Around the Block: 8/5/2022

Some thoughts today on a few different topics:

First, Philly has some of the best restaurants in the country. Maybe the best. And I always love Michael Klein’s periodic Inquirer columns listing all of the new places that are coming soon. In this piece

, Klein notes 24 places opening up now through the fall. You can read the article, but I wanted to comment on a few of the places that I find most interesting (or that are taking over spots that I previously loved).

• My wife Kristen and I loved V Street on 19th Street, right off Rittenhouse Square. Rich Landau (Vedge) is one of the best chefs in the country and V Street was a fun, casual Philly standby until it closed for good during an early pandemic-fueled labor feud. As of yesterday, that awesome location is now Aleksandar, an American-Eastern European fusion (further fused with a touch of Asian and Southern flavors), which you can read more about here.

• Bottega Rittenhouse, on 17th at Rittenhouse Square Street, will be a tiny café with coffee and Italian specialties to go. That could be cool. We will find out when it opens later this month.

• Who doesn’t like the sound of a dumpling shop? Especially one mixed with the Automat concept, which is both old-fashioned yet somehow gimmicky and high-tech at the same time. Horn & Hardart, the first Automat, opened in Philly in 1902. This fall, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, is coming to Drexel’s Campus at 3400 Lancaster Avenue. I am in Powelton Village regularly, so I plan to check out a few of their 32 flavors of dumplings.

• And while talking about eateries with more than a touch of gimmick, let’s discuss Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, coming this month to 1721 Chestnut Street. Color-coded plates tell you the price as they pass you by via conveyor belt. And the gimmicks don’t stop there. A little digital mascot who awards prizes? A patented “Mr. Fresh™ ventilated sushi lid with plate-tracking technology?” No sashimi? Hmmm. Well, I don’t generally love conveyor belt sushi, but this is a few blocks from my office and I feel I need to at least check it out.

• Pietramala is coming to Northern Liberties in a few weeks. High-end vegan, such as a slow-roasted eggplant in sun gold tomato sauce that looks amazing.

• Jewish Deli Alert! Michael Schulson’s Samuel’s Deli is coming to the 1500 block of Sansom Street later this summer. Homemade bagels and house-cured meats and fish. Open all day. I may like this a lox.

• When we lived in West Philly, Dock Street at 50th & Baltimore was always a family fave. Well, a new brewpub with pizzas is coming to that pandemic-closed location. From two Tired Hands vets, let’s welcome Carbon Copy, coming this fall.

Second, a big congratulations to client and friend Lauren Harel of Lauren Harel Photography. She was just awarded Philly Mag’s 2022 BEST OF PHILLY for Photographer to Make Your Family Look Normal. This is so well deserved. Lauren has a way of making kids, grown-ups, dogs, families, etc. look both totally natural and their very best. Not an easy task for any photographer. So, Mazel Tov to Lauren!

Third, tying into the information above regarding some of the new restaurants coming to Center City is the excellent news that many Comcast employees will be coming back to work starting September 12th. While not “mandatory,” Comcast expects them to come back at least three days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and the bookend days will be more optional. I love working from the office, and I hope that others throughout the Philly business community will start to do so more and more.

And related to people coming (or not coming) back to the office, the Inquirer’s Inga Saffron authored this fascinating column about Philly’s future as a “Bedroom City.” The piece happens to highlight a spectacular project, that I represent, 7111 Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy. Only five units remain available in this lovely 19-residence condo building: “Rather than gravitating to Center City, [Joe and Marita Hirt] bought a condo in a converted Mount Airy church. Although the Hirts have lived in four states, Marita told me it’s the first time they’ve owned a place in a walkable neighborhood…” So whether I am working in Center City, walking through so many of our beautiful neighborhoods, checking out our fun festivals, or enjoying our spectacular parks and greenery, I just love Philly. The Hirts have family in NY and Cleveland, so they could have lived anywhere. They chose Philly. And what a great choice that was.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these topics today.

I wish everyone the best.

Warm regards,

Jeff

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