Your ultimate Philly hot dog guide | Let’s Eat
The scoop on the high price of Philly ice cream and 19 restaurants coming to Rittenhouse.
This week, we start with a subject that we can relish: Hot dogs. We’ll roll out some history and divulge our favorites. Also, read on for our scoop on the high cost of ice cream, Craig LaBan’s reviews of the two dining experiences experiences at Kampar in Bella Vista, and a rundown of 19 (19!) new restaurants on the way to Rittenhouse.
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Jenn Ladd had the Food team’s wurst assignment so far this year: a deep dive into Philly hot dogs.
🌭 You might think Philly is a hoagie town, but our hot dog scene is coming into its own. Jenn found a rich, if downplayed, history of frankfurters in the Philadelphia area.
🌭 Want our favorites? From old-fashioned frankfurters and handmade German wieners, plus dogs wrapped in pretzels, doughnuts, and even bagels, here are 23 spots for great dogs from West Chester to Cape May, curated by Jenn and writer Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé.
I scream, you scream, we all scream about ice cream prices. Though a scoop can cost upwards of $8 in Philly, it’s “still cheaper than a cocktail,” shop owners told Erin McCarthy. That’s cold comfort, as she found.
A twofer from critic Craig LaBan about Kampar, Ange Branca’s new spot in Bella Vista.
Kampar is back with two concepts in one building, a bar, and no saté — but, as Craig says, it still has the fire. Come for the dragon meat but stay for the Ramly, one of Philly’s most special burgers.
On Kampar’s ground floor, chef in residence Reuben “Chef Reuby” Asaram works the space’s pizza oven, now acting as a tandoor for his bold Indian fusion menu, presented as Sunny’s Table.
The stately townhouse shown above, formerly a law office at 1522 Locust St., is among 19 new restaurants that are under development in Rittenhouse. I’ll tell you about Kissho House, overseen by a chef-alum of Hiroki and Royal Izakaya, among other projects on the way. This week alone will see the openings of a brunch spot and a sports bar.
Here’s a first look at Cantina Feliz, newly open at 111 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler after its move from Fort Washington. As you may notice from the reflection in the door glass, it is directly across from the Ambler Theater. The town is awaiting the late-summer openings of Mary, a tavern at 47 E. Butler Ave. from Chad Rosenthal (who previously had the Lucky Well in Cantina Feliz’s space) as well as La Baja, a Mexican BYOB from Cantina La Martina’s Dionicio Jimenez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez, at 9 N. Main St.
Mac Mart — Marti Lieberman and Pamela Lorden’s mac-and-cheese shop in Rittenhouse — has a franchise opening on the Main Line next month. It will be just off Lancaster Avenue, at 38-40 Rittenhouse Place in Ardmore.
What was Fiore Rosso in Bryn Mawr, overseen at its 2022 opening by Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin and shuttered recently, will reopen mid-month as Il Fiore. Sound-proofing has been added as part of a renovation. There’s continuity in the kitchen: New chef Marie Lavizzo-Mourey was a sous under Fiore Rosso chef Jesse Grossman. (Il Fiore is no relation to the longtime BYOB in Collingswood with the same name.)
Restaurant report
Yanaga Kappo Izakaya. An izakaya without a bar? Would that be an izn’t?
The peripatetic chef Kevin Yanaga opened his izakaya in Northern Liberties in April, and it took three months for the liquor license application to work its way through red tape. But it’s now in place, and Yanaga’s business partner, Michael Ego, has put together a fun drinks list, bringing yuzu, shiso, and shochu into all sorts of cocktails at the lively corner bar, formerly the Abbaye. “Jersey’s Sold Out, Sir,” shown above, mixes Toki whiskey from Suntory, shochu, egg white, citrus, and miso caramel. For the “72 Pinto Hatchback,” mugicha (barley tea) blows it up with Lillet Blanc and bergamot.
You can pair these with the snacks, such as tantanmen ramen, Japanese spaghetti, or gyoza, though the main menu draws are Yanaga’s rolls. He’s spent years behind the counter at such spots as Zama, Pod, Double Knot, as well as his own spot in Fishtown. Chief among them is the tuna and guacamole roll, topped with a wonton chip, shown above.
While you’re there, check out the bookshelf to the far left of the bar. What if I told you that one side is hinged and that it opens to what will become an omakase room this fall?
Yanaga Kappo Izakaya, 637 N. Third St. Hours: 4-11 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2-10 p.m. Sunday. Kitchen closes an hour before.
Bastia. The reservation book is open for Bastia, chef Tyler Akin’s sultry coastal Mediterranean restaurant, opening Aug. 15 inside the new Hotel Anna & Bel in Fishtown.
It’s a cafe by day, destination by night, and there’s a cocktail lounge on the way. I run down the details, and Jessica Griffin offers photos.
Briefly noted
Puyero Venezuelan Flavor (524 S. Fourth St.) starts weekend brunch, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with arepas, including pabellón a caballo (shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, white cheese, fried egg); pelúa a caballo (shredded beef, avocado, gouda cheese, fried egg); périco with queso and bacon (Venezuelan-style scrambled eggs with onion, tomatoes, cilantro); aguacate with queso and tajadas (avocado, cheese, and fried sweet plantains), plus breakfast bowls and golfeados.
Bake’n Bacon (1148 S. 11th St.) starts weekend brunch, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cocktails, French toast, and bacon are involved.
Center City District Restaurant Week returns, Sept. 8-Sept. 21, with three course, prix-fixe dinners offered for $40 or $60, and two-course lunches for $20, plus discounted parking. Catch the details here.
Chris “Lappy” LaPierre, a leading figure on the Philadelphia beer scene, died unexpectedly last week. He will be remembered Saturday at Iron Hill’s Center City Philadelphia location.
Iron Hill’s Ardmore location, which opened in December 2014, closed over the weekend. Customers are being directed to West Chester, Phoenixville, Media, Chestnut Hill, and Center City, and its workers are being offered jobs there.
Good Dog Bar’s Atlantic City location will close after business Sunday after only about 15 months. Co-owner David Geary said he and partner Heather Gleason faced “insurmountable” challenges, including complementary businesses awaiting permits, the cancellation of the air show, and no live concerts offered for the rest of the summer. He said Good Dog’s business at 224 S. 15th St. in Center City Philadelphia was fine.
❓Pop quiz
The Dubai chocolate bar is the latest sweets craze, courtesy of TikTok. What is in the bar’s center?
A) peanut butter
B) macadamia nuts and toffee
C) shredded phyllo and pistachio butter
D) vanilla nougat
Find out if you know the answer.
Ask Mike anything
How is the opening of Kura, the revolving sushi bar, coming along in Cherry Hill? — Marlyn B.
The casual chain, whose dishes glide along a conveyor belt and uses a robot for drink delivery, is aiming for a fall debut in the Marketplace at Garden State Park, a company rep said. The Center City Philadelphia location opened in early 2023 at 1721 Chestnut St. No other Philly-area locations are on the books, though it’s planning spots in North Jersey — Paramus and Parsippany — in 2025.
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