Today’s edition of The Bite notes that Izakaya Bar & Bistro will be taking over the cursed Kaizan spot in the Academy House. Food and Drinq adds that the spot is being run by Jonathan Chun of Fuji Mountain.

Combine this news with the conjecture that has Stephen Starr considering an izakaya at the Lainesborough (16th and Locust) and word that Michael Schulson, chef at Izakaya in the Borgtata, is looking for a restaurant space for a Japanese restaurant near the Kimmel Center and we have to ask the question again, can a restaurant jump the shark before it even opens?

Still hanging over from July’s mega restaurant openings? No rest for the weary! Grab the metro where the the Bite highlights more than a half-dozen openings just around the corner.
Root (1033 Spring Garden St)

• Cactus Restaurant and Bar (4245 Main St)
• Earth Bread + Brewery (7136 Germantown Ave)
• Izakaya Bar & Bistro (1420 Locust St)
• Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard St)
• Naked Chocolate Cafe (34th and Chestnut)
• Capogiro (39th and Walnut)
• Brown Betty Dessert Boutique (269 S 20th St)

UPDATE: Earth Bread + Brewery owner Tom Baker posted to PhillyBlog this morning regarding his likely opening date.

Greetings-
We still don’t have an opening date.  We’re still waiting on our liquor license approval.  Our construction will be completed this week and if our approvals come by the end of the month, we should be able to open in early Sept.  I have a new found awe for the bureaucracy in the Commonwealth.

We don’t think Tom is alone in his “awe” for Pennsylvania bureaucracy.