There’s a liquor license application in the window of the former Ansill at 3rd and Bainbridge. The license is being transferred from David Ansill’s Smoking Squirrel LLC to Thatsa Nice Restaurant Partners. The rumor on PhillySpeaks is that it is going to be a Stephen Starr enterprise. As commenter Mithras points out, Thats a Nice Restaurant Partners LLC has an address of 134 Market Street, the headquarters of Starr Restaurant Organization.

Ansill [Philadelphia Speaks]

Stephen Starr’s beer garden will be going in front of the zoning board today and he has a supporter in William Reed, owner of Johnny Brenda’s.

Update: The beer garden gets zoning approval.

Starr now points towards Fishtown [Metro Philadelphia]

You take a day off and fall hopelessly behind the RSS Reader, email and we don’t even want to think about what we’ve missed on Twitter.

So without further ado, our Quick Bites focusing just on upcoming and recent openings.

Stephen Starr’s beer garden concept got the approval of the neighborhood 158-11 despite a hard-of-hearing gentleman worrying about the noise. With indoor and outdoor options we’re really intrigued how this turns out.

500°, the burger place from Rouge’s Rob and Maggie Wasserman is looking to open by March 17th. [The Insider]

Delicatessen has opened at 7th and Chestnut. They feature classic Jewish deli staples and nouveau takes like Sephardic Ceviche, citrus cured salmon with red onion and capers. [Meal Ticket]

Michael Klein has a bit more on Hoof + Fin which has opened on 3rd Street in the former Gayle address. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is opening its third location. This one in the re-imaging itself Shops at Liberty Place. [Grub Street]

Ro-Zu will be soft opening at 7th and Bainbridge this weekend. The grand opening for the Japanese restaurant will be Monday, March 15th. [Meal Ticket]

Wishing Well is aiming for a mid-March opening. Grub Street has the details on their S.H.A.M.E. burger. [Grub Street]

Meal Ticket has more details including an early look at the menu at Cooperage, the wine bar coming this April to the Curtis Center. [Meal Ticket]

Franco’s Osteria looks to open this weekend at the Presidential on City Avenue. [The Insider]

The Illadelph takes Ansill’s neighbors to task for never allowing the restaurant to have outdoor dining but the big story is his posting of the meeting notice for the neighborhood meeting regarding Stephen Starr’s proposed Fishtwown beer garden.

Among the details that can be lifted from the meeting notice:

• Tuesday, March 2nd, 7pm at 1202 E Montgomery Ave.
• Roland Kassis is the developer
• 300 feet frontage on Frankford Ave
• 250 Sets
• Courtyard space with outdoor space
• Kitchen till 11pm
• Bar till 2am
• Valet parking with 70 parking spaces available
• Concerns:
  • Parking
  • Noise
  • Trash
  • Traffic

Further Evidence Neighbors Are A Restaurant’s Worst Enemy [The Illadelph]
Stephen Starr Bier Garden Zoning Meeting 3/2/10 7-8pm [Philadelphia Speaks]

This week in Philadelphia Magazine’s Restaurant Club Newsletter.

• Sneak Peek: Garces Trading Company
  wine, flowers, sandwiches, pizza, meals-to-go, all under one roof.
• Restaurant News Roundup
  It isn’t all about Jose, there’s still Stephen Starr!
• Our Cajun Food and Drink Guide
  Where to get some solid Cajun eats

Restaurant Club Newsletter [Philadelphia Magazine]

Out with the old, in with the new at 2nd Street’s Xochitl. Out is chef Dionicio Jimenez who, Michael Klein reports will be heading up Stephen Starr’s new Mexican operation at 2013 Chestnut Street. Also making its way out will be the wall separating the bar and dining areas.

In will be chef Lucio Palazzo who has worked as sous chef at Zahav and Percy Street Barbecue. Also in will be a casual and lower priced menu and the new logo pictured above.

Still in is bar manager Sergio Ruiz and Xochitl’s award winning margaritas and drinks.

New Xochitl Menu (PDF)
Xochitl chef quits for Starr project [The Insider]
Xochitl [Official Site]

Stephen Starr’s Pod will be offering all-you-can-eat sushi every Tuesday this month. Starr Restaurant’s Twitter feed recommends calling for reservations. 215-387-1803. We’re assuming the details will be the same as last time, 9-11pm for $25.

@StarrRestaurants [Twitter]

Michael Klein followed up late Friday with more details on some of last week’s most interesting developments.

Klein says no to a story published in the Inquirer’s business section. He reports that a brew pub is not coming to the Shops at Liberty Place.

And as for the beer garden by Stephen Starr in Fishtown, it  seems likely that it will actually happen and initially will be outdoor only.

As for what Starr’s outdoor beer garden might look like, the Illadelph points us towards the Standard Hotel’s Biergarten in the Meatpacking District of New York for a possible idea. Others in our comments have speculated it might look something like Brooklyn’s Radegast hall & Biergarten. Both seem worthy inspirations.

A few restaurant notes [The Insider]
Stephen Starr to Jose Garces: I’ll See Your Beer & Brats Concept And Raise You A Bona Fide German Bier Garten [The Illadelph]

Meal Ticket has some details on the type of food that will be offered at Hoof+Fin, the casual BYOB aiming to take over the former Gayle spot on South 3rd. [Meal Ticket]

Thoreau will be a vegetarian restaurant opening February 2nd at 1033 Spring Garden Street. The couple, Mike and Lisa Jackson also own Blue Sage in Bucks County. [Meal Ticket & Restaurant Club]

A.D. Amorosi has smidge more on Stephen Starr and Bart Blatstein flirting, the concept would be “more casual than formal. ” [City Paper]

Keith Taylor is out at Holy Smoke in Roxborough but will resurface in Bellmawr come March. [The Insider]

The new Wit or Witout at 9970 Roosevelt Boulevard is offering $3 cheesesteaks in January, $4 steaks in February and $5 steaks in March. [Meal Ticket]

1st & Fresh Catering is partnering with Marc Vetri to offer sandwiches from Osteria. Get Vetri’s take on roasted pork, sliced brisket and eggplant Parmesan delivered to your next event. [1st & Fresh Catering]

More Vietnamese for 11th and Washington. The latest will be Le Viet, the specialty is to be crab noodle soup. [The Insider]

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Phoodie is reporting that Stephen Starr is looking to open a German biergarten in Fishtown. The project is called Bier Garten would run along Frankford Avenue opposite of Johnny Brenda’s and adjacent to the Acropolis Diner.

It will be interesting to see how this develops, especially with Fishtown’s reputation for being fiercely NIMBY.

Phoodie Exclusive: The Who And The What Of Stephen Starr’s Fishtown Bier Garten [Phoodie.info]