Trey Popp raves about East Passyunk’s Fond, heaping all sorts of praise on  the French BYOB.

It began with a teasing glance backward at summer: a shot-glass of cold watermelon soup spiced with chilies whose finish reverberated in waves of heat and sweetness for a full 10 seconds on my tongue. It ended with snow-crunch bites of lemon-poppy seed meringues. In between, Styer and Prawlucki composed a three-course ode to autumn that was nearly flawless in execution and design. Their tonal palette ranged from the watery crunch of Asian pear to the molten spill of butternut squash purée encased in ravioli, and from the intense fruitiness of passionfruit-stuffed crêpes to the revelatory bourbon backbone in a full-flavored frozen coffee-liqueur soufflé. Yet at no point did the broad span of their short menu lapse into braggadocio. The spirit invigorating this simply decorated place showed through in the adorable delight with which Prawlucki fielded praise for her desserts — as if she were almost startled by the enthusiasm they’d inspired.

Remembered Fondly [City Paper]
Fond [Official Site]

French BYOB, Fond opens on East Passyunk today. Former Le Bec-Fin chefs Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki will be in the kitchen and Lacroix’s Tory Keomanvong will be in the front of the house.

Fond Slideshow [Grub Street]
Fond [Thrillist]
Menu for Fond on East Passyunk [Meal Ticket]

Tuesday, East Passyunk will be hosting a Save the Fountain Fundraiser. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door and the money will go to repairing and maintaing the singing fountain at Passyunk and Tasker.

From 6:30 until 9pm more than a dozen restaurants will be offering food and drink at the plaza by the fountain.

Get your tickets ahead of time at select retailers and restaurants along the avenue including: Absolute Abstract, Black & Brew, JimmyStyle, Izumi, Paradiso and Reliable Floor Covering, as well as at the BID office.

Inquirer columnist Dan Rubin wrote about the fountain yesterday in the Inquirer.

Save the Fountain: A Taste of East Passyunk Avenue [Facebook]
Daniel Rubin: Three coins won’t be nearly enough [Philadelphia Inquirer]

It sounded too good to be true when we got the tip that the there-for-a-minute Lynda’s was going to be reborn with three principals from Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix. But low and behold Fond is going coming to Passyunk Avenue.

Michael Klein has the details, the new American BYOB from Lee Styer (sous chef at Le Bec-Fin), Jessie Prawlucki (pastry chef at Le Bec-Fin) and Tory Keomanivong (banquet captain at Lacroix).

Fond coming to booming East Passyunk [The Insider]

Adam Erace takes in chef Peter Miller’s brunch at the P.O.P.E. and has plenty of praise.

They should be talking about his vegan French toast, a breakfast neither as epic as Sabrina’s pyramids nor as neat as Café Estelle’s stuffed pillows, but nonetheless distinctive enough to garner a special place in the pantheon of Philadelphia French toasts. Pureed raw almonds and coconut milk replace the standard custard batter, but the bread fried up just as crisp and golden, while the spicing of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg tied the flavors back to the classic. My mom-who considers vegetarianism a misguided notion she can rid the world of one chicken- cutlet convert at a time-loved it.


Papal Infallibility [Philadelphia Weekly]
Pub on Passyunk East [Official Site]

We’ve been hearing good things about the P.O.P.E’s new menu of late. Living on the Vedge sings the veggie burger’s praises while Drawing for Food calls the sandwiches “damn good.

The P.O.P.E will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary on Tuesday, June 30th and boy are they going to have a beer list.

• Hitachino White Ale
• Bayrische Bahnof’s Berliner Weisse
• Ichtegem’s Flemish Red
• New Holland Dragon’s Milk Stout
• New Holland Brother Jacob’s Dubbel
• Avery Salvation
• Avery Reverend
• Southern Tier Heavy Weizen
• Lost Coast Imperial Pils
• Avery Ale to the Chief
• Bell’s 3rd Coast Old Ale
• Bell’s Double Cream Stout
• Left Coast Black Magic Stout
• Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard
• Left Hand Chainsaw
• Pennichuck Pozharnik Expresso Stout
• Hebrew Lenny Bruce IPA
• Smuttynose Star Island
• Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout
• New Holland Imperial Hatter

Veggie Burger Off: PoPE vs Noble [Living on the Vedge]
Philadelphia Quickies [Drawing for Food]
Pub on Passyunk East [Official Site]

Lynda’s Mediterranean, the Middle Eastern spot on Passyunk Avenue opened so quickly, we barely got wind of it. Thanks to our eagle-eyed commenters, we found out it closed shortly after we posted the menu.

We hear Lynda’s was not long for this world due to a lack of restaurant personality and food not exciting enough to overcome it.  The short-lived restaurant only lasted 30 days – perhaps a new record?

We also hear that other restaurant parties – parties with experience – are interested in the space. If you’re interested in the space, you can call the number in the photo. In the meantime, let’s play Restaurant Yenta and decide what we think should go in that location. Fire away in the comments below.

One note: the current incarnation is just one storefront, but it can be expanded into the next door space, doubling the size. Just something to consider while you Yenta.

Friday night, we wandered by the future home of the Capogiro on East Passyunk Ave. to press our face against the glass in sweet anticipation of their opening – earlier this week owner John Reitano told us they were just waiting on a health inspection – and holy gelato, they were open and scooping!

Turns out, they threw open the doors at about 7 p.m. on Friday night. Don’t be jealous, West Philly. Your super Capo opens on Friday, May 22.

So we had ourselves some stracciatella and it was gorgeous. The Reitano’s remake of the former Roselena’s is gorgeous – all cool blue paint, old-fashioned black-and-white photos and grey marble countertops. There’s a tiny back courtyard strung with lights that looks like a movie set.

Not so gorgeous? Our lack of willpower. This location is alarmingly close to home. Then again, wasn’t it Ben Franklin who said gelato is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy? Ok, so maybe he said it about beer, but gelato could give it a run for its money. Some photos after the jump Read the rest of this entry »

We snapped some pictures of the menu at Lynda’s Mediterranean over the weekend but we didn’t see any indication that  the East Passyunk Avenue spot was open. But today we received word that the restaurant has been open for a couple of weeks. Talk about a quiet opening!

Anyway, check out the couscous and tagine rich menu after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Food Network has named a top burger from all of the 50 states and the network puts the Royal Tavern’s Royal burger at number one for Pennsylvania.

The thick patty comes on a brioche bun with caramelized onions, bacon, gouda, chili mayonnaise and pickled hot peppers.

Picking one top burger is fraught with peril, but we admit, we do love us the Royal Burger.

50 States, 50 Burgers [Food Network]
Royal Tavern [Official Site]