Here’s a short roundup of some latest news from local restaurants, bars and cafés.

• University City Dining Days kicks off this Thursday (July 16), with over 30 restaurants participating in the event. During the 11-day promotion, you can choose a pre-fixe three-course dinner menu best suiting for your wallet: for $15 – at Dahlak, Desi Village, Dock Street Brewery, The Gold Standard Cafe, New Delhi, Vietnam Café, and more restaurants; for $25 – at 48th Street Grille, Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House, The Farmacy Rx, Han Dynasty, Harvest Seasonal, and more restaurants; or for $35 – at City Tap House, Distrito, Penne Restaurant & Wine Bar, Pod, and White Dog Cafe. Reservations should be made directly at participating businesses.

In addition, you can win some great prizes offered by the event organizer, University City District (UCD), including an iPod Touch, an Apple TV, and a $200 bundle of restaurant gift certificates. For more information go to: www.universitycity.org/university-city-dining-days.

• UCD has installed a new and the largest parklet in the area – on 40th Street between Walnut and Sansom, in front of the retail space that hosts several eateries, including Hai Street Kitchen, Jake’s Sandwich Board, and Zesto Pizza. The new parklet, designed by Shift_Design, measures about 60 feet long and is among the longest parklets ever constructed. Now you can enjoy your sushi burrito outside.

• We’ve been keeping an eye on the progress of Cafe Renata‘s opening at the new location near 46th and Baltimore. As we reported earlier, Renata co-owners Katie Steenstra and Yasser Aiq, were planning to open the new location this summer, after their old space near 43rd and Locust was heavily damaged in a fire in March. They even participated in the recent Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll (pictured right). It turns out, the opening will not happen until later this summer because Katie and Yasser are busy preparing for a big personal event – they’re getting married early next month! Once they’re “refreshed with marital bliss” they’ll be “back on the street” figuring out the opening date. We’ll keep you posted. By the way, the name of the new place is Renata’s Kitchen.

• The Gold Standard Café is hiring Front of House staff, including a busser/runner (for weekend brunch), a server (3-5 days a week), and a barista. Please drop off your resume in person at 4800 Baltimore Ave. or stop in and ask for an application on Monday-Friday from 10-10:30 a.m. or 2:30-5 p.m.. For more information, check out this Facebook post.

Photo from The Nesting House’s Facebook page.

The Nesting House, a local boutique that offers a mix of gently used kids clothes and items (ages newborn to 8), as well as new parenting items, baby registry and toys, will be opening a location soon at 4501 Baltimore Ave.

The first Nesting House store opened its doors five years ago in  Mt. Airy and there was a need to accommodate its growing customer base. West Philly has been in the running since the first expansion of the store (a second location opened in Collingswood, NJ two years ago after a spirited vote online as to where the next location should be), and the owners didn’t need another vote to make their decision.

“With Clark Park, Penn Alexander School, Milk and Honey, and Mariposa co-op nearby, the area boasts one of the ingredients for the store’s success – a neighborhood that creates a one stop shopping experience for busy families looking to support local businesses,” owners Jen and Chris Kinka said.  Continue Reading

A great neighborhood event, the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, returns on Thursday, June 25 with $1 bargains, live music and entertainment. Over 30 neighborhood businesses will be on hand, selling everything for a buck – food and drinks, gift certificates and theater tickets, art prints, plant starts and more – along Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 51st streets. The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The map of business locations and their offers is below. Expect long lines by Desi Village (samosas & mango lassis!), Milk & Honey (ice cream!), Dock Street (beer!), Mariposa Food Co-op (banana whips!) and some other locations. Take your kid to Redcap’s Corner to pick up some $1 Pokemon cards and mini figures. And make sure to stop by and say hello to newcomers, such as Café Renata who will be serving delicious iced coffee, 8 Limbs Academy who will be offering short kickboxing lessons, and Spirited Tattooing who will be selling stickers and art prints.  Continue Reading

Muslims all over the world are observing the month of Ramadan, which began on the evening of June 17. Here’s a reminder that in observance of Ramadan, some local businesses are closed or have special hours.

Saad’s Halal Restaurant on 45th and Walnut has posted a sign (pictured) that they will be closed until Monday, July 20. Manakeesh Cafe and Bakery across the street from Saad’s will be open at 7:30 p.m. for pick-ups and at sunset for dining in.

Neighborhood Bike Works is moving! (Photo from NBW Facebook page).

Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), a great neighborhood institution that has been providing bike education programs for youth and bike repair classes for adults for nearly two decades, has just announced its plans to open a new, larger hub and community shop in West Philly this Fall. The new site is located at two side-by-side storefront properties – at 3939 and 3943 Lancaster Avenue. It is one mile from NBW’s current headquarters in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Locust Walk.

“By moving out of a basement space to a highly visible, street-level site, we hope more families will find us and get involved in our programs,” NBW Executive Director Erin DeCou said in a statement.

A larger space on Lancaster Ave will offer more flexibility and an opportunity for NBW to operate more than one class or event at a time. Located at the intersection of the Mantua, Belmont, and Powelton neighborhoods, the new headquarters will also allow NBW to be closer to more of the communities they serve.  Continue Reading

The little building at 4610 Cedar is coming down. (Photo by West Philly Local)

The small building that sits on the west side of the triangular parking lot at 4610 Cedar Ave. (near Baltimore) is finally coming down and it looks like a three-story building will take its place.

Fencing has been erected around the building, which most recently was a temporary branch of the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, and the work should be completed by the end of the month, according to signs. A permit issued in November 2013 allows for the demolition of the current structure and the construction of a three-story building. The property is zoned for commercial and residential uses and is owned by the Bay Lay Song Family Trust, which is headed by members of the Lai family (who own the Vietnam Café at 816 S. 47th St., among other properties).

The building has been many things over the years (A West Coast Video, cheesesteak place, dollar store, gas station) and two businesses – Domino’s Pizza and Philly Flavors ice cream –  expressed interest in the property over the last couple of years. Both plans fell through.