This brewery is bubbling over | Let’s Eat

Brewerytown is getting its brewery back, thanks to Human Robot, whose partners have a busy couple of months ahead of them.

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— Mike Klein

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Philly’s Human Robot brewery is on the move, yet again, as Jenn Ladd reports it’s taking over for the shuttered Crime & Punishment in Brewerytown and has another tasting room on the way in New Hope. Read on as Jenn explains Human Robot’s quirky business model.

The cheesesteak was, for a long time, a working-class sandwich. Cheesesteak columnist Tommy Rowan ate three of Philly’s “luxury” cheesesteaks. Do we really need one made of wagyu?

Some people romanticize the experience of lining up at Angelo’s Pizzeria as a South Philly ritual, but not all neighbors agree. Tensions are set to come to a head at a community meeting tonight, as Jenn Ladd reports.

Pasta fanciers — both the gluten-free and non-gluten-free contingents — have been flocking to Matt Gentile and Genna Curcio’s little shop in Delco. They’ve just moved into a bigger space in Berwyn. As I explain: They’re serving dinner but still won’t open a restaurant.

Chef David Jansen’s nearly decade-long run in Mount Airy will wrap in late September with the closing of Jansen, his polished fine-dining restaurant in a renovated 18th-century cottage at Germantown and Gowan Avenues, which was noted as one of The Inquirer’s 76 essential restaurants for the region. Next stop, effective Nov. 1, will be Whitemarsh Valley Country Club as executive chef; executive sous chef Jason Burke and food-and-beverage manager Zachary Bourne will join him. Jansen, 58, was chef de cuisine at the old Four Seasons Hotel on Logan Square from 1989 to 2010, part of chef Jean-Marie Lacroix’s crackerjack crew that included Martin Hamann (the Union League), Townsend Wentz (Oloroso, Townsend, Caribou Cafe, etc.), and the late Tony Clark. Jansen says he and the team will do a long farewell as the restaurant’s days wind down.

In late 2023, David Fine of Schmear It bagels bought out Philly Bagels’ bakery and its five stores. On Friday, the rebranding will be unveiled as Schmear Bagel Parlor opens at 265 S. 44th St. in University City. This new look, including a new menu, will be rolled out at the Schmear It locations (3601 Market St. in University City and 19 S. 12th St. in Market East) and the existing Philly Bagels shops (Third and South, 20th and Fitzwater, 15th and Locust, 18th and JFK, and Passyunk and Moore). The new 44th Street location is the longtime home of Lil’ Pop Shop, and Schmear will continue to serve Lil’ Pops products, as well as Weckerly’s ice cream sandwiches, at this location. Rival Bros. coffee and espresso will be served from breakfast through evening. Initial hours: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. (Want a peek? Soft opening is Wednesday and Thursday.)

Albert Zheng plans to zhuzh his sushi game at 1811 Fairmount Ave. as the stylish Javelin opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday, replacing his 8-year-old sushi spot, Engimono.

Javelin, a 50-seater, will run as a BYOB until the liquor license is in hand. (Richie Tray of the Library Bar at the Rittenhouse is consulting on the drinks.) It’s walk-in only for the first week, as reservations start May 1 via Toast.

Zheng got a taste of the good life as an investor in the well-received Ogawa in Old City, and his menu here includes sushi, sashimi, and maki, plus a crab and avocado tower, seared Japanese A5 wagyu, and miso seabass with ikura and seasonal vegetables. Open daily from 4 p.m.

Conshohocken is getting not one but two new bar-restaurants this May: Demetrios Pappas, whose background includes the now-closed Cafe Fresko in Bryn Mawr, is behind Salt & Stone, a Mediterranean spot done up in midcentury modern and due for a early May rollout at 128 Fayette St., the former Fayette Street Oyster House. Chef Lassine Sylla’s long local history includes Anjou and Tangerine. Also on the docket is the Rabbit Hole (201 W. 6th Ave.), Alysa Avila’s smart small-plater with drinks and charcuterie boards.

Cary Neff has moved his South Philadelphia cookware-supply business, C.M. Neff Cook Sup. Co., into a former dental office three blocks away at 1612 E. Passyunk Ave. The new spot has a demo kitchen and a small rear yard for events. Neff, himself a chef, caters to home cooks as well as the pros and offers same-day knife sharpening. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.-ish daily.

Kibitz Room King of Prussia. Brandon Parish has been working in Jewish delis since he was tall enough to stand on a milk crate and wash dishes.

This week, at age 31, he’s opened one of the largest joints in the region, and the menu mixes old-time favorites and a few new ideas. Tableside chopped liver service? Join me for a look inside.

Kibitz Room King of Prussia, 128 Town Center Rd. Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Wheelchair accessible.

Dining Out for Life returns for its 35th year Thursday at 40 Philly restaurants that agree to donate a portion of their proceeds to support local individuals living with HIV. See the list here.

Federal Donuts & Chicken will grand-open its first South Jersey location at 7 a.m. Friday in Marlton Square (300 Route 73 South) with T-shirts for the first 100 customers with purchase. On Saturday, free red, white, and blue-sprinkled doughnuts will be given away with purchase while supplies last. (I’m told that FD&C’s next locations, at Philadelphia International Airport and in Conshohocken, are being teed up for June openings.)

The memorial service for chef Philippe Chin, who died last month, will be 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the Quaker Kitchen, inside Gutmann College House, 201 S. 40th St.

Post Bros., the developer, will relaunch its Saturday Northern Liberties Farmers Market with a block party from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. It will stretch from the courtyard of Piazza Alta to Second Street at Germantown Avenue.

Liscio’s Bakery will mark the opening of its massive new bakery and deli, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday (ribbon-cutting at noon) at 557 N. Delsea Drive in Glassboro, a former Save-A-Lot supermarket.

Wetzel’s Pretzels, whose sole local outlet is at the Fashion District (1101 Market St.) in Center City, will mark National Pretzel Day on Saturday with one free pretzel per person from 3 p.m. to close. No purchase is necessary.

Yards Real Ale Invitational, a gathering of 40 cask-conditioned beers, will come off from noon-4 p.m. Sunday at Yards Brewery, 500 Spring Garden St. Tickets ($50, or $20 for designated drivers) include admission, pours, music, food, and a commemorative glass.

Tattoo Mom (530 South St.) will revive its Tutu Mary’s vegan Hawaiian lunch pop-ups from noon-10 p.m. Sunday (preorders from 10 a.m.). The vegan shoyu garlic chickn plate ($13.50) comes with nishiki rice with furikake, Hawaiian-style macaroni salad, and spicy kimchi; there are coconut haupia treats ($3.50), too.

Kampar, doing the pop-up circuit while recovering from a fire in February, will do a one-night takeover of Middle Child Clubhouse (1232 N. Front St.) from 5-10 p.m. Monday. Pay-as-you-go menu includes Ramly burgers, nasi lemak, roti canai, and achat. Kampar’s bar team will be behind the bar for the night, serving a special cocktail menu.

Yanaga Kappo Izakaya in Northern Liberties will mark its first year in business and will remember the late chef Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka from 5-10 p.m. May 5 with a block party on the 300 block of Fairmount Avenue featuring food from Mawn, Neighborhood Ramen, Zama, and Nihonbashi Philly (aka Tokyo Philly, the cheesesteak shop from Japan). The restaurants will collaborate on a sukiyaki cheesesteak and a teriyaki chicken egg cheesesteak produced by Yanaga and Nihonbashi Philly’s Kosuke and Tomomi Chujo; Mawn’s hot dog (Martin’s roll, Snap-O-Razzo beef dog, wild boar Cambodian chili, rolled onions, vinegar peppers, and cornichons); a Philly-style maki (cheesesteak roll) from chef Jose Luna at Zama; a Cinco de Mayo-inspired mazeman from Neighborhood Ramen; and a handroll cart staffed by Yanaga. Walk-ups only, and all food and drink (e.g. beer from Yards and Human Robot and whiskey from Beam/Suntory) will be sold a la carte.

Emmett — chef Evan Snyder’s South Kensington Mediterranean newcomer — is hosting a monthly dinner series called “Not-a-Popup.” First up: Chef Nich Bazik of Provenance on May 13 for a collaborative dinner ($125pp plus tax/tip, seatings from 5-9:30 p.m., reservations/menu on OpenTable).

Center City District SIPS will return for its 21st season on June 4 with Wednesday happy-hour specials from 5-7 p.m. through Aug. 27. Some will offer dinner discounts after 7 p.m. The list of participants is at ccdsips.com.

Syndicated drive-thru coffee kiosk 7 Brew cut the ribbon last week on its new location in Ganttown Plaza, just off the Atlantic City Expressway in Turnersville.

Mozzarella-stick barons Mike Hauke and Michael Burns sold 5% of their Atlantic City-based company, Mad Mutz, for $150,000 on ABC’s Shark Tank last week. “QVC Queen” Lori Greiner is the investor. Here’s Mad Mutz’s backstory.

Now that you’ve eaten all your Easter candy: How many Peeps does Just Born produce each year in Bethlehem?

A) 500 million

B) 2 billion

C) 3 billion

D) too many

Find out if you know the answer.

Here in the Cedar Park/Baltimore Ave zone of West Philly, we’re constantly hoping for new eating and dining options. So the people are currently wondering what’s going to open at 4630 Baltimore Avenue, the former address of Aksum? The exterior was recently painted bright red/orange. — Alex L.

No sooner had our correspondent hit send when the answer appeared, in the form of a sign being prepared. It’s going to be a Crown Chicken & Pizza location.

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