What Craig LaBan has been loving lately | Let’s Eat

Craig LaBan has found a lot to enjoy in the last week or so: elegant dining in Hunterdon County, N.J., a clever bistro in South Kensington, and tasty Vietnamese iced coffee on South Street.

🥪 Have a favorite breakfast sandwich? Fill out our bracket, and do it now. Voting closes at 6 p.m. April 2. It’s here.

Also in this edition:

— Mike Klein

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

With spring springing, critic Craig LaBan took a drive to scenic Hunterdon County, N.J., where he was dazzled by two newer entries: Sergeantsville Inn and Finnbar (the former Frenchtown Inn). Read on to find out why Craig says they’ve created “two of the most impressively complete dining experiences in the entire region.”

❗️Bonus: Sergeantsville Inn chef Sean Gray and team will be in Northern Liberties on Sunday for a casual afternoon pop-up with chef Robert West of Standard Tap. Gray, former executive chef at Momofuku Ko, will offer inn favorites such as shrimp casino (shown above), fried chicken (a hot take on the cold fried chicken he made at Ko bar), burgers, and radicchio salad, while West will feature Standard Tap classics plus the brunch menu and beverages from both restaurants. Seatings are from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. by walk-in/reservation.

At the new Emmett on Girard Avenue, chef Evan Snyder is delivering dishes that Craig says “feel coherent and pop an originality at a moment when Mediterranean cooking in Philadelphia has never been more popular.” Read on for the review.

Why did Craig do a “genuine double take” over the Vietnamese iced coffee at Saigon Grace Cafe on South Street? Could be the beans, which the owner’s mother harvests in Vietnam.

A cheesesteak you can’t refuse: “Skinny Joey” Merlino is now in the biz.

Best delivery cheesesteaks: You ring, they bring. Here are our favorites. (And read on: One of our favorites is opening a new location.)

Mama’s days are numbered: Cheesesteak columnist Tommy Rowan drops a bombshell about a Bala Cynwyd institution.

(Yes, we have a cheesesteak columnist.)

When Drexel University announced that it would begin enforcing city laws about overnight parking, food truck operators saw this as an effort to remove them from campus entirely. Zoe Greenberg says at least one plans to shut down.

Cherry Hill is far more than a mall. Jenn Ladd finds two dozen great places to eat and drink there.

Taco Bell bought ads claiming that it had bought the Liberty Bell on April 1, 1996, thereby playing the best Philly-centric April Fool’s prank of all time. Tommy Rowan not only recounts the gag in an article, but visited a Taco Bell for a special video report on @inqphillyfood, our Instagram page. (Follow us!)

Bet you haven’t heard the one about Claude’s Comedy Club & Bar, coming to 1123 S. Broad St. (near Solar Myth), perhaps as soon as this fall. Reid Benditt, a veteran on the local entertainment scene and publisher of the humor zine Philly Jabroni, says he envisions it as a neighborhood comedy club — half the size of Helium — “something local, but something that pulls in some national talent, too.” Claude is his uncle’s cheeky nickname for his mom, Claudia. Light food. Stay tuned.

Gouldsburger’s, which has broken out of Haddonfield into satellite locations in Logan Square, University City, Medford, and Bordentown, plans to open a franchise inside JJ Bootlegger’s, 35 S. Second St. in Old City. It will serve starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, starting likely in mid-May. Gouldsburger’s casual menu includes one of our top delivery cheesesteaks, whose roll is dusted with “everything” bagel seasoning.

Larry Rosenblum brought Montreal bagels to Philly awhile back with the Spread Bagelry chain. For his latest project, he has circled back to round dough: Ringo Coffee & Donuts delivers sweet and savory doughnuts complemented by a slate of sweet and savory toppings. (That’s the pizza version pictured above.) I stopped around the other day and offer this report.

Ringo Coffee & Donuts, 2001 Federal St. Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily.

Tio Flores, the cantina at 1600 South St., will mark its last call Saturday after nearly 10 years.

Four fans of the Women’s National Basketball Association have begun a crowdfunding campaign to open Philly’s first dedicated women’s sports bar by summer 2026.

South Philly’s Paffuto is known for the panzerotti, the savory, calzone-like turnovers. On April 9, the cafe (1009 S. Eighth St.) launches what it calls its Legends Series: two months of specials honoring top chefs, a new one every other week, running Wednesday-Sunday. Marc Vetri is up first: one panzerotti features braised rabbit and fennel sausage ragu, while the other is a vegetarian version including Swiss chard, brown butter, ricotta, and mozzarella, a play on Vetri’s gnocchi. Subsequent panzerotti will pay tribute to Greg Vernick, Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon of Kalaya, Shola Olunloyo, Randy Rucker, Cristina Martinez, and Pierre Calmels. The final week will be a blueberry dessert “pie-zerotti” to honor pastry chef Abby Dahan of Provenance. Each will cost about $15, depending on ingredients, and a portion of proceeds will go to a charity of each chef’s choosing. Vetri chose Vetri Community Partnership. See Instagram for the schedule.

Puyero owners Gilberto Arends and Manuela Villasmil will mark their eighth anniversary by giving away 100 empanadas at their locations at 524 S. Fourth St. in Queen Village and 3428 Sansom St. in University City. They will offer some new Venezuelan dishes — tequeños de guayaba ($8); empanada de pabellón ($8); tostones playeros ($15 for three tostones with shrimp ceviche and avocado); arepa playera ($15 for shrimp ceviche with avocado); pernil and cotija ($15 for pulled pork, caramelized onions, and cotija cheese); and churro bites featuring Nutella and dulce le leche ($5) — over the April 12-13 weekend at the Queen Village location.

Philly Pheast, the annual benefit for Culinary Careers Program (C-CAP), will pay tribute to chef Jean Marie Lacroix at 6 p.m. April 28 at Lilah, 1601 N. Front St., and will feature a family-style dinner featuring food from chefs from his lineage, including David Jansen of Jansen, Townsend Wentz of Townsend, A Mano, Oloroso, Oltremare, Caribou Cafe and the Hayes, and Eric Leveillee of Lacroix. Tickets are $250 a head. C-CAP, a national nonprofit that connects students annually to opportunities in the hospitality industry, works with 20 high schools and 1,600 students locally, and 23,000 students nationally.

Big cookies are everywhere these days, and Levain Bakery sells the heaviest one in our recent roundup. What’s the weight?

A) 2.5 ounces

B) 4 ounces

C) 5.7 ounces

D) 8 ounces

Find out if you know the answer. And while you’re at it, see how Philadelphia entered the era of Big Cookie.

I saw that Bok Bar is coming back on April 10. I can’t find the chef programming. Any help? — Tara G.

That was easy! The South Philadelphia rooftop landmark has booked the following: Chef Alex Yoon of Little Fish (starting April 11), Darnel’s (May), Puyero Venezuelan Flavor (June), Gabriella’s Vietnam (July), Korea Taqueria (August), and Sweet Amalia (September). The October chef has not been announced. It will be open Wednesday-Sunday through Nov. 2. The docket is here.

Even sooner, Walnut Garden (1708 Walnut St.) will open Thursday at 4 p.m., running from 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday initially (though open at 11 a.m. during Sunday Open Streets).

📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at [email protected] 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.