Stephen Starr is out at Atltantic City’s Chelsea just a year after the casino-free hotel opened. Teplitzky’s and Chelsea Prime will soldier on without Starr’s backing. According to the Press of Atlantic City’s story, most of the staff was kept including the executive chefs.

Starr Restaurants checks out of the Chelsea [Press of Atlantic City via Grub Street]

Headed to the Jersey shore this weekend? Craig LaBan has a rundown of the quiet start to the season.

The usually bustling Atlantic City scene, in particular, is eerily quiet, with none of the splashy openings that have marked the casino town’s emergence in recent years as a restaurant destination. Instead, the late-August openings from last year will get some extra attention. For example, Stephen Starr’s two spots in the nongaming Chelsea hotel – the luxury steak house Chelsea Prime, and the updated Jewish diner Teplitzky’s – will get considerably wider exposure this year in their first full summer.

And of course there’s always Mack & Manco’s.
The dining scene is off to a quiet start [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Adam Erace checks out the Chelsea in Atlantic City and knows nothing will ever be the same.

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are moments in life when you realize, Nothing will be the same from this point forward. In the timeline of Atlantic City, those pivotal moments occur on occasion: the first time we set foot in Borgata; first bite of banana cream pie at Chef Vola; and now, earlier this week, when we walked into the lobby of Curtis Bashaw’s boutique hotel The Chelsea. Dude, after this, nothing will be the same.

Restaurant Paparazzi: The Chelsea [Blogalicious]
The Chelsea [Official Site]

Atlantic City’s first non-gaming hotel since the 1960s officially opened over the weekend. And although it may not have slot machines the Chelsea doesn’t skimp on luxury featuring two Stephen Starr restaurants.

The Chelsea Prime, a retro steakhouse and Teplitzky’s, a cocktail lounge and coffee shop will both open July 28th.

Chelsea Atlantic City Opens; Stephen Starr is There; His Restaurants to Follow Shortly [The Illadelph]

Parc will be officially opening on Bastille Day. Michael Klein has some background on the design of Stephen Starr’s mega-bistro. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Pencil in July 28th for Starr’s opening of Teplitzky’s and Chelsea Prime in Atlantic City at the new non-casino hotel, the Chelsea. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Rejoice East Passyunkers who want something besides tacos and red gravy, Izumi a Japanese BYOB is coming to Passyunk and Tasker this August. [Food and Drinq]

Zento is looking at a second location. This one will bring conteporary Japanese cuisine to 9th and South. [The Clog]

An out of town Rouge in Acela range is planned by owners Maggie and Rob Wasserman. [Dan Gross, Philadelphia Daily News]

2nd Street Annie’s is looking to move its operation from Wildwood to Front and Fairmount and Phoodie is just thrilled. [Phoodie.info]

The rumors had been prevalent for a couple weeks now but Michael Klein has it, Bella Vista’s Molcajete Mixto is no more. On the good side though it is still a Mexican BYOB, Paxia and one of the co-owners is Dionicio Jimenez of Xochitl. [Food and Drinq]

And like Michael Klein, we are very dissapointed to learn that Pita Pocket at 16th and Chancellor has closed. [Food and Drinq]

The two new Starr restaurants, Chelsea Prime and Teplitzky’s (see above) set for Atlantic City this summer can now be gawked at in rendering form at the Chelsea’s new web site. Book your weekend now. [The Chelsea]

Looks like a second El Fuego is on tap. At least that’s what reading between the lines on the orange placard at 2104 Chestnut Street leads us to believe. The liquor license transfer is for Square Burrito II Inc. from Square Burrito Inc. at 723 Walnut St, the address of El Fuego. Seems like a great place for an El Fuego offshoot but does it mean that the original El Fuego is going liquor free? Update: Looks like Drew Lazor beat us to the Publish button and had this last night.

Jerseyites hankering for Malaysian food will be able to save bridge fare come Saturday as a branch of Penang opens in Maple Shade. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

A little more light is shown on Ludwig’s successor, Time in today’s Feeding Frenzy. The food is described as “‘updated country club fare,’ giving steaks and shrimp cocktail as dish examples.” [Feeding Frenzy, City Paper]

The area’s second California Pizza Kitchen opened this week in the City Avenue complex that includes Target and Pei Wei. Head there Monday as all dine-in sales will go to the Please Touch Museum. [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Looks like there’ll be no giant chile on the 2000 block of Walnut Street as word on the street has the Johnny Manana’s project dead and the whole building up for sale.

A. D. Amorosi catches up with Stephen Starr after Starr returned from Los Angeles. Among the highlights:

• Not one but two spots in the Chelsea Hotel in Atlantic City. The first is Teplitzky’s, “a groovey coffee shop.” The second, Chelsea Prime, a 40s themed steak house.
• Parc, a French bistro set for a spring opening at the Parc Rittenhouse.
• A Mexican competitor to Jose Garces’ Chilango in the fall of ‘08.
• And at 706 Chestnut, the late L’Ange Bleu and Angelina, Starr is planning a gastropub with a focus on classic cocktails. Upstairs will be transformed into a four-suite hotel.

A Starr Is (Re)Born [City Paper]