremonies. Food-wise, Cups & Chairs — the space was formerly a fabric store — will offer pastries, sandwiches, panini and soups.

(Thanks to Meal Ticket tipster DH for the heads up.)

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Wishing Well Public House (Ninth and Catharine), which A.D. Amorosi told you about back in the fall, is ready to open — but their liquor license is lagging a bit behind. For the past few weeks, owners Chris Martino and Carmen Cappello (also the chef) have been hosting dry-run tastings to get their bearings, and some feedback, so they’re ready to hit it hard once Harrisburg gets all that paper pushed. (They hope to hold a grand opening within the next three weeks.) The duo was kind enough to invite us last night in to check out a truncated version of their opening menu.

Those who remember the tight quarters of former tenant Pat Bombino’s will be surprised by the altogether open feel of the Well’s interior, which features a long bar along the north wall abutted by high-top tables; the space opens up to a casual dining room, with lots of group seating, toward the back.

Here’s what we sampled, in order (that burger is gonna be a serious contender, mark our words):

• SHAME burger: scrapple, fried egg, American cheese, house fries (housemade ketchup for the fries, too)
• Grilled octopus: shaved fennel, red onions, frissee, red wine vinaigrette
• Grilled ribeye: sautéed mushrooms, foie gras, roasted shallots and potatoes, horseradish sauce
• Shellfish “pirlau”: clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, Italian sausage, smoked tomato sauce
• Poached pear: streusel, oatmeal crumble, butterscotch ice cream
• Deconstructed black forest cake: chocolate pot de creme, brandied cherries, chocolate gastrique

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We got a chance to preview Pub & Kitchen’s (1946 Lombard St.) newly-renovated second floor dining room and a few of the new menu items whipped up by chef Jonathan Adams. The new space is bright and open, with a rustic wood bar, shelving that stocks Adams’ collection of vintage cookbooks (they’ll be employed for the chef’s upcoming retro cookbook dinners, debuting in April) and views of Lombard Street from the big picture windows.

Adams said the restaurant was “thinking spring” with the new menu, which makes its debut today. We liked the truffled pork terrine with radishes on toasted brioche, and a crudo of scallops with rhubarb, hibiscus, pea tendrils and lemon vinaigrette. A list of $3 pub snacks includes fancy bites like duck liver mousse, gougère and lemon creme fraiche, or fried polenta with smoky tomato relish. Luckily, our old favorites, like the phenomenal cumin-spiced pulled pork sandwich, are still around.

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… or at least that’s the impression we get from this image of the completed streetside facade, which the Flyers great dropped us this morning. (We first mentioned the spot back in December.) Primeau says he hopes the space, at the corner of Broad and Lombard, will be open no later than Monday, March 29. Keep you posted.

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Here’s your peek at the menu for 500°, the burger joint Rob and Maggie Wasserman of Rouge are planning on opening at 15th and Sansom on March 23. The first thing we notice off the bat is that unlike chain competitors like Five Guys, 500° will offer customers the option of choosing their burger’s temperature. Pricing’s on point, with the most expensive burger going for $5.75 (”The 500,” with lettuce, tomato, cheddar, bacon and their as-yet-unexplained house sauce) and combo meals topping out at $12.50. Milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla, black and white) will be made with Bassett’s ice cream; for fries, choose from plain, spicy or truffled.

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Here’s a bit more on Mumbai Bistro, the upcoming “fast casual” Indian spot we mentioned in our last post. Taking over Shinju’s space at 930 Locust, the restaurant will be fresh-focused, priced right and will highlight North Indian cuisine specifically (think tandoori meats and dairy-based dishes like paneer), according to partner Kyle Saini. They’re shooting for a late April or early May opening, and Saini teases that more locations are in the works. Sounds like it’ll be a good competitor for the forthcoming Philadelphia Chutney Company, which we told you about in January.

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(...)
Read the rest of Restaurant opening tidbits: wine bars, burgers, sausages, mix-a-six spots (351 words)

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Newcomer King Kabob (38th and Spruce streets) has just joined the ranks of the food trucks trolling around West Philly. The little silver cart is grilling up skewers of sirloin steak, grilled vegetables and marinated chicken, in sweet sauces like ginger-soy teriyaki and tangy Caribbean. The initial menu has a dozen options ranging from $3 to $5.

(...)
Read the rest of NOW OPEN: King Kabob (195 words)

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(...)
Read the rest of Chef Todd Dae Kulper on Ro-Zu’s menu (383 words)

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Chick-fil-A will unveil its fourth new Philly location in the last five months next Thursday with the debut of a standalone restaurant at Aramingo and Butler in Port Richmond, right near Sonic. To celebrate, the chain’s holding what they call the “First 100″ promotion — the restaurant’s first 100 customers, if they’re 18 or older (ID required), earn passes for a year’s worth of free food. Folks can line up beginning as early at 6 a.m. on March 10, and we’re told the atmosphere grows convivial — and plus, they feed you. Are you considering becoming one of the First 100? Or will a 30 percent chance of rain stop you from earning the right to 365 days of gratis waffle fries? Let us know. And order us a 12-piece right quick.

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