Beer lovers have a new place in West Philly to call home. Local 44’s bottle shop opened this afternoon to a throng of beer drinkers and bystanders who crowded the shop adjacent to the bar at 44th and Spruce to get a look at the estimated 500 different beers on sale.

The shop includes a small bar that will always have two casks on offer. But the biggest draw will be the mighty beer selection in a wall of coolers and a special upstairs nook that houses mostly large bottles ranging in price from under $10 to more than $70. Most of the bottles in the cooler are loose and priced individually, so mixing and matching six packs is encouraged. They have plenty of six-pack carriers on hand.

By the way, there is a hallway that leads from the Local 44 bar next door to the bottle shop, but the use of it by anyone except staff is frowned upon. Consider yourself warned.

The hours for the shop are:

Monday-Thursday, Noon-10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, Noon-Midnight
Sunday, Noon-10 p.m.

Check out the short slideshow for other views inside the shop:

The construction of Mariposa Food Co-op‘s new store is complete. The new store at 4824 Baltimore Avenue is officially opening this Saturday, March 17 at 10 a.m. There were a few bumps on the road, but the final result looks to be worth it. The new store includes a beautiful produce section, meats, cheeses and lots of packaged and bulk foods. For the first time in the Co-op’s 40-year history it will also be open to non-members, though members (working and non-working) get a nice discount on everything they buy and some other sweet perks.

Project manager Bull Gervasi was kind enough to accompany us on a video tour of the new digs so that you can see for yourself what has been achieved by a group of dedicated Mariposa staff, members and volunteers. To join Mariposa, visit: http://www.mariposa.coop/?page_id=27.

Another gourmet food cart is coming to West Philly. If you happen to be in Clark Park and vicinity tomorrow, check out Kung Fu Hoagies, a vegetarian sandwich and noodle bowl cart, which is launching there this Saturday (March 10) at 10 a.m.

Kung Fu Hoagies is a product of partnership between two guys – Paul Davis and Steve Renzi – and was inspired by Davis’ love of kung fu (he’s a martial arts practitioner), as City Paper reports.

The starting menu is all vegan, including a traditional banh mi ($4), an orange BBQ vegan beef hoagie ($5), and coconut lemongrass beef and sesame peanut chicken noodles (both $5). For the complete menu and other information, visit the Kung Fu Hoagies Facebook page.
 

Exciting news is coming from Mariposa Food Co-op. Mariposa has announced that the new store at 4824 Baltimore Ave. will open on Saturday, March 17 at 10:00 a.m. The last day you can shop at their old location at 4726 Baltimore Avenue is this Wednesday, March 7.

Mariposa is also going to reveal a new official logo to go with their new store. The logo was designed by their member-worker Cecily Anderson of Anagramist Design. Look for it this week on Mariposa’s Facebook and Twitter pages and on their website later this week.

Stay tuned for more news about the new store opening.

 
Powelton residents will soon get more access to fresh, locally grown food. The West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub, a mobile grocery store, is launching in April to serve Lancaster Avenue and the surrounding communities. The truck will sell groceries like rice, flour, milk, peanut butter and eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables supplied by Preston’s Paradise and Greensgrow Farms.

Ryan Kuck, West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub project manager, says that they’ve been running a push cart market for about five years and were “looking for a way to scale up and be a more consistent access point to fresh food in our neighborhood.” The idea is “to be a grocery store more than a farmers’ market.”

So, look for the Fresh Food Hub starting next month along Lancaster Avenue, between 37^th and 40^th streets. The truck will also travel to senior housing communities, block parties and community events. The schedule for Lancaster Avenue (near 37th) is Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when it’s not at a community event. They’ll have additional hours at the Mantua library on Wednesday evenings and the West Philly Senior Center on Friday afternoons (they are still working on the details).

For more information about the West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub and people behind it, read this Plan Philly article or visit their Facebook page.

Il Rimedio, a restaurant that will offer “modern northern Italian cuisine,” will replace the once popular Rx at 45th and Spruce, where the brunch used to be worth waiting in line for on a Sunday. After about four weeks of displaying the sign “Closed tonight due to technical difficulties,” a new notice appeared on Rx restaurant’s door today (see below). As many locals suspected, the restaurant is changing hands. The Rx name, which opened under new ownership in 2010, played off the pharmacy that was previously located in the space. For those whose Italian is a little rusty, Il Rimedio translates as “the remedy.” Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned for more information on the new restaurant and its owners.