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.

Neighborhood Foods, West Philadelphia’s first urban farm-based CSA, is accepting members for the 2012 season.

Members of the Neighborhood Foods CSA will receive weekly shares of vegetables from West Philly gardens and fruit from farms in the greater Philadelphia area. The 22-week CSA runs from mid-May to October, and offers add-on options of locally-produced seasonal jam, local honey, and bread from Four Worlds Bakery.

All profits from this CSA are re-invested into the Haddington and Walnut Hill neighborhoods where the produce is grown, supporting urban employment and youth leadership development.

To become a member, fill out the application form here.

Pick up sites in West Philly are:

– Walnut Hill Community Farm at 46th & Market Streets, Friday afternoon
– Four Worlds Bakery at 47th & Woodland Streets, Friday evening or Saturday morning

The Neighborhood Foods CSA is a collaboration between West Philadelphia nonprofits Urban Tree Connection and Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation.

Hey West Philly beer lovers – let your voice be heard! The nomination round for the 2012 Drinker’s Choice Awards has opened today and you can nominate your favorite local bar, restaurant or beer in several categories now through Wednesday, Feb. 15. The Top 10 nominees in each category will move on to the final round, where the winners will be decided through popular voting. By the way, Dock Street Brewery is included in the list of the city breweries in the Best Local Beer of 2011 category (12-A).

For more information and to enter your nominations, go here.

Earth Cup Coffee (45th & Pine) is making some homey improvements. Word comes from owner Natasa Borcanin that the coffee shop has gotten some additional indoor custom-made seating (pictured) and a greater variety of light food fare, such as Hale and Hearty soups, stews, grilled cheese sandwiches, bagels, and pastries. All this, of course, to compliment their growing coffee and tea choices. The shop is now offering more than 20 varieties of coffee blends from all coffee growing continents and always has three espresso blends on tap.

Musicians have been stopping by too. Recently two local artists performed at the cafe – Sharedae and Debbie Valentina. Also a special guest from Chicago’s music scene Obisoulstar played an acoustic set of original songs.

To celebrate the Earth Cup improvements, Natasa is inviting everyone tomorrow (Feb. 4) to enjoy tunes by DJ Rod Bell (10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Also there will be some specials this Saturday and Sunday. For more information and photos, check out the Earth Cup’s Facebook Page.

We thought we would pass along some business happenings from along 45th Street. First, Demetris (photo above), which serves pizza and Mediterranean cuisine, has reopened at 4438 Chestnut Street after being closed for some time for remodeling. The restaurant offers dine-in, take-out and delivery services and the menu features traditional and gourmet pizzas, pasta, salads, charbroiled burgers and gyros among other things. The hours are Monday-Thursday 3:00 – 11:00 p.m., Friday & Saturday 3:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., Sunday 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. For more information call 215-222-8300 or visit their website.

Also, in case you missed it, a new pharmacy, Aspire Rx, has been operating between Walnut and Sansom streets for a few weeks. The exact address is 132 S. 45th Street. The store hours are Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., closed on Sundays. For more information call 215-883-0332.

Finally, the pharmacy turned restaurant Rx at 45th and Spruce has been closed for a few days now due to some technical issues (see photo below). This morning quite a few people turned up at this popular brunch spot and were visibly disappointed to see the “Closed” sign. We are trying to get in touch with the Rx owners to see what’s happening and will let you know as soon as we have more details.

If your Friday plans include a bottle of wine or spirits and your usual spot is the Wine and Spirits store near 41st and Market, you’re going to have to shop elsewhere.

The store closed permanently late last week. The owner of the building reportedly no longer wants to lease to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The PLCB is shopping around for another site in the area.

This also means that the store near 49th and Baltimore will have even longer lines.