At Long Last, Rittenhouse Square's Friday Saturday Sunday is Back in Action

December 12

RITTENHOUSE — Stock's Tyler Akin and the Marks (Corpus and Capriotti) behind ReAnimator Coffee have joined forced to open a Italian-inspired all-day cafe on Walnut Street. Counter-service during the day, Res Ipsa will focus on a small menu of coffee drinks, grab-n-go  breakfasts, and a salad-and-sandwich-heavy lunch menu. At night, executive chef Michael Vincent Ferrari shows off his skills with Sicilian cookery: lots of seafood, simple pastas and entrees to share. [EPHL]

FISHTOWN — Below the El, just north of Girard Avenue, a Venezuelan restaurant called TartAreperia 18.64 opened, serving traditional arepas and not-so-traditional arepas — "tart-style", built into cylindrical cups — plus, larger plates of Venezuelan specialties. [Philly.com]

RITTENHOUSE — Friday Saturday Sunday was a classic restaurant born out of the 70s, and stood the test of time, making it well into 2015 before it was sold. After an 18-month building rehab, new owners Chad Williams and Hannah Whitaker have reopened the Rittenhouse staple with all new everything except for the name. The menu's new American, and the cocktails by bartender Paul McDonald are both visually stunning and delightful to drink.  [Foobooz]

POINT BREEZE — Ori Feibush, a major real estate developer in South Philly, furthered his Point Breeze domination with a new bar at 21st and Federal Streets called Burg's Hideaway Lounge (before that, it was the short-lived Buckminster's). Feibush took it back to simpler times when music came from a jukebox, beers were no more than $6, and a burger was less than $10. [Foobooz]

QUEEN VILLAGE — Ambler, PA's vegetable-forward restaurant Mi Lah Vegetarian, opened an offshoot in the former Hosteria da Elio space at 615 South 3rd Street. Unlike it's Ambler counterpart, Queen Village's Mi Lah will be focused on dim sum and small plates—all vegetarian or vegan, of course. [Philly.com]

BREWERYTOWN — Brian Duffy of Spike TV's Bar Rescue teamed up with Flying Fish Brewing Co. to open the 191-seat Flying Fish Crafthouse at 31st and West Master Streets. Inside, two full bars will each pour 12 tap Flying Fish brews while Duffy's menu makes sure to hit all of the beer garden/brewpub marks: sandwiches, burgers, and pizzas.

October 31

FISHTOWN — Add "Trenton-style" to Fishtown's vast array of pizza options now that SLiCE is open at 431 East Girard Avenue. Owners Marlo and Jason Dilks promise an all-organic menu of pizza, calzones, strombolis, and other Italian treats. [EPHL]

MAIN LINE — Ardmore gets a taste of Malaysian with Sam's Asian Cuisine at 202 Lancaster Avenue. On the menu: roti canai, coconut curry chicken, and sushi. [Philly.com]

UNIVERSITY CITY — Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza, the Lebron James-backed fast-casual pizza operation, is now doling out 180-second pizza to the Drexel University student body and faculty. 3400 Lancaster Avenue's Blaze is the company's second Philadelphia location, the other one slinging pies on Temple's campus.

WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST — Dan dan noodles, salt and pepper squid, and cumin stir-frys are now available at Walnut Street's new bi-level Szechuan restaurant Spicy Memory is now open on Walnut Street, right next door to the Wendy's near Jefferson University Hospital. [Philly.com]

WEST PHILLY — Philly's first pay-what-you-can restaurant, EAT Cafe, opened in University City at 3820 Lancaster Avenue. Drexel's Center for Hunger-Free Communities and Center for Hospitality & Sports Management partnered with the Vetri Community Partnership to run the operation. Dinner is served from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with Sunday dinners planned for the future. [Philly.com]

MAIN LINE — PokéOno brings the trendiest Hawaiian fish-on-rice meal of 2016 to the Main Line at 59 West Lancaster Avenue. The menu is typical: pick your base, your raw fish (or tofu) of choice, and as many toppings as you'd like on top. [Philly.com]

October 20

PORT RICHMOND — The crew behind such Northeast greats as Grey Lodge Pub,Hop Angel Brauhaus, and Sawtown Tavern reopened Bonk's Bar, an iconic Port Richmond watering hole known for cheap beer, crabs, and good vibes. On the menu: four types of crabs, sandwiches, burgers, and craft beer. [EPHL]

RITTENHOUSE — Washington Square West's fried chicken specialists Chix & Wings have expanded to Rittenhouse with a rice bowl, sandwich, wings, and salad stop called Chix & Bowls at 28 South 20th Street. [Foobooz]

CENTER CITY — Michael Schulson blew the top off Center City with his new majestic beaut Harp & Crown, an American bar and restaurant at 1516 Sansom Street. The top floor is a 140-seat hall of vintage grandeur, and the basement is more of a lounge with smoking-room-vibes and a shimmery bowling alley. [EPHL]

BELLA VISTA — The family behind the nation's oldest Italian restaurant Ralph's opened Bar One, a new restaurant across the street (767 South 9th Street) specializing in cocktails, brunch, and Italian-American bar food. [EPHL]

KING OF PRUSSIA — Marc Vetri and Co. venture into the Roman-style pizza game at the King of Prussia mall's new Pizzeria Vetri Square Pie. The menu is simple: square pizza by the slice or half-tray, and a variety of rotolos, the fan-favorite Cinnabon-like savory pizza creation found at all Pizzeria Vetri locations. [Foobooz]

SPRING GARDEN — Mike Metzger and Will Lindsay, two industry-vets, took their experiences working in upscale restaurants (White Dog Café, Mercato, Morimoto, Pumpkin and Kensington Quarters between the both of them) and opened Stockyard Sandwich Co., a farm-focused, ingredient-driven sandwich shop at 1541 Spring Garden Street. [EPHL]

RITTENHOUSE — The city's first poutine shop, Shoo Fry, opened at 132 South 17th Street with a Philly-centric menu featuring cheesesteak, scrapple, and cream chipped beef poutine, scrapple sliders, and Little Baby's ice cream shakes. [EPHL]

SOUTH PHILLY — On Thursday, October 20, the Wells Fargo Center became the first NBA/NHL arena with its very own Shake Shack. Menu items are similar to that of its four Philly-area counterparts. [Broad Street Hockey]

KING OF PRUSSIA — The King of Prussia Town Center now has east coast powerhouse Davio's on its roster. Among the Brandt bone-in ribeye chops and fresh pastas, the Northern Italian restaurant will still offer its spring roll-heavy bar menu, including, of course, the venerable cheesesteak spring roll. Lunch begins on October 31.

October 6

Wister/Facebook

OLD CITY — Benjamin Moore, most recently the sous chef at Lacroix, opened his Old City BYOB Wister over the weekend at 26 North 3rd Street (which, not too long ago, was a Mike Stollenwerk seafood restaurant called 26 North). Moore's New American menu is seafood-centric and hyper-seasonal (just a few days in, he's already changing up the menu). In 2-3 weeks, brunch will launch, and that's a very exciting thing since he was the man running the Lacroix brunch show — an Eater Philly essential.

CALLOWHILL — Yet again, a Philly food truck grows beyond the confines of its mobile abode, and opts for something a bit more formal. Foo Truck is now Foo Kitchen, a new breakfast and brunch option at 1301 Vine Street, just north of Chinatown. On the menu: basically whatever Asian-American cookery chef-owner George Pan feels like making for the day. Breakfast starts at 7 a.m. daily, and lunch goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. [Philly.com]

LOGAN SQUARE — The crew behind Matt & Marie's has given Center City lunchers a new fast-casual healthy option: Kayu, a soup and salad shop all about "feel-good eating" at 1717 Arch Street. It's the normal quick-serve model, so pick from either eight signature salads and two signature soups, or build your own creations from a variety of healthful proteins, super foods, and sauces. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily.

September 29

QUEEN VILLAGE — Husband and wife team Chris D'Ambro and Marina De Oliveira are unveiling their new Queen Village jewel box today, two doors down from their rockin'-and-rollin' reinterpretation of neighborhood icon Southwark. Ambra, the 16-seat, $65 prix fixe, special-occasion restaurant opens tonight starting at 6 p.m. (make your reservations here). Floor to ceiling, Chris's brother Joseph D'Ambro built out the gorgeous 705 S. 4th Street space, including the custom tables and lighting fixtures—the end-result is a beautiful, albeit tiny, destination-Italian restaurant in a neighborhood so booming with restaurants as of late.

RITTENHOUSE — Yesterday, The Rittenhouse Hotel welcomed its brand new high-end Italian restaurant, Scarpetta, to its new location overlooking Rittenhouse Square. Inside, it's all very minimalist and modern—a stark difference from the hotel's previous tenant Smith & Wollensky. Take the virtual tour here. The menu hits all the brand favorites:  spaghetti with tomato and basil, polenta with truffled mushrooms, and braised short ribs. Hours are dinner-only, with lunch soon to follow. Make your reservations here.

QUEEN VILLAGE — Much to the city's surprise, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, the Japanese pub by Stephen Simons and David Frank, opened over the weekend. The menu runs the gamut of typical izakaya fair, plus sushi in the back led by venerable sushi chefs Matt and Jesse Ito. The kitchen's open till 1 a.m., and sake, shochu, and Japanese whisky pour till 2 a.m.