Two new South Philly brunch spots offer wishes and dishes

To those starting their first restaurant, few concepts seem better on paper than opening a small brunch spot in South Philadelphia:

It’s a densely populated swath of the city. Operating hours are during the daytime. Table turnover can be brisk. Menus are typically manageable from a preparation standpoint. BYOB eliminates the need for a liquor license, which costs north of $175,000 in Philadelphia.

Besides, brunch is a thing, for couples and families.

Here are two newcomers picking up a following.

Rainford Miles, who has a kitchen background (he was a prep cook at Zahav), wanted to get into the bar business with his partner and Southwest Philadelphia sweetheart, Banesha Whitney, but the cost of entry was too high. They decided to start smaller, securing the former Teresa’s Mesa at Second and Monroe Streets in Queen Village for Eleven Eleven, an 18-seat BYOB.

That’s Eleven Eleven, as in “11:11, make a wish.” Whitney, who juggles dining-room duty with her other job as a senior nursing aide at Children’s Hospital, decorated the place with a dreamy sense of hope and optimism: cloud light fixtures, muted wallpaper, and a wall of clocks set to 11:11 — all accurate twice a day.

It’s also the only bruncherie in recent memory with a ring light all plugged in and ready to go if you feel the need for a selfie.

Miles’ menu picks up the theme. Leading the line of hotcakes are the Make A Wish Cakes ($15), which are lit. Literally — the Funfetti pancakes arrive topped with sprinkles and a candle. Top sellers include the Cinnamon Crunch and Fruity Pebbles French toast. There are omelets plus combos like chicken and waffles, a crab cake and home fries, and shrimp, whiting, or salmon with grits. The house burger ($17), served on a brioche bun, is a double patty topped with an onion ring, lettuce, tomato, and a hot honey sauce.

Eleven Eleven, 727 S. Second St., 215-764-7915. Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Ricardo Sandoval’s father has waited tables in the Philadelphia area for decades at such spots as the former Le Bec-Fin and Brasserie Perrier in Rittenhouse and Teca in Newtown Square. He pretty much followed his dad from restaurant to restaurant.

At Le Bec-Fin, Sandoval got a taste of kitchen work in the waning days of chef Georges Perrier’s time there. He then joined his father at Paramour at the Wayne Hotel, working in the kitchen with chef Eric Goods while his father waited tables.

Working with Goods was a turning point. “I saw that passion he has and how he loves what he does,” Sandoval said. He enrolled at JNA Institute of Culinary Arts and after graduating, joined La Scala as chef, followed by time at Scarpetta at the Rittenhouse Hotel as sous chef. “I just kept pushing myself to learn new things,” he said. Next were line cook jobs at Teca in Newtown Square and Fava in Glen Mills before he helped a friend opened the kitchen at Frame in Old City.

One day, he was sitting with his parents, Ascension Sandoval and Maria Elena Ventura, and shared plans for his next step: his own restaurant in South Philadelphia. They were on board.

“We’re Mexican, but there’s a lot of Mexican places around,” Ricardo Sandoval said. “We were like, why don’t we open a brunch spot? If people want breakfast or a brunch, they have to go to Center City, and sometimes their prices are little bit higher.”

The Sandovals found a former chicken shop on Fifth Street near Reed in Southwark/Pennsport — a neighborhood that has lacked brunch sincethe Dutch moved out. After light redecoration, they opened El Fuerte, a 32-seater. There’s soccer on the TV and mixers for those who bring their own.

Ascension works the front while Ricardo cooks big-portioned brunches with a few Mexican flourishes. Among the omelets ($14-$16) is one with chorizo, jalapeños, caramelized onions, and pico de gallo. There are French toasts, omelets, and pancakes, plus a burger ($22, with avocado, jalapeño aioli, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onion, bacon, egg, and a side of fries); steak and eggs with chimichurri sauce ($24); and a line of smoothies.

El Fuerte, 1412 S. Fifth St., 267-401-7600. Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.