Philly’s best new cocktail bar | Let’s Eat
We tour the Dietz & Watson plant, choose our knife at a posh steakhouse, and try to answer: Are they “sprinkles” or “jimmies”?
A Mexican bar without a margarita? Wait till you see La Jefa Milpa, from the Tequilas family.
Also in this edition:
“Sprinkles” or “jimmies”?: Philadelphians are amazingly divided on this topic.
Go ham: Join us for a tour of the Dietz & Watson plant.
Chicken my kids love: A recipe from our Food section is a hit in my house.
Read on for food news: A new location for Johnny’s Pizza.
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Center City’s coolest new cocktail bar is not a speakeasy, but it is a bar within a bar, sandwiched inside a restaurant. Let Jenn Ladd show you La Jefa Milpa.
When Jenn Ladd asked the owners of Dietz & Watson, the deli-meat king, for a plant tour, she was surprised with their answer: a cordial yes. And nothing was off-limits. Follow along as she and videographer Lauren Schneiderman visit the Tacony St. manufacturer.
Are the colorful candies atop an ice cream cone properly “jimmies” or “sprinkles”? Philadelphians are melting down over this issue.
Barclay Prime’s big shtick at its opening two decades ago was the knife tray, where staff allowed patrons to choose one of five steak knives. Cut off during the pandemic, it’s back by popular demand.
Dinnertime rolled around one night last week, and I got the “chicken again?” scowl from my kids. Then I made New Stove Chicken, a recipe for seasoned chicken thighs that we recently published under the headline, “This spiced, blistered chicken is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.” They agreed. Try the recipe, and let me know what you think.
Scoops
The Wonder-ization of the Philadelphia area is continuing. The food hall/delivery kitchen, now with six locations (King of Prussia, Ardmore, Northeast Philadelphia, West Chester, Fishtown, and Cherry Hill), will add four more this summer (3925 Walnut St. in University City, 127 Ark Rd. in Mount Laurel, 930 Stony Hill Rd. in Yardley, and 540 Grove Lane in Newark, Del.) and three more this fall (960 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell, 1100 Market St. in the Promenade at Upper Dublin, and 3205 Avenue North Blvd. in Wilmington). Wonder is on track for 19 locations in the region by the end of the year.
Johnny’s Pizza, which has racked up acclaim from the Main Line crowd since its November 2022 opening in Bryn Mawr, is expanding to 369 W. Lancaster Ave. in Wayne, the former Seasons Pizza in Strafford Shopping Center. John Bisceglie says he’s aiming to open by Sept. 4, the Eagles’ season premiere.
Inside Out Pizza, selling as a pop-up for months, will open its mostly takeout storefront at 1544 E. Passyunk Ave. on July 9. Dan Olson’s menu will ramp up to include square and round pizzas (slices and whole pies), focaccia-style sandwiches, and snacks. Regular hours will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
DaMo Pasta Lab’s six-year run at 12th and Sansom Streets will end soon, as Danilo D’Eugenio and Monica Fenocchio report “months of tough challenges.” No impact on their newer location at 100 S. 21st St. Craig LaBan ranked their budget-friendly to-go dishes, notably the cacio e pepe, among his favorites.
The Pop Shop, the 1950s-style family eatery in Collingswood, is morphing after two decades into the more-grown-up Stardust Cafe. After a soft opening Tuesday, owners Jerry Goksun and Jennifer Vincent — who bought it in 2023 — plan to debut July 10. Breakfast will remain, but won’t be available all day. A brunch menu will be served midday, and at 3 p.m., a true dinner menu, beyond the Pop Shop’s grilled cheese/burgers fare, will kick in as well. “It’s still going to be the fun place,” Vincent said. “But it’s not just for kids — for everyone.“ Decor will still be retro, but closer to the 1980s.
Restaurant report
Old Towne & Sanna’s. The pandemic prompted the shutdown of Ossama “Sam” Barouki’s unglamorous corner pizzeria/kebab house at the triangle intersection of 23rd and Bainbridge Streets and Grays Ferry Avenue. Barouki spent the better part of four years adding a three-story extension to the building, resulting in six glassed-in apartments.
He rebuilt the restaurant, adding a coffered ceiling, hanging greenery, and Moroccan-style tiles. He also upgraded the menu. You can still get pizzas, cheesesteaks, and wings — “because all my customers know that” — but the new focus is Lebanese dishes made for sharing. It remains casual and BYOB-friendly.
The kebabs and shawarma, of course, are back. Start with the hummus trio ($11.99, shown above) — plain, red pepper, and beetroot — served with hot, fluffy pita, and perhaps the yellow lentil soup ($6.99). Barouki’s son Amr (above) is modeling a vegetable manakish ($12.99), one of several flatbreads.
Desserts, all house-made, include housemade warbat, baklava, knafeh, and katayef.
Old Towne & Sanna’s, 2301 Grays Ferry Ave. Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Briefly noted
Love & Honey Fried Chicken is franchising beyond its Northern Liberties flagship location. There’s one in Bucks County, and another one on the way to South Philadelphia.
The Christmas in July dinner series at South Philadelphia’s River Twice means five nights of visiting chefs: July 22 is Johnny Spero of Reverie in Washington, D.C.; July 23 is Neil Zabriskie of Regards in Portland, Maine; July 24 is Nick Tamburo of Smithereens in New York; July 25 is Jacob Siwak of Forsythia in New York; and July 26 is Shola Olunloyo of Philly’s Studiokitchen. Seatings ($150pp, or $175 at the counter) start at 5 p.m., with 50 seats available per night.
Justin Coleman and Kelvin Alexander of South Philadelphia’s Bake’n Bacon restaurant will be in New Orleans this weekend for the Essence Festival. Their session, “Fuel Up: Smart Breakfast for a Busy Life,” will teach how to meal prep, create quick and nutritious grab-and-go options, and use time-saving hacks.
❓Pop quiz
A Philly-area man invented the Mojoz GummiCone — a cone for water ice and ice cream that happens to be vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and halal. What’s the key ingredient?
A) carrageenan
B) nutritional yeast
C) parts of seaweed plants
D) cream of tartar
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
Where is Pica’s new location? — Bob C.
My inbox was flooded with similar questions after the Pica family announced last week that its new location had received its zoning variance. Since the popular pizza restaurant had disclosed that was moving to Broomall, I scoured public records to deduce the likely spot. Pica’s original Upper Darby location will remain open through the summer.
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