Stephen Starr’s Pizzeria Stella has an opening date of September 29th. [The Insider]

Praised chef Chris D’Ambro is out at Bocca. He says he’s mulling other options. [Meal Ticket]

Square 1682 is getting close to opening in the lobby of the Palomar by Kimpton Hotel on 17th Street. So close they’ve even announced October 14th as the opening night. [Grub Street]

Alert your DVR, Wednesday at 10 pm the Travel Channel’s Man vs Food comes to Philadelphia. [Travel Channel]

Station Taproom is the proposed craft beer bar hoping to open in the West end of Downingtown. [Daily Local News]

Meal Ticket has the all-vegetarian menu for the upcoming Sweetie Pie’s Diner. [Meal Ticket]

Drexel gets Chick-fil-A. The student body voted for the fast food chicken spot over 8 other possibilities. Yeah democracy! [The Triangle]

David Snyder praises chef Chris D’Ambro’s Mediterranean tapas at Bocca in Old City.

 Take the timeless beef tartare. D’Ambro updates this standard by using hanger steak instead of filet or sirloin, granting the dish rich, gamey flavor. Tiny decorative spheres of balsamic caviar, which D’Ambro makes with agar-agar, a natural structural ingredient commonly found in Chinese food, add delicate flashes of sweetness and acidity. An emulsion (or “air”) of capers adds a subtle puff of brininess. None of these nouveau elements upset the dish’s balance – each bite remains accessible and fun.

Smart Mouth [City Paper]
Bocca [Official Site]

Is one of Philadelphia’s best new restaurants hiding in an Old City lounge? According to Adam Erace it is.

What did come included some of the wittiest, most winsome things I’ve eaten this year. You’ll forgive me for being surprised by the exquisiteness of the citrus-cured foie gras torchon, so rich and silky smeared on croissant (a crunchy bread would have been better) with blueberry mostarda and zingy pink peppercorn-infused tapioca pearls; for being shocked at discovering the bar snack of my dreams (D’Ambro’s chickpea frites) in an ultralounge that sells Jaeger by the $160 bottle.


Bocca [Philadelphia Weekly]

Mediterranean small plates are what’s on the menu at Old City’s new Bocca. [Meal Ticket]

Gulph Mills’ Savona is closed for renovations. They’re aiming to reopen by Mother’s Day. [The Insider]

Michael Solomonov’s Zahav and Michael Schulson’s Izakaya were both named to Travel + Leisure magazine’s 50 Best New US Restaurants. [Travel + Leisure]

Johnny Brenda’s comes in at number two in Gourmet’s Eight Great Rock Venues with Great Food. [Gourmet via Phoodie]

Bon Appetit slots Marigold Kitchen in at number three in their list of Top 10 Brunch Spots. [Bon Appetit]

Yuengling (5th largest), Dogfish Head (33) and Victory (46) are all among the top 50 breweries in the US by sales volume in 2008. [Brewers Association]

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! According to this lede from Thrillist, Bocca brings Manayunk to Market Street.

The Mediterranean and Manayunk have a lot in common: both start with an “M”, and both can take so long to get to that the journey can leave you toothless with scurvy. Bringing their Medi-grub to Market Street, Bocca.

From the owners of M’yunk’s Sapphire and housed in the old Amici Noi space, Bocca’s a 50-seat Mediterranean tapas resto that’s kept Noi’s open layout, marble-topped bar, and exposed brick, while adding modern touches like high-backed brushed suede banquettes, a deep mahogany-hued, raised cutout ceiling; and industrial metal light fixtures flanking a pair of backlit, mirror-image burgundy signs bearing the Bocca logo (”Bocca Bocca”). 

Chew Bocca [Thrillist]
Bocca Menu [MenuPages]

Bart Blatstein’s Piazza project will be bringing several new spots to Northern Liberties. There’s a diner named Darling’s, a wine bar named Vino Restaurant Lounge, and as yet an unnamed pub and a lounge. [The Insider]

Fish & Company’s last night will be Saturday. April 13th it’ll be reborn Q BBQ & Tequila Bar. [The Insider]

Bibou on 8th near Washington should open within a week. [Ice Pack, City Paper]

On Friday and Saturday nights above Il Portico you can now find Club Adesso.  [Thrillist]

Amici Noi in Old City has been redone and opens tonight as Bocca. [The Insider]

Table Talk has more on Ladder 15 which opened last week. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

North by Northwest was shut down by L&I last weekend, they plan to reopen April 15th. [Inqlings, Philadelphia Inquirer]