What will the restaurant at 10 Rittenhouse be? Michael Klein reports Serafina or Todd English could be interested in the space. If  we had to pick just on the web sites, we’d have to go with Todd English. That Serafina site creeps us out. [The Insider]

Hawthornes is looking to open November 18th. There will be over 1,000 beers for mix-a-sixes and 16 beers available by growler. There will also be lunch and brunch. [Meal Ticket]

It’s official, Win Signature Restaurants, who run Azie on Main upstairs is renting out the rest of the Maia space for an American comfort food/bar concept. [The Insider]

Varga Bar has added a new speed lunch menu. You get a soup and a sandwich for $9 in 30 minutes flat. Among the optionss are a roasted pork loin sandwich, Kobe Chili-cheese dog and a grilled cheese. [Varga Fall Lunch]

“Next Food Network Star” contestant Katie Cavuto was rumored to be coming to South Street but she’s opening her Healthy Bites To-Go on the 2500 block of Christian. [The Insider]

MangoMoon has tweaked its menu towards more of a Bangkok street food approach. The Thai sausage is still available. [Meal Ticket]

Catelli Ristorante in Voorhees is celebrating its anniversary with a $15 entree menu all month. [See Specials]

Living on the Vedge goes goes meat-free at Chifa.[Living on the Vedge]

CE Phood visits Ladder 15 for lunch and finds it to be worth a “pop in.” [CE Phood]

Phoodie also visits Ladder 15 for a truffled flatbread and the hints of a turf war. [Phoodie]

Chicken-Fried Caviar visits the new Majolica and finds that the new menu and prices will make it a more frequent destination. [Chicken-Fried Caviar]

Foodaphilia visits the new Que Chula es Puebla for Mexican food at 2nd and Master. [Foodaphilia]

Hankering for spicy food, BROG enjoys MangoMoon in Manayunk. [BROG]

CE Phood found issue with their first visit to Saute but brunch was the bomb. [CE Phood]

Craig LaBan finds that MangoMoon has the unique flavors to excite. Whether it finds its audience on Main Street in Manayunk is another matter.

[Chef Nongyao] Krapugthong’s confident hand with her native seasoning also lights a fire of new interest beneath some common dishes: lending Blue Point oysters a tingly sour splash of chile-lime sauce; igniting “Bangkok” chicken wings in a fiery glaze that elicited a surprising yelp – “Wowie-zowie!” – from my demure guest. The creamy spice of a killer satay sauce lacquered butter-tender head-on shrimp. And baby octopus, still hot from the grill, basked in a cool marinade that vibrated to the high-toned hum of fried lemongrass and Thai bird chile heat.

Krapugthong even managed to transform skewered chicken livers, marinated in the sweet dark funk of oyster sauce and soy, into crispy grilled cubes with creamy insides that have become a most unlikely bar-snack infatuation.

Two Bells – Very Good

MangoMoon [Philadelphia Inquirer]
MangoMoon [Official Site]

After stinging Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House for a solitary bell Sunday, Craig LaBan will be reviewing Manayunk’s MangoMoon this week. How will the Thai restaurant from the same people behind Chabaa Thai fare?

 Loading ...

We’re indoctrinated to believe the fuglier an ethnic restaurant is, the more authentic its food, but clean, comfortable, impeccably styled MangoMoon is a clear, ringing exception. I never would’ve expected somewhere with 15 different dish designs to deliver me back to Bangkok, but the grilled fat-laced pork neck marinated in garlic, cilantro root and oyster sauce certainly did. As did the chicken livers, skewered and grilled, the smokiness stirring echoes of streetside barbecues crowded with all sorts of weird meats on sharp sticks.

Philly’s most authentic Thai cuisine [Philadelphia Weekly]
MangoMoon [Official Site]

Trey Popp checks heads out to Manayunk to check out the new MangoMoon from Moon Krapugthong who brought us Chabaa Thai. He likes what he finds but it’s the Thai sausage that blows him away.

Have kaffir lime leaves ever sung so clear a note from within a tube of pork? Have lemongrass and galangal ever joined so seamlessly in harmonic complement? If so, I want to know about it. This homemade beauty at MangoMoon — charred at the edges, yet impeccably moist inside — was the best sausage I have ever eaten. Of any kind.

Moonstruck [City Paper]
MangoMoon [Official Site]

The “sticky and sweet  and salty andjuicy and porky” spare rib bits at Sang Kee are enough to send up an Awesomeness Alert. [Philadining Blog]

Drew Lazor fails to get the dirt on Café Lutécia’s fennel bisque but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it immediately. [Meal Ticket]

A “dream dish for  you multitaskers.” That’s what grilled game bird with spicy curry, sweet coconut milk and pungent fish sauce is at MangoMoon. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Food porn - Taqueria la Veracruzana. Yep, that’s the headline, that’s what the post is all about. [Fries with that Shake?]

Meal Ticket highlights the line-caught black cod at Positano Coast. [Meal Ticket]

Good Dog comes to the rescue of a hungry vegetarian with its veggie cake sandwich. [Veggicurious]

Iron Hill’s Maple Shade location is on target for a May opening despite crazy Garden State regulations. [Beer Stained Letter]

Teri’s in the Italian Market is opening for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Check out the menu dinner menu here.

Yello’Bar has undergone some renovations, darkening the paint and windows, making it a bit more cozy. There’s also a new menu. [Meal Ticket]

The menu from Manayunk’s MangoMoon is online. [The Insider]

Yesterday, The Insider posted its 2009 restaurant forecast with lots of tasty morsels from big to small. Among the new to us, S & H Kebab House will be a Turkish kabob BYOB at the former Overtures. VargaBar is the name for the Valanni backed redo of Azul. Saute and Slate are aiming to be open by the end of the month and Girasole, is not dead after all. [The Insider]

As you may have noticed in the ad to the left, John Mims, formerly of Carmine’s and Les Bons Temps is going to be opening Mims in Wayne, where he’ll be serving contemporary New Orleans comfort food.

Neil Stein to South Street? Could it be? [Ice Pack, City Paper]

Table Talk higlights the new MangoMoon in Manayunk. It’s “warm but dramatic,” featuring Thai small plates and no Pad Thai! [Table Talk, Philadelphia Inquirer]

Pasqual Cancelliere, who ran Butcher’s Cafe with his father before selling the spot, is coming back to 9th Street with 943 , a Argentine and Italian themed restaurant. [Meal Ticket]

Pico de Gallo is expanding but not going far. The 15th and South Mexican is opening across the street in a larger space and will be turning the existing Pico into a cheaper takeout and delivery spot. [The Insider]

We do love ourselves some crêpes, so we’re ready to check out the new Crêpe Maker in 30th Street Station. [Meal Ticket]

Matt Levin’s bistro concept has some big beef backing it. None other than Philadelphia Eagle offensive lineman, Jon Runyan. Northern Liberties is the preferred location. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Whether it’s called Mamaia or now Slate, we’re still doubting Thomases on the gastropub at the former Cafe Habana. The latest is it might be open by New Years or at least shortly thereafter. Another spot that invites skepticism is the Broad Axe Tavern which is now slated for a February or March reopening. [The Insider]

And in other it has been a long time coming news, MangoMoon is set to open Friday, December 19th and Meal Ticket has the menu. [Meal Ticket]

Could boozy gelato concoctions be in your future? Bhiladelphia suggests Capogiro could be looking for a liquor license. [bhiladelphia]

DP Dough has an opening date and a blog. February 2nd is the date for the West Philly calzonerie, http://www.dpdoughphilly.com/blog is the blog.

Seasons 52, a grill and wine bar is planning to open its first location outside of the Southeast this spring at the Cherry Hill Mall. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Passyunk Avenue’s Triangle Tavern has closed. [The Insider]