Two New Philly Restaurants Announce Openings This Week

From left: Shrimp ceviche tostada from Amá; the spiced carrot dish from Leo / Photographs by Mike Prince and Neal Santos

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. We’ve got a lot of news this week — including (but not limited to) new restaurant openings in Fishtown, Wayne, and on Broad Street, new ice cream in Rittenhouse and in Bryn Mawr, new menus at Little Walter’s and Cantina La Martina, and collaboration dinners happening pretty much everywhere else. It’s a lot of stuff. So let’s get right into it and kick things off this week with …

Two Big Openings to Pay Attention to This Week

Leo (at the Kimmel Center) and Amá (in Fishtown) both announced their official opening dates this week. We’ve talked about both restaurants before — Leo here and Amá here — but I promised more details when I had them, so let’s take the openings one at a time.

First, there’s Amá. This is the big Mexican restaurant from Starr loyalist (and former LMNO exec) Frankie Ramirez and his partners. Last time we checked in with Amá, it was right in the middle of build-out at the corner of Front and Oxford Streets in Fishtown and hoping for an early 2025 opening. Now, I can let you know that they’ve announced the grand opening date for the 4,300-square-foot, 120-seat space, and it will be debuting to the public tomorrow, May 14th, at 5 p.m.

Dishes from Amá / Photograph by Mike Prince

Amá will be open seven days a week, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with a weekend brunch service to be added once things get rolling. The menu will be seasonal, featuring homemade tortillas, a menu derived from the six primary culinary regions of Mexico, and large-format, shareable plates served largely off Ramirez’s brand new eight-foot-long custom wood and charcoal grill. The cocktail program will be largely tequila and mezcal focused, with Diego Langarica standing as beverage director (following turns at both a.bar and Franklin Mortgage). And in the kitchen, Amá will have Guillermo Luna (former exec at Amada, Tinto and Village Whiskey) running the show.

Reservations are suggested for Amá, but it’s a big space, so they’ll be taking walk-ins when they can. Pro tip: While the staff settles in, they’ll only be offering a limited menu at the bar. You can find out more about the place by checking out Amá’s Instagram.

Meanwhile, over on Broad Street, Leo — the new fine dining operation that’ll be anchoring food service at the Kimmel Center — is getting ready to open on May 23rd. Chef Chris Cryer’s opening menu is already live online, and it looks both impressively grown-up and artfully restrained — which are two things that no one ever accused Volvér of being when it lived in this space.

The coriander cured hiramasa from Leo / Photograph by Neal Santos

Cryer is doing the kind of smart, approachable, American internationalism that one would expect from any high-end hotel restaurant or tourist destination that’s also looking to capture a share of well-heeled locals looking for a dependable night out. We’re talking salt-baked beets, ricotta dumplings, roasted shrimp, brick chicken, and a flatiron steak.

But what I like is that Cryer adds a nice twist to pretty much every dish on the menu. Those beets? They come with a sunflower seed tahini and chili relish. The workmanlike brick chicken has a date pastilla. The requisite duck breast comes with peach, asparagus and burnt honey. His unsurprising pork shoulder? With charred cucumber. It’s a really nice menu — impressive without being ostentatious, recognizable without feeling dull. And trust me: That’s not always an easy line to walk in an operation like this one.

So service starts next Friday. Reservations are open now. And I wouldn’t sleep on this one if I were you. I know it can feel a little weird to head out to the Kimmel just for dinner, but Leo might be worth it.

Now what else is happening this week?

Were Taylor and Travis Really in Philly Over the Weekend?

Yes, they were. They had a lovely Mother’s Day brunch at Talula’s Garden on Sunday with their moms (plus Jason and Kylie), and I’m only mentioning it here for two reasons:

One, Talula’s Garden used to be one of Stephen Starr’s early restaurants — a place called Washington Square — and Washington Square was where Frankie Ramirez (of Amá, mentioned above) got his start in Philly’s restaurant scene. He worked there as a dishwasher a million years ago.

Two, the Daily Mail — the British paper that originally reported on this — claimed that Talula’s Garden is one of the hardest reservations to get anywhere in America. However, that is actually true of Talula’s Table — which has just two reservations available per night, one for eight to 12 guests at a single table, another for two to four — but not Talula’s Garden. Things have been a little bit easier at Talula’s Garden. Though knowing the Swifties as I do, the fact that Taylor set foot inside Talula’s Garden will now make it hallowed ground to them, so that may change.

Me? I’m just glad Jason got to have a nice brunch with his mom.

It’s Backyard Grilling Season at Cantina La Martina

La Cocina de Humo del Chef Dionicio at Cantina La Martina / Photograph by Kerri Sitrin

And what better way to celebrate than by bringing the Mexican tradition of La Cocina de Humo to Philly?

That what chef Dionicio Jiménez is doing this summer at Cantina La Martina. Apparently, he got to experience this the last time he was in Mexico and had a blast, so wanted to bring his own version home with him. Cocina de humo literally translates to “smoke kitchen,” but it basically means backyard grilling — a kind of festive, picnic atmosphere, cold beers, and lots of stuff cooked and smoked over open flame.

So La Cocina de Humo del Chef Dionicio is exactly that. He’s going to be spending every weekend (starting with this one, on May 16th) until Labor Day out in Cantina La Martina’s backyard, grilling pretty much anything he can get his hands on. He’s running it kinda like a recurring prix-fixe, with three items off the grill, plus dessert, for $50 per person. The menu will be different every week. And if it rains, they’ll have to cancel.

This week’s grill menu looks like this: Shrimp, snapper zarandeando, chicken, beef ribs, barbacoa, goat, beef, and a selection of fresh vegetables. You pick any three of those, plus a dessert from the kitchen, and you’re good.

Dionicio will be doing this every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and on Sundays the grill will be lit all day long, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are strongly suggested (select “patio” then “Cocina de Humo”), but not required, so if you find yourself with nothing to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon, maybe just roll on in and give it a go.

Michelin Comes To Philly

The first Michelin Guide was published in 1900 / Photograph by Apic/Getty Images

In case you missed it, yesterday’s big announcement was that Philadelphia will now be part of the Michelin Guide Northeast Cities edition. We will be included alongside New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington D.C., with our restaurants being judged next to some of the best in the world.

I explained all the details of this yesterday — discussing both the good and the bad of having that kind of attention leveled at our scrappy little scene — but one thing I didn’t mention? Michelin’s international director, Gwendal Poullennec, is actually in town right now for the announcement and a “familiarization trip,” hosted by the Convention & Visitors Bureau. This is the first time Poullennec has attended a debut announcement in the U.S. It’s also the first time the director has been to Philly. The PHLCVB will be squiring Poullennec around town, taking in Reading Terminal Market, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, then stopping in for dinner at Kalaya, Her Place Supper Club, and Casa Mexico — three women-owned restaurants representing three varied cuisines in three different neighborhoods.

My question? If you had it in your control to schedule a three-day Philly excursion for someone in charge of ranking all the best restaurants, everywhere in the world, where would you take them? I mean, Kalaya, Her Place, and Casa Mexico are excellent choices (even setting aside the historically male-focused, Euro-centric bias that the Michelin Guide has been taking some recent heat for, which I assume these choices are meant to counter), but this is Poullennec’s first time in Philly. Who knows if he knows any more about this place than that gossip columnist for the Daily Mail? So, not counting these official dinners, where should he go? Where do you think he’s sneaking off to once his Michelin hat comes off and he’s just another food-obsessed tourist let loose in one of the greatest food cities in America?

Think about it. And in the meantime, whose got room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Malai ice cream / Photograph by Morgan Ione Photography

We got a double-shot of ice cream news to start the section this week. In Rittenhouse, yet another scoop shop is getting ready for the hot weather, and this one is coming all the way from Brooklyn.

Malai is opening on Saturday, May 17th at 260 South 18th Street, is a South Asian-inspired ice cream shop with their own eggless, low-air, high milk fat process, and flavors that look amazing. Black cherry cardamom, vanilla sea salt, mango cream, saffron soft serve — there’s nothing there that doesn’t sound awesome. Plus, for the debut of their Philly store, they’re doing a special cinnamon honeybun flavor.

Doors open at noon on May 17th. To celebrate, they’re doing $3 single scoops all day, and free Malai tote bags for the first 100 customers. More info here if you’re interested.

Also, out in Bryn Mawr, we’ve got a new location for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams opening tomorrow at 840 West Lancaster Avenue. And Jeni’s is celebrating by offering free scoops all night, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.. I know, right? Free. Plus, they’re handing out swag to the first 50 people in line, and running a giveaway that’ll get five lucky folks free ice cream for a year.

All the details can be found right here. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood.

Speaking of spring, Little Walter’s is launching a four-course, all-ramp tasting menu, paired with a ramp Gibson from the bar. The kitchen is doing grilled rye bread with farmers cheese, ramps, and black-olive ketchup, ramp pierogi, grilled pork chops with ramp chimichurri, and a sundae topped with Polish water ice. The Gibson will have house-pickled ramps in place of the onions. And the whole thing is available for a very limited time, entirely dependent on whether or not the kitchen can actually get their hands on any ramps on any given day.

Still, if you get lucky, the ramp tasting menu (for two) can be yours for $75. Check out the details (and get reservations) here.

Dishes from Little Walter’s ramp menu. / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

Good news for the folks in Fairmount: Chance Anies of Tabachoy is going large with his sequel. He’s picked up the space at 1833 Fairmount Avenue (the old Tela’s Market) and will be turning it into Manong, a Filipino American grill with a full bar, bottle shop, and market. The new spot is almost three times the size of Tabachoy, and will give Anies and his crew the ability to really expand their reach — and their menu. According to Anies, “Manong means big brother in Ilocano as it will literally be Tabachoy’s bigger brother. Ha!”

He’s planning a series of pop-ups all across the city over the next few months — both to introduce people to what Manong will be doing, and to work out any kinks in the menu. Anies is hoping to get the place open by early fall, 2025, but there’s no hard date yet. You can check out the official announcement right here.

And finally, how about three absolutely killer tasting menus to round out the week?

First, we’ve got former New York chef, current professional collaborator and man-about-town Jay Wolman (of Intermission) heading to Superfolie for a two-night residency where he’ll be taking over the kitchen on May 17th and 24th. Reservations and details are available on Tock.

Second, the Jacques Pépin Foundation is coming to Philly for two dinners celebrating the legendary French chef. Nich Bazik will be hosting guests at Provenance on May 20th for a six-course French-Korean tasting menu inspired by Pepin’s cooking. Tickets are $270 a head, with proceeds benefitting the foundation as part of their year-long 90/90 celebration leading up to Pepin’s 90th birthday. Details and reservations for the dinner are available here.

Then, on June 10th, Philabundance (which receives funding through the JPF) will be hosting a second event, hosted by Eli Collins, featuring Bazik and Provenance’s pastry chef Abby Dahan, Chris Kearse from Forsythia, Shola Olunloyo of Studio Kitchen, Greg Vernick (Vernick Food & Drink & Vernick Fish), and Chris Curtin from Eclat. This dinner will happen at the Philabundance Community Kitchen’s training center, where diners will have the opportunity to learn more about PCK’s mission to “promote the economic wellbeing of its students through work in the food industry.” Tickets for this one are $275 ($325 for chef’s table seating) and reservations are available here.

Moon Rabbit and Kalaya collaboration dinner / Photograph by Deb Lindsey

Third one: Kalaya and Moon Rabbit. On Monday, June 2nd, chef Kevin Tien of Moon Rabbit in Washington D.C. will be coming to Philly to do a collab with Nok Suntaranon at Kalaya. This is basically a repeat of the pop-up dinner they just did together at Thien’s restaurant in D.C., but this time it’ll be happening here — showcasing the ingredients and techniques of Thai and Southern Vietnamese cooking in a three-course meal of river prawn ban xeo with turmeric crepe and nuoc cham, duck massaman curry, and namkhaeng sai with shaved ice, pineapple compote, jellies and pandan bread crumbs.

This looks like it’s gonna be a good one, and reservations have already been open for a while, so I’d act fast if I was you. Reservations are $135 and you can make yours here.