FOODIE FILE BY A.D. AMOROSI
Ari Miller & Christopher Curtin
Adan Trinidad & Eli Collins
Aaron Gottesman & Nich Bazik
FROM HERE TO ANDIARIO Under a tin ceiling and wide windows on Gay Street in West Chester, Chef Anthony Andiario and life-business partner Maria van Schaijik have crafted a handsomely burnished and flavorfully propulsive sort-of cuisine where delicate handmade pastas with unique and sumptuous sauces (check the colorful wide bigoli with house cured guanciale and blistered cherry tomatoes or the hearty ricotta casoncelli with black trumpets and mushroom crema) and wood-fired meats and fishes (braised pork shoulder with sweet corn and torpedo onions, duck breast with smoked apple jus), are elevated to an art form. Even simple pleasures such as a veal carpaccio with plump blackberries and meaty chanterelles are a neat and tasty trick. THE NEW ITALIAN MARKET ISN’T SO ITALIAN It wouldn’t be the first time that someone has written of the charms of the evershifting Italian Market as it has—increasingly more so in the last decade—opened its arms, hearts and collective stomach to cuisine including Mexican and various forms of Asian fare. Now, and within the last month, there’s been the addition of the Koukouzeli Hellenic Grille to the lower half of South 9th Street, a yogurty Greek restaurant from the team at Old City’s Brickhouse Café. Located next door to Connie’s Ric Rac, the 20+ seater will be open Wednesday through Sunday, a perfect skewering for the late-night crowds rocking out at the Ric Rac. Opa! Along with a still un-named Jamaican restaurant opening with the promise of tangy jerk chicken and such (and near the Cheesesteak Vegas of Pat’s and Geno’s), there’s the multinational Market at Ninth, directly across from Blue Corn, that specializes in café, gourmet fare with flair. All this occurs in the shadow of the expansion of the El Compadre /South Philly Barbacoa empire as co-owner-chef Cristina Martinez and Benjamin Miller stretches onto the corner of 1140 S. 9th Street. What will happen is that Martinez’s tender lamb barbacoa will be served from the wee early hours (5 a.m. on!) during Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, while El Compadre will remain in business, Monday through Fridays, serving tacos, tortas and guisados. THE NEW FERGIE’S, SAME AS THE OLD FERGIE’S When Fergus Carey lost his Fergie’s Pub co-founder Wajih Abed to cancer in 2017, no one knew what he could have in store next, for his future and the future of his nearly 24-year-old Sansom Street saloon and social meet-ery. Carey, however, looked from within, and found his longtime bartender/manager Jim McNamara, along with Rebecca Strapp, a bartender at South Philly’s Garage. Word has it that nothing at all will change at Fergie’s, and that Carey had only just signed a new 10year lease. PAIRING UP FOR FEASTIVAL There are several big changes on board for this year’s Fringe Festival-funding Feastival, Thursday, September 27 at Fringe Arts headquarters. Along with taking on a fourth partner in Top Chef-winning Nicholas Elmi, chef/co-founder Michael Solomonov and restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Audrey Clare Taichman, have creat28
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Michael Solomonov, Jesse Ito, Townsend Wentz & Nick Elmi
Seth Petit & Rakesh Ramola
ed a pairing-up concept among its celebratory chefs, where each team tackles ideas and cuisines linked to particular areas of the city. While the tickets cost $300 a shot ($450 for VIP), here are the teams you can look forward to tasting, and here’s where you can buy tickets (http://phillyfeastival.com) Tackling South Philly’s Italian, Southeast Asian, and Mexican heritage: Chris Buretta, Continental Midtown and Abigail Dahan, Parc Jezabel Careaga, Jezabel’s and Clark Gilbert, Louie Louie Jason Cichonski, Ela and Andrew Farley, High Street on Market Joncarl Lachman, Noord and Ben Puchowitz, Bing Bing Dim Sum and Cheu Noodle Bar Richard Pepino, Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Michael Yeamans, Audrey Claire Seth Petitt, Urban Farmer and Rakesh Ramola, Indeblue Representing West Philly cuisines Indian, African and Caribbean: Aaron Bennawit, The Good King Tavern and Scott Schroeder, Hungry Pigeon Eli Collins, a.kitchen and Adan Trinidad, Sancho Pistola’s Nick Elmi, Laurel and Nick Macri, La Divisa Meats Matt Fein, Federal Donuts and Jon Rodriquez, Mission Taqueria Nate Horwitz, Morimoto and Todd Lean, Pod Armando Jimenez, Harp & Crown and Charlie Schmidt, Philadelphia OIC Representing Chinatown’s Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian cuisines: Nich Bazik, Kensington Quarters and Aaron Gottesman, Oyster House Camille Cogswell, Zahav and Manny Perez, Walnut Street Café William Kells, Capofitto and Peter Woolsey, La Peg Michael Loughlin, Scarpetta and Jeremy Nolen, West Reading Motor Club Michael Strauss, Mike’s BBQ and Michael Sultan, Revolution Taco Representing Kensington and Port Richmond’s Polish, Lithuanian and Irish cuisines: Kenneth Bush, Bistrot La Minette and Richard Landau, V Street and Vedge Jonathan Cichon, Lacroix and Ari Miller, Lost Bread Co. Christopher Curtin, Eclat Chocolate and Ari Miller, 1732 Meats Chris Kearse, Will BYOB and Joe Thomas Jr., Bank & Bourbon Francisco Ramirez, Tredici and Zavino and Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink Representing Northeast Philly’s Jewish, German and Russian heritage: Kiki Aranita and Chris Vacca, Poi Dog and Marc Vetri, Vetri Cucina Michael Brenfleck, La Calaca Feliz and Doreen DeMarco, American Sardine Bar Rob Cottman, World Café Live and Andrew Wood, Russet Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya and Townsend Wentz, Townsend, A Mano and Oloroso Samuel Kennedy and Matthew Hettlinger, The Farm at Doe Run and John Patterson, Fork n