Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Author: Michael Klein

  • 🍸 Cheers to the holiday bars | Let’s Eat

    🍸 Cheers to the holiday bars | Let’s Eat

    Cheers, Grinches! We’ve rounded up 18 Christmas pop-up bars.

    Also in this edition:

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    All the bars dressed in holiday style

    Bar, humbug! Beatrice Forman scoped out the Philly watering holes that are decking their halls (or booths) with garlands, nutcrackers, and more string lights than you can count.

    The Michelin effect

    ⭐ It’s been a bell-ringer of a week for the chefs at Michelin-approved restaurants, including Amanda Shulman at the one-star Her Place Supper Club, who was front and center before a Sixers game. Can Philly’s good vibes last?

    ❗Dalessandro’s, one of three cheesesteak shops to be awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, learned the news almost by accident.

    👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Philly’s Michelin men are all “wife guys.”

    👍 What do we think of the Philly Michelin-approved restaurants?

    Tales of three closings

    🍰 The acclaimed Essen Bakery is closed for good, and owner Tova Du Plessis explains why it took so long for her to come to grips with the decision.

    🥩 Rocco’s at the Brick, a busy Bucks steakhouse, was apparently forced to shut down on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

    😢 Mama’s Pizzeria, the Main Line landmark, is in its final days. Owner Paul Castellucci Sr. says he’s facing health issues.

    Four ideas for wine under $20

    Wine specialist Sande Friedman recommends small, independent wine shops in the Philly-area offering four great values on sparkling, white, orange, and red.

    Center City has a cutting-edge cocktail bar

    Kiki Aranita puts the exclamation point on Static!, the followup from the owners of the Fishtown lounge Next of Kin. She says she found cocktails concocted by some of the nerdiest, most process-driven bartenders in Philly.

    Scoops

    Muslims of the World Coffee & Pastries, the Indiana-based cafe extension of the social-media storytelling/philanthropic project founded by Sajjad Shah in response to post-9/11 stereotypes, is setting up its first Philly location at the Murano at 21st and Market Streets. They hope to open next month. MOTW’s local operators are newlyweds Mahmood Islam and Samina Akbar (above), the chain’s first Bengali franchisees, who say they envision a space where no one will feel out of place. Akbar, who recently left her job as a scientist for Johnson & Johnson, will run the day to day. Islam works for his father’s Lansdale-based company (Electronic Mechanical Services) and runs Global Tech Systems, which focuses on electronic-waste recycling and donations to schools and foundations in developing countries. They’ll source foods from all over, including local pastries from Au Fournil. “This isn’t just a business,” Islam said. “It is something to be proud of.”

    Wild Yeast Bakehouse, the sourdough bread bakery of Main Line resident John Goncher, has a brick-and-mortar retail location in Wayne teed up for spring. A self-taught baker with a career in corporate finance, Goncher launched Wild Yeast out of his home kitchen in 2021, starting with 10 bread-share customers. As he expanded to the farmers market circuit and wholesale, he converted his Rosemont living room into an (entirely legal) commercial kitchen. When Jenn Ladd profiled his business in 2024, Goncher was firmly committed to staying in his living room. Now baking more than 600 loaves a week, he tells her he’s leased a storefront in the Eagle Village Shops complex so he can stop storing 2,000 pounds of bread flour in his house. Wild Yeast plans to continue to supply its bread share and wholesale customers, as well as its farmers market audience, in addition to expanding production to baguettes, babka, scones, and cookies.

    Ponder Bar will replace the Penalty Box at Coral and Sergeant Streets in Kensington. Owner Matt Kuziemski, backed by Leighton Phillips (ex-Hiroki, Fork, Friday Saturday Sunday), is keeping details under wraps — including an opening date, other than “coming soon.”

    Restaurant report

    Sally. Two weeks ago on a pizza walkabout, I popped into Sally, the pizzeria/wine shop near Fitler Square, to see what new chef David Kupperberg was up to. (And then, wouldn’t you know it, the Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand.)

    With only eight sourdough, wood-fired rounds on the menu (including a plain cheese, a red, and a white), Kupperberg is going for bold: There’s a “LOUD” red with arrabbiata sauce; a deeply savory mushroom pie layered with porcini, béchamel, and Comté; a soppressata with earthy Fat Cat cheese and pepper jelly; and the pepper-packed Pepper Pie (pork sausage, Calabrian chili, pickled Jimmy Nardellos, cubanelles, mozzarella, provolone, and pecorino, shown above). Below is Kupperberg with an All’Amatriciana — a pizza version of the classic bucatini dish.

    Sally, 2229 Spruce St. Hours: 4:30-10 p.m. daily, plus 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekends for brunch. Closed Nov. 26 and 27.

    Briefly noted

    Watch Party PHL, the group planning a women’s sports bar and community space to open in 2026, may not have a location yet but it has announced its name: The Stoop Pigeon. This will be Philly’s second such bar, following the recent opening of Marsha’s at 430 South St.

    Mod Spuds, with a menu of loaded-jacket potatoes, is the latest residency from chef Ange Branca and Kampar. It’s a month-long stay at Comfort & Floyd (1301 S. 11th St.) on Mondays (5-9 p.m.) and Tuesdays (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) starting Dec. 8. Branca is inspired by the potato bars she frequented during her university days in 1990s Scotland. Sample toppings: chili con carne, chorizo, chicken tikka masala, barbecue jackfruit. Mod Spuds will preview at Dec. 5’s First Friday at the Barnes, along with drinks from Kampar Kongsi. (Tickets for that one are here.)

    Throwing snowballs at Santa (that overblown incident from a 1968 Eagles game) will be part of the festivities at a Dec. 8 Eagles watch-party fundraiser at Sports & Social at Live! Casino & Hotel in South Philly to benefit Easterseals. The event, sponsored by law firm Zarwin Baum, runs from 5 p.m. through the final whistle of the Eagles-Chargers game, featuring unlimited food, drink tickets, raffles, silent auction, and fan activities. General admission tickets are $100, VIP is $125.

    RJ Smith, the Drexel University culinary student-turned- chef of Ocho Supper Club, will partner with chef Yun Fuentes for a one-night Caribbean-style Feast of the Seven Fishes at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at Fuentes’ Bolo in Center City. Reservations via OpenTable: $150pp. (Ocho dishes will be available during happy hour at the first-floor rum bar from 4–7 p.m.)

    ❓Pop quiz

    Based on Craig LaBan’s review of Borromini on Rittenhouse Square, how many restaurants does Stephen Starr now own?

    A) 29

    B) 41

    C) 50

    D) 72

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    What do you know about the opening of Santucci’s Pizza in University City?

    Alicia Santucci says Santucci’s will soft-open next week at 38th Street and Powelton Avenue. Since Santucci’s serves square pizza, perhaps it’s fitting that the building is Anova uCity Square.

    🤔 Read on as my colleagues and I answer a batch of your questions, including: “Is the Philly restaurant scene reaching a point of saturation?”

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • You asked, Craig LaBan and co. answered: The Inquirer’s food team fields readers’ questions

    You asked, Craig LaBan and co. answered: The Inquirer’s food team fields readers’ questions

    Last week was a busy one for our food desk: Michelin announced its first-ever stars and honorees in Philadelphia’s food scene, a much-anticipated reveal sandwiched between The Inquirer’s inaugural food festival and Thanksgiving week. To cap it all off, we solicited subscribers’ questions on our site. No surprise, there were lots of Michelin questions, along with a slew of requests for restaurant recommendations.

    Our team had answers. Read on for our musings on Michelin, where Philly’s restaurant scene is going, and staff picks for red gravy joints, BYOBs, and Philly’s best roasted duck.

    The Philadelphia chefs acknowledged at the Michelin Guide announcements at the Kimmel Center Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Philadelphia.

    Michelin machinations

    Can you give us an idea how much the [Philadelphia Convention and] Visitors Bureau had to pay Michelin to come to Philadelphia? It was shocking to find out these awards are “pay to play,” but now I understand why decades of world-class dining in Philadelphia have never garnered a Michelin star until now. Is it possible James Beard awards are more highly regarded, which I doubt, since they are not pay to play.

    Michael Klein, food & dining reporter: We don’t have any idea how much Michelin was paid. As a private nonprofit, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau does not have to release that. It’s rolled into its budget, and it likely will be rolled into unspecified marketing fees. Its most recent tax return, which covered July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, was filed in February 2025. The deal for this year’s other new Michelin city, Boston, also was not made public; one report pegged it as over $1 million for the three-year partnership. Typically, small markets and individual cities pay $70,000 to $300,000 per year, typically in three-year deals. For the 2025 American South regional guide that came out Nov. 3, cities and states across the South collectively are contributing $1.65 million per year for three years (about $4.95 million total).

    Why wasn’t Mawn recognized by the Michelin Guide? Are you surprised by fact there was no recognition for Mawn?

    Jenn Ladd, deputy food editor: Michelin’s decision-making is famously secretive, but we are operating with an informed assumption that an inspector could not get a table/reservation there (or perhaps couldn’t get more than one, since they are supposed to make repeated visits) and so did not include it. You can find more thoughts in our writers’ reactions to the Michelin picks.

    As a team, we definitely were surprised by that choice. While it’s understandable (to at least some on the food desk) that Royal Sushi’s omakase wasn’t considered due to how difficult it is to get a reservation there, Mawn’s lunch is walk-ins only. Will you have to arrive early and wait in line? Yes, but it’s not impossible to dine there without connections. Hopefully next year, Michelin’s inspectors have a longer timeline during which to consider our city’s food scene.

    Chef-owner Jesse Ito makes “Industry Chirashi” (a late night bargain chirashi they make in a plastic tub with scraps from the nigth’s omakase, at Royal sushi and Izakaya, in Philadelphia, Friday, August 11, 2023.

    Is there a general concern that higher-end restaurants will get even more expensive and perhaps “one-dimensional” in a way in striving to impress Michelin with more tasting menus and the like? What do we not want to see in prospective changes?

    JL: This is a concern we share. As Craig wrote earlier, “My only hope is that restaurateurs keep cooking from the heart, and that they don’t alter what they do simply in pursuit of a star.”

    We were heartened by the fact that Michelin gave such a spotlight to Her Place Supper Club, which had a characteristically Philly start (from Penn dorm room to BYOB pop-up residency to full-fledged restaurant). I also think there are plenty of restaurant chefs and owners in Philadelphia who aren’t aspiring to Michelin-star status, who just want to cook good food for people. I’m an admitted Michelin skeptic, but even I would have to say, I don’t think Philly will lose its restaurant-scene identity anytime soon, even if we do see more awards-bait menus.

    The bean and prosciutto-stuffed farfalle, center, at Her Place Supper Club on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 in Philadelphia. Her Place is located at 1740 Sansom Street in Center City.

    If each of you could pick your top 5 restaurants that didn’t make any of the Michelin Philly selections, what would they be?

    Bea Forman, food & dining reporter: First off: There’s a lot more than five restaurants I wish Michelin would’ve selected. All the honorees are so deserving, but I couldn’t help but feel like the Bib Gourmand selection especially painted a white-washed version of Philly’s dining scene. They hit up at least three cheesesteak places but couldn’t find it in their hearts (or stomachs) to find a gem in Chinatown? Or a Vietnamese restaurant? Or more restaurants that speak to Philly’s rich tradition of excellent Mexican, Latino, and African food? Lame. Tomato. Tomato. My five picks for Bibs or recommendations would be:

    The Ghee Roast Dosa at Amma’s on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.

    Hira Qureshi, food & dining reporter: I’d love to have seen these five/six restaurants get a Bib or Recommended: Amsale Cafe for their beautiful injera-lined platters with kitfo and gomen wat; Samson Kabob House for their insane chapli kababs alone; and Kabobeesh for their mutton karahi that’s just as good as my mom’s. Apricot Stone or Al-Baik Shawarma & Grill have the best hummus and falafels in Philly. And Black Dragon Takeout really does nail personality like no one else in the city.

    A saturated restaurant scene?

    There are so many good and great restaurants in the city — many moving into neighborhoods that are still deep into renovation/gentrification (i.e. near the York/Dauphin station for example), and there are quite a few empty seats especially on non-prime evenings. Is the Philly restaurant scene reaching a point of saturation?

    JL: Hard to speak for our entire team on this one, but my best guess — from years on the food beat here and from reading my colleagues’ work very closely over the past 7 years — is not a chance. Year after year, there have been more restaurant openings than the last, even post-pandemic. There IS more out-of-town interest in opening in Philadelphia (a theme that’s been building all year and is sure to play out more in 2026), which could affect our restaurant scene in all sorts of ways.

    We are seeing fewer BYOBs open and more capacious, expensive restaurants, but there are plenty of neighborhoods left in Philadelphia — I live in one! — that could use more restaurants. I for one hope that as the rents go up in the saturated neighborhoods, the scrappy entrepreneurs and chefs that have defined our culinary scene start to consider properties in those pockets of town.

    A rendering of the bar at Flueur’s, 2205 N. Front St.

    Craig LaBan, restaurant critic: I think only time will tell on this question. There is a lot of new construction going up in these very neighborhoods, and some extremely ambitious restaurants to match. I’m thinking of Fleur’s, for example, which is farther north than many of the earlier Fishtown hits. It was quite the midweek night I visited, but that is totally normal for a new restaurant. Once it starts to get press and social media buzz, if it is positive, that will change. They have to be well-capitalized to weather the storm of early months as they build their audience. If they do a good job, Philly diners will come. Restaurant-goers’ enthusiasm for excellent new places, in fact, almost always helps boost gentrification.

    Helm, for example, was one of the few destinations on its block, save for a good neighboring taqueria, when it opened there… Now it is completely surrounded by new development. Same for Que Chula es Puebla at Second and Master. The new Honeysuckle is dealing with the same dynamic on North Broad Street. It is very much a residential neighborhood in progress of being built. It’s all about timing, capitalization, and performance. So far the quality the food is there for Honeysuckle. Hopefully the business will follow.

    Restaurant recommendations

    As an old-timer, I go back to the days of the great Django with BYOs. Are there some underrated BYOBs that didn’t make your 76 list?

    JL: There are quite a few — 76 spots gets awful tight when you’re considering the full range of the Philly region’s restaurants! Illata in Grad Hospital, Little Fish in Queen Village, Helm in Kensington, and Elwood in Fishtown, not to mention a slew of suburban gems like Spring Mill Cafe in Conshy, Maize in Perkasie, Charcoal in Yardley, for starters.

    Ravioli with meatballs from Villa Di Roma on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Philadelphia .

    In addition to Dante and Luigi’s, what other old school “red gravy” joints have best survived the passage of time?

    MK: Ralph’s, Victor Cafe, Villa di Roma. You might also count Ristorante Pesto, whose owner Giovanni Varallo had the long-ago Io E Tu on Passyunk. (Craig LaBan adds: “Scannicchio’s! But technically a ‘post-red gravy’ generation restaurant, not unlike Pesto.”)

    Where are the best places in Philly for college students to eat at? (Besides food trucks)

    BF: Penn class of ’22 grad here, so I would be silly to not shout out our campus bar Smokey Joe’s for having sneakily excellent and oversized pizza and burgers. If you go for lunch or dinner early in the evening, it’s kind of the platonic ideal of a dive bar.

    Michael Wirzenberger, managing partner at Sampan Philly, mixes a scorpion bowl of cucumber margarita at the restaurant’s Graffiti Bar. Wirzenberger came up with the recipe. ( Abi Reimold / Staff Photographer )

    Otherwise, you and your friends should be taking advantage of happy hour deals throughout Philly and far, far away from your campuses. Food is cheaper that way. My faves:

    • Rosy’s Taco Bar: Happy hour is 3 – 5 p.m so it’s always been mostly other college students. Everything is $5, and deeply reliable.
    • Sampan: Very yum pan-Asian small bites all under $10. Split a scorpion bowl with your friends if everyone is of drinking age.
    • La Chinesca: This is for when you want to feel classy and cool and adult, eating tacos from a retrofitted mechanic’s shop.
    • Harp & Crown, Giuseppe & Sons, and Bud & Marilyn’s all felt the right amount of fancy for a college student for happy hour. Very solid small bites, lots of young people.

    If you are actually looking for places to to eat and not experiences with good enough food like I wanted in college, I would recommend just exploring Reading Terminal Market and a lot of the mom-and-pop or hole-in-the wall restaurants in Chinatown and the Italian Market. You’ll feel like you actually live here.

    Is it fair to say that the very best roasted duck in Philly is sold at Ting Wong on 11th Street in Chinatown??

    CL: Ting Wong reopened earlier this year after a short closing and everyone rejoiced because it’s such a neighborhood standby for Hong Kong-style noodles, soups, and BBQ meats — including a stellar roast duck. It’s still very good, but I’ve long been a bigger fan of two others in Chinatown: Siu Kee, the takeout-only duck shop just across 10th Street from Ting Wong, which supplies many of the best restaurants in Chinatown with their ducks (including Tai Lake, which I revisited this year), but also Lau Kee, a cozy little storefront on the 900 block of Race Street owned by the longtime former duck chef of Sang Kee. It’s great!

    The Peking duck is pictured at Lau Kee in Philadelphia’s Chinatown on Thursday, April 1, 2021.

    One more: While these previously mentioned shops are examples of the savory, marinated Hong Kong duck style, a newer entry called Beijing Peking Duck and Seafood Restaurant on Arch Street makes one of the best Peking-style ducks I’ve had — with a cracker-crispy golden skin that gets carved dramatically tableside. You have to order a whole duck, but it is an event worth the splurge.

    I miss Gigi Pizza and Nomad Pizza so much. Are there any casual pie spots with great sides and salads like them in Center City or in the works? Vetri Pizza is missing something lately and Pietro’s is good but Rittenhouse gets SO crowded anymore…

    MK: Gigi and Nomad had a good thing going. A little fancier is Sally at 23rd and Spruce Streets, which just was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelins. Charcuterie boards, fab meatballs, really nice salads (the green salad with miso and pickled shallot), and crispy pies, like the Loud Red, whose arrabbiata sauce is perfect for the spice fans… Wilder at 20th and Sansom has a raw bar, a few salads, and seasonal wood-fired pies, like the lamb bacon…. Clarkville at 43rd and Baltimore has a warm cauliflower salad that supplements the pizza list… I’m also really fond of the new-ish Corio at 37th and Market, not only for the pizza, pasta, and salads, but the inviting vibe.

    The Zucchini Pizza and Stuffed Long Hots at Corio on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 in Philadelphia.

    When I lived and worked in Philly in the ’90s, Caribou was near the top of my dining list. The menu still looks fine. What is your take on this restaurant?

    CL: Caribou is still kicking! This Center City standby — going on 33 years in its current Walnut Street location — had a change of ownership over a year ago, with chef Townsend Wentz’s group taking it over. I’ve not been since a solid lunch in the early weeks of Wentz’s takeover, but here’s a few basic observations: They’ve largely kept the classic brasserie vibe intact, including that fantastic long bar with its art deco statuettes, and they’ve simply made an effort to update and improve some of the classic French bistro fare. Wentz is good at that, and I loved the initial French onion soup I tasted there. But I’d like to return for a check-in. As the weather gets cold, a good stewy plate of boeuf bourguignon or a hearty choucroute garnie sounds good to me. But you never know until you go. With the unfortunate closing of Bistrot La Minette last year, Center City needs all the great French bistros it can hold onto.

  • One of Philly’s most acclaimed bakeries has permanently closed

    One of Philly’s most acclaimed bakeries has permanently closed

    Facing mounting personal, legal, and financial pressures, acclaimed baker Tova Du Plessis has permanently closed Essen Bakery and said she is considering filing for bankruptcy protection, six months after she and her husband announced unexpectedly that they were “hitting pause for a few days.”

    The four-time James Beard Award nominee’s shops, on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia and Berks Street in Kensington, never reopened after the announcement on May 31, which blindsided her estimated two dozen employees.

    In late July, Tova Du Plessis told The Inquirer that she and her husband, Brad, were “navigating deeply personal challenges” and hoped to reopen in September. Meanwhile, disgruntled former employees and investors had been left in the dark.

    Essen Bakery’s location at 110 W. Berks St. on Oct. 29, 2025.

    Du Plessis said it took a long while before she realized that reopening was not an option. “I don’t think that I can really pull off what I need to — not just to be open, but to make it financially sustainable,” she said. “There always was that potential, but after what I experienced, I just don’t have the confidence, the head space, and the people in place.” She also said her struggle with narcolepsy, the chronic interruption of the sleep cycle, had worsened.

    Du Plessis said she had explored different plans to relaunch or restructure Essen but couldn’t make any of them work. “I think I just needed to come to terms with that,” she said.

    The early days

    Du Plessis, who turned 40 last summer, grew up in a kosher home in Johannesburg, baking challah for Shabbat each week. She and Brad, her high school sweetheart, relocated to the United States while she pursued a biology degree at the University of Houston with a goal of becoming a doctor. Following a trip to Paris, she pivoted toward cooking. They headed to California, and she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley, where she specialized in baking and pastry arts.

    Chocolate-halva babka, one of the specialties at Essen Bakery.

    While working at the Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa, she met chef Michael Solomonov during his visit as a guest chef in December 2011. Soon after, she and her husband moved to Philadelphia, where she worked as a line cook at Zahav before becoming sous chef at Citron & Rose, the Main Line kosher restaurant that Solomonov and Steve Cook briefly consulted on. She then served as executive pastry chef at the Rittenhouse Hotel.

    In 2016, she leased a storefront on East Passyunk Avenue near Dickinson Street to launch Essen, which became known for its challah, babka, laminated pastries, and seasonal breads. Great reviews followed, including four James Beard Award semifinalist nominations for Outstanding Baker between 2017 and 2020.

    By 2022, with Essen outgrowing Passyunk Avenue, Du Plessis began looking for a second, larger location. In January 2023, she signed the lease on a newly constructed building on Berks Street, a half-block from the Market-Frankford El near Norris Square, at the corner of Berks and Hope.

    Brad du Plessis and Tova du Plessis at the Kensington location of Essen Bakery, 110 W. Berks St.

    Financial strain

    Tova Du Plessis said financial pressures began mounting last spring. She is facing a lawsuit filed by their Berks Street landlord over unpaid rent, and the space, just off Front Street, is being shown to prospective tenants. The landlord of Essen’s East Passyunk Avenue location has found a new tenant, Du Plessis said last week.

    The Du Plessises are also in arrears on a loan repayment to Frank Olivieri, owner of Pat’s King of Steaks. Olivieri said he and his wife, Nancy Schure, had provided a “substantial” amount of money last year to help fund the Berks Street shop, which opened in November 2024 after nearly a year of delays Du Plessis attributed to contractor issues and permitting. Initially investors, Olivieri and Schure later converted their ownership stake to a loan, he said.

    Essen Bakery’s signature black-and-white cookies.

    Olivieri said they had been customers of the Passyunk Avenue location when Brad Du Plessis contacted them last year to ask if they would be interested in investing. Olivieri said he noticed issues with day-to-day operations, and eventually, he said, “It just seemed like we were becoming more like counselors rather than investors.”

    Later, Olivieri said, the couple ignored his advice and grew silent. “You have to have an open line of communication to be successful, and unfortunately that’s one of the components that was missing,” he said.

    Employee fallout

    It was the silence that distressed the idled Essen employees, too. They told The Inquirer over the summer, after its July report that the bakery owners hoped to reopen, that they were given no clues about the business’ future. Several former employees disputed the couple’s assertion to the newspaper that they had been taken care of during the shutdown.

    In the days after the closing, one former employee said, workers messaged the couple to say that they couldn’t pay their rent and were desperate to learn when they would be able to work again. “After several promised reopening dates came and went with no opening, they simply stopped responding to staff,” said the worker, who asked for anonymity because they wanted to move on with their life.

    Essen Bakery’s first location opened in 2016 at 1437 E. Passyunk Ave.

    Another employee, who had worked at Essen from September 2024 until the shutdown, aired her grievances in a TikTok video. Others told PhillyVoice, in an article published Aug. 13, that they were suffering and that the Du Plessises were blocking the accounts of people who discussed the situation on social media.

    Personal strain

    Tova Du Plessis said that just before the shutdown, she and her husband were “discovering issues in our relationship that we didn’t understand, and it was impacting the business in such a drastic way. Running the business was our escape from dealing with our issues.”

    The stress in their marriage “was just magnified because we were running a business together,” Du Plessis said. “It was undeniable — it was a problem we had to face head-on.”

    Initially, they thought that a brief shutdown would suffice, “but as we tackled those issues, we were discovering how deep and difficult they were,” she said.

    The loss of income added further stress. Brad Du Plessis, who had left his job in wine sales in April 2024 to work with his wife, got a new job over the summer. “But then I had to face the reality that I didn’t have another partner or investor,” she said. “I didn’t feel I could do it on my own.”

    Looking ahead

    Last week, Du Plessis said she was attempting to sell all of Essen’s baking equipment. She said she believed that bankruptcy was the next step.

    Despite Essen’s failure, Du Plessis said she remains proud of what it accomplished. “It made me really feel like I’m part of a community,” she said.

    Recipe: Essen Bakery’s black-and-white cookies

    She said she wants to take several months before making her next move. “I’m still too affected by the burnout and the loss,” she said. “It’s not just giving up the business. It’s a whole bunch of family and relationships.” Du Plessis said she wants to return to baking, possibly even for someone else. Brad Du Plessis, who declined to comment for this article, is working again in the wine business. “He’s really in the position he should be in,” she said.

    “For a long time, I was afraid I’d be looking at bankruptcy and divorce — and I’m happy to say I’m probably just looking at bankruptcy,” Du Plessis said last Friday. “To me, that’s a happy ending, or a beginning, depending on how you want to see it. I actually feel like this experience may have saved our marriage.”

    Tova Du Plessis, owner of Essen Bakery, poses for a portrait in front of her former bakery in Philadelphia, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
  • Popular Bucks County steakhouse was forced to close amid landlord dispute, its owner says

    Popular Bucks County steakhouse was forced to close amid landlord dispute, its owner says

    With hundreds of reservations on the books and the holidays approaching, Rocco’s at the Brick Hotel in Newtown, Bucks County, abruptly closed last weekend. The closure, which left about 50 employees out of work overnight, was not the restaurant’s decision, according to the owner.

    The sudden closure was prompted by a dispute between the steakhouse’s ownership and the property’s landlord, who also controls the liquor license, said David Gelman, son of Rocco’s owner Marc Gelman.

    David Gelman said that Rocco’s was forced out of business because the landlord, Verindar Kaur, had filed a change on Friday with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to remove Rocco’s LLC, Marc Gelman’s corporation, from its liquor license.

    The ability for Rocco’s to sell alcohol was part of the business’ operating agreement, in effect since the restaurant opened in January 2018. Kaur owns the liquor license while Marc Gelman operated the restaurant, paying her a fixed monthly fee and a percentage of proceeds in addition to what David Gelman described as “Center City-level” rent.

    Contacted Sunday by email, Kaur said she was “unable to speak with anyone.” She did not reply to a follow-up email Monday.

    David Gelman said his first inkling of imminent trouble was Thursday night, when Kaur emailed him and his father to say that she would terminate the agreement unless a new financial arrangement was reached by the following day. The PLCB confirmed to The Inquirer that on Friday, it received a notice that the license’s corporate structure and officer were being changed. This move nullified the management agreement, David Gelman said.

    “This is not something we wanted to do,” Gelman said. “But we can’t operate without the liquor license [per the agreement]. There was no way to rectify the situation.”

    Rocco’s last night was Saturday.

    Gelman said that Kaur’s actions constituted a breach of both the lease and the management agreement and said his father planned to file a lawsuit seeking damages.

    “There’s a clause in the lease that [operating a restaurant] is contingent on having a liquor license from her, so by interfering with that license, she’s breaching her own contract,” said Gelman, a lawyer.

    The restaurant had “hundreds of reservations” on the books for Thanksgiving and corporate holiday parties, he said.

    Gelman said the restaurant was informing customers that they could be accommodated at the Pub in Pennsauken and Library II in Voorhees, other steakhouses operated by the Gelman family in South Jersey. Those who hold Rocco’s gift cards can call Rocco’s number or contact it through the website for a refund.

    Remaining inventory, including seafood, meat, and produce, was relocated to the Pub and Library II to prevent waste.

    Rocco’s, named after the son of chef-partner Cole Caprioni, occupies the ground floor of the Brick Hotel, parts of which date to 1763.

    The Mercer-Bucks-Central Jersey Eateries Facebook group was trying to help Rocco’s employees find new jobs.

    Kaur previously operated the restaurant at the hotel, featured in 2016 on the Gordon Ramsay television show Hotel Hell, before Gelman’s company took over. On camera, Ramsay declared, “I want to shut this place down,” over cleanliness and customer-service issues.

    “Ninety five percent of what was on the show did not happen that way,” Kaur told the website NewtownPANow.com in 2016, adding the producers drummed up drama for ratings.

  • Fully booked: The ‘Michelin effect’ is being felt at Philly’s honored restaurants

    Fully booked: The ‘Michelin effect’ is being felt at Philly’s honored restaurants

    As chef Nicholas Bazik climbed into bed late Tuesday night, he checked the reservations at Provenance, his posh restaurant in Society Hill. Business at Provenance, with its 25 seats and $225 French-meets-Korean tasting menu, had been respectable especially since September, when it appeared on Bon Appétit’s list of the country’s best new restaurants.

    Bazik discovered that Provenance was fully booked, 30 days out. The next day at noon, the next round of tables was snapped up in six minutes, he said.

    Chef Nicholas Bazik of Provenance, with wife Eunbin Whang, accepts a star at the Nov. 18 Michelin Guide ceremony.

    The so-called Michelin effect was at work. Provenance — as well as Her Place Supper Club and Friday Saturday Sunday, both in Rittenhouse — received one star from the Michelin Guide at Tuesday’s Northeast Cities ceremony, placing them in a rarefied league of 280 so-honored U.S. restaurants.

    In city after city since Michelin’s arrival in the United States two decades ago, newly starred restaurants report full books, wait lists stretching weeks or months, and in some cases double- or triple-digit growth in reservations. Winning a Michelin star — one or especially two or three — is no small task, and customers are known to travel to dine at a starred restaurant.

    Her Place Supper Club chef Amanda Shulman (left) and husband Alex Kemp take a photo at the Sixers game Wednesday. Shulman rang the bell at the start of the game.

    At Her Place, where it’s been what chef-owner Amanda Shulman called “a whirlwind of a week,” it’s difficult to determine Michelin’s impact. “We’re a small restaurant to begin with, but we’ve definitely seen a jump in email inquiries that are keeping our reservationist/administrative queen Natalie busy, along with a bump in social following. Truly a surreal experience and we’re just excited to welcome in more new faces.” (The Sixers invited Shulman to ring the bell before Wednesday’s game.)

    Friday Saturday Sunday already was one of Philadelphia’s hardest reservations, even before it won the James Beard Award for best new restaurant in 2023, and owners Chad and Hanna Williams are planning an expansion to the rowhouse next door.

    Chefs Marc Vetri (left) and Chad Williams during the cocktail hour, at the Michelin Guide announcement at the Kimmel Center.

    Restaurants that were included in Michelin’s Bib Gourmand (best value) and “recommended” categories also reported an uptick in business.

    “It’s been an outpouring of positivity,” said Louis Novak, general manager at Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village, a Bib Gourmand recipient where all business is walk-in. He reported “exceptional” sales. “It’s also a ‘Day 1’ mentality moving forward. It’s a responsibility to live up to being a Michelin award winner.”

    At chef Jesse Ito’s Royal Izakaya in Queen Village, a Bib recipient, the line is longer and the weekday wait list is growing earlier than usual, said Daisy Zeijlon, who handles the restaurant’s publicity.

    At Sally (Bib), a pizzeria near Fitler Square, business was up 10% since the announcement, said owner Cary Borish.

    At Mish Mish (recommended), Alex Tewfik was ebullient on Sunday: “Being in South Philly, and the Eagles being the last monoculture we have left as a city, our Sundays have been brutal. Today, they are no longer brutal, which is, in ways, a sort of godsend situation.”

    Although hard numbers were hard to come by so far, the good vibes are everywhere as the restaurant industry enters its typically busy period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

    Chef Chris Kearse of Forsythia with his wife, Lauren, at the Michelin Guide announcement.

    “We have received such amazing support from the culinary community,” said Chris Kearse, chef-owner of Forsythia (recommended). “It feels like the whole city has come together to celebrate the excitement of the awards, and we’ve been touched by how many guests have stopped in to sit at the bar and share a celebratory drink with our team.”

    Al Lucas — a partner at Defined Hospitality, which operates Suraya (recommended), Kalaya (recommended), and Pizzeria Beddia (Bib) — said reservations “have already been very robust so we really cannot tell the impact quite yet. We have, however, seen a lot of anecdotal positive responses through Instagram, emails, and DMs.”

    Ellen Yin, who owns High Street (recommended), said it was too early to tell Michelin’s long-term recognition; “however, the energy is palpable.”

    Study after study has cautioned that Michelin acclaim does not always translate to success.

    A report in the Strategic Management Journal challenges the assumption that Michelin stars only help restaurants, finding that starred establishments are actually more likely to close due to increased operational pressure.

    Daniel B. Sands of University College London examined New York restaurants deemed “at risk” of earning a star by tracking those that received favorable New York Times reviews and later Michelin recognition. His analysis and interviews with owners revealed that while stars boost prestige, they also intensify strain along the value chain. Landlords, suppliers, and employees often demand higher compensation, while staff may leverage the star to seek better opportunities or launch competitors.

    At the same time, customer dynamics shift: New diners arrive with heightened expectations or tourist motivations, and regulars may visit less often. Some restaurants make costly adjustments to accommodate new guests without increasing revenue. Sands concludes that Michelin stars can bring mixed outcomes, with some businesses thriving but others buckling under the added pressure.

    Can the good vibes last? “Having seen bumps from things like being on lists [and] getting accolades in the past, the ‘pop’ doesn’t always last,” said Tewfik, at Mish Mish. “I’m aware that we’re in uncharted territory with Michelin, but usually it dies away in a few weeks. So we’ll see, but for now, we’re so so so thrilled.”

    Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri, who took Michelin nods for Fiorella (Bib Gourmand) and Vetri Cucina (recommended), tempers exuberance through experience. His first major award was in 1999, when Food & Wine named him one of its best new chefs. “These awards, while exciting and give the city a big boost, are not a magic pill,” Vetri said.

    “Lists, awards, Beards, Michelin — it’s all the same,“ he said. ”Over time, they will bring more visitors, and if you have a good reputation and you are consistent, if you keep putting in the work and [are] evolving, more people will come. That’s the award: The customers who keep coming back. People are going to be very sorry if they think a nod from anyone is going to validate them and make them super busy. That’s just not how it works.”

  • Michelin Guide honored this Philly cheesesteak shop, but apparently botched the order

    Michelin Guide honored this Philly cheesesteak shop, but apparently botched the order

    Stephanie Maslanik was sitting on her couch Tuesday night when her phone dinged with a text message from a friend. But she was doing something with the kids and didn’t look at it right away.

    “Then I opened it up and I was like, ‘Whaaaat?’ It took me a minute to put two and two together and I gave it to my husband,” she said. “I told him, ‘Does it say what I think it says?’”

    Steve and Margie Kotridis (right) with their daughters, Stephanie Maslanik (left) and Christina Kotridis (middle), and grandchildren Charlotte, 1, and a very bashful Steven, 4, outside Dalessandro’s.

    It was exactly what she thought it said: It was a video clip of that evening’s Michelin Guide Northeast Cities ceremony, where Dalessandro’s — the family’s cheesesteak shop in Roxborough — had been among the recipients of an award.

    Their old-school corner shop was officially Bib Gourmand royalty — Michelin’s category for great food at a great value. Dalessandro’s was one of three cheesesteak shops that impressed arguably the world’s fussiest food critics.

    Maslanik blew up the family group chat: her parents, Steve and Margie Kotridis, and her younger sister, Christina.

    Michelin Guide honors 34 Philadelphia restaurants

    “I’ve been in the food business for 50 years, and this is a dream,” said Steve Kotridis, 63, who with his wife, 67, bought Dalessandro’s from the founding family in 2008. William Dalessandro opened in 1961 at Henry Avenue and Wendover Street, a year after its founding on nearby Ridge Avenue.

    Michelin is living up to its reputation of international mystery. As of Saturday, the Kotridises said they had not heard from Michelin (though Dalessandro’s is listed on its website, accompanied by an unrelated photo). It is also not clear why the Kotridises apparently never received an invitation to the gala. The owners of the other Bib Gourmand cheesesteak shops, Nish Patel of Del Rossi’s and Danny DiGiampietro of Angelo’s, were seated in Marian Anderson Hall that night.

    Steve Kotridis was doing paperwork and knocking around the house that night — Margie was in Florida for a niece’s shower — and he didn’t read his daughter’s text until the next day.

    He had never realized that a cheesesteak place could even be eligible for a Michelin award, “but certainly if one would be, this would be the place,” he said. “It’s validation.”

    Steve and Margie Kotridis at their Dalessandro’s Steaks in Philadelphia on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.

    The Dalessandro’s scene

    On Friday afternoon, the line at the ordering window was just as long as on any other chilly Friday afternoon in late November. Inside, the spatulas slapped and the rib eye sizzled on the flattop. The crew cheered in unison at each tip left by a customer.

    “I’ve been getting a lot of people telling us it’s their first time coming, but it’s mostly our really good customers who are saying, ‘Everybody knows now,’” Margie Kotridis said.

    Steve and Margie Kotridis at their food cart on 17th Street in the early 1990s.

    Steve and Margie come from food families. Her late father, George Tsihlas, owned Towne Pizza at 19th and Pine Streets from 1967 to 1994. Steve’s mother, Antigoni, now 92, still oversees a series of food carts in Center City — including the cart outside the United Engineers Building at 30 S. 17th St. that Steve ran for 30 years.

    Soon after they were married in 1982, they bought a building in Lafayette Hill and opened a diner, Stefano’s Restaurant & Pizza. After two years, “we had to get rid of it,” Margie said. “We were throwing plates at each other.” They went back to vending but kept the building, now home to the Persian Grille.

    Meanwhile, Steve had been a Dalessandro’s customer. “I sat down at that counter and I’d put two cheesesteaks down like it was nothing,” he said. “I’ve lost weight since then.” (His go-to is a cheesesteak with American cheese, fried onions, salt, black pepper, and long hots.)

    In 2008, five years after William Dalessandro’s death, the Kotridises bought the shop and kept it much as it was.

    They shut down for 10 weeks at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The setup, where takeout customers were smushed against people eating at the counter, could not continue in the new social-distancing world.

    The Kotridises installed two windows — one for ordering, one for pickup — and locked the front door. (Regulars can ask to come inside to eat, especially when the patio is full or the weather is bad.) A friend set them up with an ordering system that displays wait times and names on a monitor outside and provides text alerts. There’s no yelling. An electronic voice calls out customers’ names and directs them to the correct window. It’s still cash-only.

    This sketch of Dalessandro’s Steaks by John Donohue was part of a recent show called “The Art of Philly Dining” at Gleaner’s Cafe and Gallery.

    The typical wait is 10 to 15 minutes during the week, but an hour Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as the line wends along the sidewalk and traffic snarls on Henry Avenue.

    About the Dalessandro’s steak

    Dalessandro’s serves an old-school sandwich: The rib eye is chopped fine — almost minced. The cheese is layered atop the beef, not mixed. The Amoroso’s roll is softer than the crispy-crusted, house-baked breads from such newer-generation shops as Del Rossi’s and Angelo’s. Dalessandro’s chops its fried onions in a huge, toothsome dice.

    A cheesesteak from Dalessandro’s in Philadelphia, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.

    Dalessandro’s flatly resists the recent industry move to Cooper Sharp American cheese. “We brought it in like a year ago and we tasted it,” Margie said. “All Cooper Sharp is, is sharp American cheese. We already use sharp American cheese. We made [test] cheesesteaks. Nobody could tell the difference.”

    Asked what made their steaks stand out to Michelin, Steve said: “I’m not sure. We just do it the right way and we make food the way we would like to eat it. We slice fresh rib eye all day long. Our rolls get here at 11. We fry our own peppers.”

    Margie said she routinely drops an order slip, anonymously, into the queue and samples the sandwich.

    “Consistency is very important,” she said. “I go out to eat somewhere and I find something I love and it’s so delicious. You go back the next time and it’s like a whole different sandwich or a different meal than what you ate last time.”

    Former Sixers player Ben Simmons and Jimmy Fallon sampling a Dalessandro’s cheesesteak on the “Tonight” show.

    “One of the four of us is always here,” Margie said.

    This is why Steve said he has resisted offers to open additional locations. “At this age, I’m not interested. The problem today is you can’t be everywhere. To run a good place, you have to be on top of it, so you could wind up killing the name.”

    Dalessandro’s has won plenty of awards, including an Inquirer reader poll in 2023.

    “I think the people that pay attention to Michelin and … the foodies — it’s going to make a big difference,” Steve said. “They’re all going to come and try it, and they’ll all have their own opinions of what they like and what they don’t like, and hopefully everybody will love it and come back again.”

    Margie said: “But then, everybody has a favorite, right? Some people like vanilla, some people like chocolate, and some people like strawberry ice cream. You can’t please everybody.”

  • Another thing Philly has over Dallas: Michelin acclaim

    Another thing Philly has over Dallas: Michelin acclaim

    On the eve of another Eagles-Cowboys game, let me tell you a few ways Philadelphia is superior to Dallas.

    The sports teams, of course. There’s the downtown walkability, the history, and the overall gritty culture (as in “this might be the best show of my life in a room that’s maybe not up to code” energy)

    Philly wins big at its first Michelin ceremony

    Philly’s food scene is superior, too. And now we have proof.

    The Michelin Guide’s awards for Texas were announced last month, and Dallas — how do we put this? — underperformed, not only against Philly but even against the rest of Texas.

    Tatsu, an omakase experience, retained its one star from last year’s Michelin awards. This year, Mamami, a French-Italian bistro, scored a star. That’s two stars total for the Big D, compared with Austin’s seven, Houston’s six, and San Antonio’s three.

    Philly was awarded three one-stars on Nov. 18 in its very first showing: Friday Saturday Sunday, Her Place Supper Club, and Provenance. (Boston received only one, but that’s another rivalry for another day.)

    Apparently, everyone in Dallas seems to know that the food scene is lacking — even D Magazine, which headlined its Michelin predictions story: “Dallas, prepare to be underwhelmed.”

    While the post-Michelin food mood in Philadelphia has been generally celebratory, they’re crying in their beer in Dallas. Drew Stephenson, an observer of the Metroplex food scene who says he has eaten at all 18 Texas Michelin-starred restaurants, addressed the local shock, indignation, and outrage over Michelin’s selections on his Instagram, @drewthefoodguy.

    According to Stephenson, the reactions show that Dallas diners and Michelin inspectors speak different languages. Dallasites prioritize vibes, service, decor, portions, and price, while Michelin judges ingredient quality, technique, cuisine personality, fair value, and consistency. “We’re just new to Michelin’s framework,” he said.

    For the record, Stephenson — who calls himself “a very big Cowboys but not a proud one” because of the ownership — thinks the Eagles will win a close one Sunday.

  • One of Philadelphia’s Michelin-recommended restaurants will be closing for good on Friday

    One of Philadelphia’s Michelin-recommended restaurants will be closing for good on Friday

    Barely 12 hours after Michelin included the fine-dining destination Laurel among its list of Recommended restaurants, chef Nicholas Elmi delivered the news that its final night of service would be Friday.

    Laurel’s closing after 12 years had been set in motion over the summer, as Elmi told The Inquirer in June that its lease was ending and that he wanted to open in Rittenhouse.

    Wednesday’s announcement on Instagram included word that reservations were available for a seven-course meal prepared by Elmi and chef de cuisine Kevin McWilliams.

    Chef/owner Nicholas Elmi, general manager Jane Fryer, and chef Kevin McWilliams outside of Laurel on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

    Although honored with the Michelin accolade, “I feel like I’ve known what’s been going on over the past year, so I’ve already gone through the whole gamut of emotions,” Elmi said. “Last night was incredibly motivational for me — it made me redouble my efforts and figure out what my next step is. So that’s where I am: keeping my options open, keeping my eyes open, and trying to remain inspired.”

    The closing a week before Thanksgiving after a five-month wind-down was intentional. “Everyone’s starting new jobs in December, so it lets them take a week and a half off, get through Thanksgiving, decompress a little before moving on to the next stage of their lives and careers,” he said. “And it gives me the month of December to clear the place out and get myself organized. Winding down a business isn’t just flipping a switch — there’s a lot of paperwork to get through right now.”

    Elmi said he was looking forward to family time as well as focusing on his Bala Cynwyd restaurants Lark and the Landing Kitchen, as well as the Pump House events venue, which he own with Fia Berisha.

    What’s next for Elmi and Laurel?

    The new restaurant will not be the same as Laurel, he said. “As the culinary landscape of Philadelphia has changed, Laurel needs to be updated, whatever form that takes. There are a couple of different concepts we’re playing with right now. I think Michelin is certainly going to improve the aspect of fine dining in Philadelphia, and I want to take some time to figure out what that means to me in the context of how I’ve grown up cooking and doing fine dining over the past 20 years.”

    He said he was unsure if the Laurel name will continue.: “There’s a big part of me that understands Laurel is a recognized, branded name. But Laurel was also a little, tiny, beautiful restaurant stuffed into an apartment on a street in South Philadelphia. It was so intimate and so fun, and it represented a really cool moment in my life — being able to cook like that, and cook so freely.

    “There’s part of me that wants that to remain a memory, not only for myself but for the people who worked there and for the guests who came through over the past 12 years. So I’m still struggling with the idea. I’d love to carry the name on, but that name carries weight, and there’s an expectation that comes with it. Moving into something different isn’t off the table.”

  • Philly’s big Michelin night! | Let’s Eat

    Philly’s big Michelin night! | Let’s Eat

    What a night! Nearly three dozen Michelin restaurants in the 215!

    Also in this edition:

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    A very Philly Michelin night

    For the first time ever, Philadelphia has a Michelin star. Three, in fact. Plus 31 other restaurants with Michelin acclaim, including three cheesesteak spots!

    We lay out last night’s winners and what it all means. (Beyond the fact that you might never be able to be a walk-in anymore.)

    Our favorite pies

    You say you’re not baking this year? No worries. We scouted outlets for pie, and we’ve found bakeries that are a cut above. Check out our map.

    Where to eat along Marathon route

    Sunday’s Philadelphia Marathon wends from Old City out to Manayunk. If you’re watching with kids, here are 10 restaurants that can accommodate everyone relatively painlessly.

    Chef puts his stock in milk buns

    Chef Yehuda Sichel of the sandwich shop Huda has gone into the burger biz with Huda Burger, set right in the middle of everything in Fishtown. The secret sauce, as it were, is his fluffy, house-made milk buns.

    A look back at the Inquirer Food Fest

    🤤 A recap of some of the tastier bites from last weekend’s Inquirer Food Fest.

    🧁 Watch Eagles star Jordan Mailata and his wife, Niki, judge the Great Inquirer Bake-Off.

    Scoops

    Luna Cafe in Kensington is making a short but substantial move, ceding its home at Third Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue for a new space two blocks away at the Luxe (1705 N. American St.), allowing owner Sarah Varisano to grow the brand without leaving the neighborhood she’s called home for 13 years. Varisano, who started Luna in Old City 10 years ago as a new Drexel University MBA grad, will close the current cafe after brunch service on Dec. 14 and expects an April reopening. Luna’s familiar identity — full-service brunch, breakfast, coffee-to-go — will remain, while its bar and beverage program will expand. Evening hours will be added Thursday through Saturday. A key Luxe draw is the large outdoor courtyard, which Varisano expects to activate with about 50 seats for brunch, evening service, collaborations, and pop-ups.

    Palm Vintage Cafe — cafe by day, high-end cocktails and sushi by night — is on the way this winter to 1414 S. Penn Square (next to La Colombe and across from City Hall at the Residences at the Ritz Carlton). Houston Yang, who also owns the new Fushimi sushi counter at Two Liberty Place, and friend Mike Beja, an engineer, plan to offer pastries, breakfast sandwiches, salads, lunch sandwiches, and coffee from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then it goes to cocktails, sushi, caviar, oysters, and light food till 10 p.m. The tropical motif is meant to evoke a relaxed island escape in the middle of Center City.

    Mei Mei in Old City is undergoing renovations. Meanwhile, owner Jay Ho is taking over the former Izakaya Fishtown space next spring with Kato, an homage to his Taiwanese father and the food he grew up eating, amped by his love of Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese cooking. Ho plans to keep the front bar intact but will transform the back sushi counter area into additional dining space with the option for private dining.

    Capperini, a luxe spot serving an Italian-Mediterranean menu with a liquor license, is on its way to 137 S. Easton Rd. (at Wesley Avenue) in Glenside. Co-owner Ilya Vorobey, whose partners include the crew from Capri in Queen Village, says it should open next spring.

    Restaurant report

    Antonio Garcia, longtime chef of Italian restaurant Ariano in downtown Media, will open his own BYOB, Taquero, on the same block. The menu will pay homage to his Mexican roots. Above is fideo seco — noodles in a chipotle broth, served with queso fresco, crema, lump crab, and avocado. Read on as Lisa Dukart runs down the other specialties in advance of Taquero’s opening Monday on Veterans Square.

    Briefly noted

    Rocket Cat Cafe is not coming back to Fishtown. The long-delayed LeoFigs decided to have some fun with its neighbors with a bit of a ruse.

    Percy in Fishtown has rebranded to all-day diner after mixed reviews. Pancakes for dinner under the El!

    Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, the acclaimed Shanghainese restaurant that scored a “Michelin-recommended” tag at its flagship in Queens, has set Thursday for the opening of its first Delaware location in the Christiana Shopping District, 101 Geoffrey Drive, Newark.

    St. Oners, Tired Hands Brewing Co.’s eatery at 2218 Frankford Ave., will mark the release of its cannabis-inspired beer Stoner Hands on Thursday (3-10 p.m.) with an a la carte Mexican pairing menu from chef Antonio Hidalgo. Attendees get a sample pint of Stoner Hands, a 5.5% ABV terpene-infused pale ale.

    Chef Nana Araba Wilmot, whose cooking is shaped by her Ghanaian heritage and informed by French, Spanish, Southern, and Asian traditions, will host a Love That I Knead Supperclub installment themed to the cultural and culinary ties between Ghana and Jamaica. The BYO dinner, hosted by 5to9 Hospitality Group, will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Fishtown. It’s three courses plus welcome bites ($120 for chef’s table, $95 for general seating). A portion of proceeds benefits the Walkgood Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund. Details are here.

    Paris Baguette’s first South Jersey location will ribbon-cut at 3:30 p.m. Monday at Moorestown’s East Gate Shopping Center (105 Mall Link Rd.). Franchisees are IT professionals Ami and David Shah.

    Tickets for the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America: Philadelphia 2026 — it’s March 18 at the Grand Belle at the Bellevue — are now online.

    ❓Pop quiz

    What is the manufacturer PepsiCo doing with Doritos and Cheetos to make them more healthful?

    A) frying them in avocado oil

    B) baking them first in olive oil

    C) eliminating artificial colors

    D) making the chips thinner

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    What is happening on Washington Avenue near Front Street? It looks like a huge space, and yet from what I can tell online, it is a coffee shop? — Amanda J.

    It will be the first Philadelphia location of Trung Nguyên Legend, the powerhouse Vietnamese coffee brand behind the G7 instant line and animal-free “weasel” coffee. Grand opening is noted in its social media as Nov. 29. It started in 1996 in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and has grown into a global chain of philosophically themed cafés and franchises, now pushing into the United States. “Weasel coffee?” you ask. That’s Vietnam’s famed civet-style brew; traditionally made from beans eaten and excreted by civets, it’s now recreated by Trung Nguyên through an enzyme-fermentation process that mimics the flavor without using animals.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • A night of Michelin culinary stars and even a few cheesesteaks: Philly’s big showing in the restaurant awards

    A night of Michelin culinary stars and even a few cheesesteaks: Philly’s big showing in the restaurant awards

    For the first time ever, Philadelphia has a Michelin star. Three, in fact.

    Friday Saturday Sunday, Her Place Supper Club, and Provenance were each awarded a star, capping a brilliant showing as 31 other Philadelphia restaurants — including three cheesesteak shops — received honors in the city’s debut in Michelin, arguably the world’s most prestigious restaurant awards.

    Tuesday night’s Northeast Cities ceremony — which included restaurants from Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston (also in its Michelin debut) — drew hundreds of culinary professionals from around the world to the Kimmel Center, whose facade was lit up in Michelin’s signature red. The attendees were a who’s who of the culinary world, including chefs Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and drew dozens of the city’s best-known chefs and restaurateurs, such as Greg Vernick, Marc Vetri, Omar Tate, and Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Jesse Ito, and Ellen Yin.

    Hanna Williams looks on as her husband, chef Chad Williams, and Lynette Brown-Sow do a FaceTime after the Michelin awards at the Kimmel Center. Brown-Sow has known Chad Williams since he was a baby.

    Ten Philadelphia restaurants received a Bib Gourmand — recognized as great food at a great value, though not star-worthy. They represent a mixed bag of cuisines and price points: cheesesteaks (Angelo’s, Dalessandro’s, Del Rossi’s), Israeli cuisine (Dizengoff), Mexican (El Chingón), pizza (Pizzeria Beddia, Sally), casual pasta (Fiorella), Japanese (Royal Sushi & Izakaya), and classic Jewish deli (Famous 4th Street Deli).

    Michelin deemed 21 other Philadelphia restaurants as Recommended: Ambra, Forsythia, High Street, Hiroki, Honeysuckle, Illata, Kalaya, Laser Wolf, Laurel (whose final night will be Nov. 21), Little Water, Mish Mish, My Loup, Pietramala, River Twice, Roxanne, Southwark, Suraya, Vedge, Vernick Food & Drink, Vetri Cucina, and Zahav. Michelin says these restaurants serve high-quality food and use good ingredients.

    Joe Beddia (from left), Greg Root, Nick Kennedy (rear), Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, and Roland Kassis with the Michelin Man at the Michelin Guide announcements Tuesday at the. Kimmel Center.

    Besides the Recommended honor, Pietramala — chef Ian Graye’s vegan restaurant in Northern Liberties — was awarded a Green Star for demonstrating commitment to sustainability.

    All can use the name “Michelin” in their marketing, a powerful tool that potentially boosts business.

    Michelin, which operates in secrecy, bases the selections on its anonymous inspectors. Stars denote excellence: one star signals very good cuisine that’s “worth a stop,” two stars indicate excellence “worth a detour,” and three stars represent exceptional dining “worth a special journey.”

    Chef Jesse Ito and Mia Colona at the Michelin Guide announcements Tuesdy at the Kimmel Center.

    The ceremony, a milestone for Philadelphia’s profile as a dining destination, was the city’s highest-profile appearance since 2018, when the James Beard Foundation announced that year’s finalists for its annual chef, restaurant, and media awards in a ceremony at Parc.

    It was a night of camaraderie, pride, and emotion. After heading to the stage to acknowledge Angelo’s Pizzeria’s Bib Gourmand, owner Danny DiGiampietro disappeared for a bit. “I had a walk outside,” he explained later. “I can’t stop crying.”

    Philadelphia’s one-stars

    Friday Saturday Sunday chef Chad Williams and his wife, Hanna, took over this storied Rittenhouse restaurant in 2016 and pivoted to a set multicourse menu. “Thanks to skilled technique, just the right amount of innovation and an innate understanding of the luxury ingredients he uses, his dishes fill the mouth with flavor and succulence,” the Michelin blurb reads. “His delicious crispy sweetbreads will convert any skeptic; quail with pâte plays with texture, and the New York strip is a lesson in expert seasoning. There’s a great cocktail bar on the first floor; the long, narrow, lively and warmly run restaurant is up a steep flight of stairs — and those stairs will seem even steeper when it’s time to leave. Expect an atmosphere as spirited and enjoyable as the food.”

    Amanda Shulman (right) and her husband and business partner, Alex Kemp, giggle after winning a Michelin star for Her Place Supper Club at the Michelin ceremony at the Kimmel Center on Tuesday.

    Her Place Supper Club, also in Rittenhouse, was born out of chef Amanda Shulman’s cooking for friends in her Penn campus apartment. Michelin praised its “warm and welcoming supper club vibe.” While diners may get their own table, “there’s a real communal feel at play here; everyone is served at the same time after Amanda has explained to the room the makeup of each dish and perhaps the influence behind it.”

    Provenance, chef Nicholas Bazik’s sumptuous atelier across from Headhouse Square, delivers what Michelin calls “a high-wire, high-stakes performance defined by precision, harmony, and, of course, taste. Korean and French influences come and go with this elaborate tasting menu where special soys, vibrant oils and glossy sauces give wonderful dimension to pristine seafood and dry-aged proteins. Think Japanese tuna with whipped tofu, puffed sorghum and chili oil or brown butter hollandaise with country ham, caviar and cauliflower. The ideas are original, the flavors bold.”

    The Michelin effect

    All this boils down to commerce. City and state tourism boards have increasingly turned to Michelin — the French-based tire company that has been publishing the influential dining guides for decades — as food tourism plays a growing role in travel planning.

    Ian Graye of Pietramala accepts a Green Star award at Tuesday’s Michelin Guide announcement event at the Kimmel Center.

    Michelin has expanded rapidly in the United States over the last several years. Besides the American South region — covering Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — there are guides for Texas and Colorado. Atlanta’s 2023 guide has since been rolled into the South. The Florida guide, launched in 2022, now includes Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. Internationally, it recently arrived in Qatar, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

    (function() {
    var l2 = function() {
    new pym.Parent(‘michelin_philly’,
    ‘https://media.inquirer.com/storage/inquirer/projects/innovation/arcgis_iframe/michelin_philly.html’);
    };
    if (typeof(pym) === ‘undefined’) {
    var h = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0],
    s = document.createElement(‘script’);
    s.type = ‘text/javascript’;
    s.src = ‘https://pym.nprapps.org/pym.v1.min.js’;
    s.onload = l2;
    h.appendChild(s);
    } else {
    l2();
    }
    })();

    The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau cites an Ernst & Young study, commissioned by Michelin, showing the guide’s influence: 74% of travelers consider Michelin’s presence a decisive factor when choosing a destination; 76% say they would extend a trip to dine at a recommended restaurant; and 80% report being willing to pay more for what they view as a Michelin-level dining experience.

    For restaurants that receive distinctions, the impact is immediate as restaurants append “Michelin” to their social-media profiles.

    The energetic and anxious crowd of chefs and restauranteurs during the Michelin ceremony at the Kimmel Center Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.

    The reservations boost can be dramatic. In Charlotte, the 18-seat Counter sold about 900 reservations in the days after earning a star at the 2025 American South ceremony on Nov. 3, booking out through mid-February, chef-owner Sam Hart told Axios. About half the reservations came from out-of-town guests, including some international travelers.

    In many U.S. markets, the guide is explicitly part of tourism strategies: Axios has reported that the states included in the South edition are collectively paying Michelin $5 million over three years. PHLCVB has not disclosed how much it paid for Michelin’s partnership, which was announced in May.

    Chefs Jean Georges Vongerichten (left) and Thomas Keller posed with the Michelin Man ahead of Tuesday night’s ceremony at the Kimmel Center.

    Not only can reservations rise, so can menu prices at the winning restaurants. A widely cited 2018 analysis by Carly Shin of George Washington University found that a one-star rating increases menu prices by about 15%, two stars by 55%, and three stars by roughly 80%.

    Michelin says that 82% of chefs report increased revenue after receiving a distinction, 60% add new staff, and 58% say a nod boosts team motivation and morale — though anecdotally, some chefs acknowledge enormous pressure to maintain such a high level.

    Michelin’s arrival has inspired the PHLCVB Foundation to sponsor the Philabundance Community Kitchen program, a 16-week culinary vocational training and life-skills program for adults with low or no income, offering hands-on kitchen experience, ServSafe certification, and post-graduation employment support in the food service and restaurant industry. The foundation will connect the recognized chefs and restaurateurs to the PCK program.