As you may know, a new version of Rx will return this summer when new owners and chefs Ross Scofield and Danielle Coulter reopen the restaurant at 4443 Spruce Street in mid-July.

Under the new moniker Rx The Farmacy, the culinary couple and The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College graduates will revamp the once-busy corner BYOB that closed in 2011 into a home-style farm-to-table eatery. Their brunch, lunch and dinner menus will feature a smorgasbord of fresh ingredients tapped from Pennsylvania and New Jersey farm networks, and sausage and bacon made in-house. They’ll also steer away from GMO-saturated products, opting for peanut oil instead of the much-maligned corn and canola oils.

In other words: box pasta and frozen fish need not apply.

Don’t expect the “farm-to-table” catchphrase to monopolize Rx The Farmacy’s attention, though. It’s more of a lifestyle than an attraction—a hushed marriage between local, healthy, sustainable food and the laid-back dining experience. But if you consider Scofield’s childhood in Woodstown, New Jersey, this inconspicuous approach makes sense. After all, growing up in South Jersey’s farming community meant harvesting fresh vegetables right in his Greek family’s own backyard and using them in every meal. Continue Reading

Proposed draft drawing of Babylon Bistro’s storefront.

Although West Philly’s home to several excellent ethnic restaurant spots, there’s still a void of one menu offering plates that satisfy a broad range of palates. And that’s a gap Aksum Cafe and Seeds Gallery owner Saba Tedla plans to close when she opens her second eatery, Babylon Bistro at 5021-5023 Baltimore Avenue in Spring 2014.

According to Tedla, Babylon Bistro will cater to neighborhood folk who like ethnic fare but also want their “basic American food” (think specialty sandwiches). The contemporary menu as envisioned will offer small and large plate portions much like Aksum, but will cover an eclectic variety of regions and concepts that serve a diverse community.

While a lack of a “range of selection of menu” was a common complaint Tedla heard in two community discussion forums she held in developing the bistro’s concept, another was the lack of brunch and breakfast options. To that end, she plans to open Babylon Bistro for breakfast daily, as well as offer brunch on the weekends. As for serving alcohol, Tedla said the idea is to operate a BYOB spot on the onset, and that pursing a liquor license is “a long-term objective.”

“As a resident of the neighborhood, I am focused on the business void of the community and the advantage is having a better understanding of the neighborhood business needs,” she said.

But Babylon Bistro won’t only check off the food boxes. The combined lower area of 5021 and 5023 Baltimore Aves will come to a sprawling 2,000 square feet, making the bistro the second largest restaurant in the immediate neighborhood and the first largest on the Baltimore corridor, said Tedla. She plans to implement an open floor plan in Babylon’s scheme with floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors that’ll serve as windows—a chic décor that “completely opens the space” and can comfortably sit 75-100 patrons without much of a wait.

Although Tedla has a strong vision in mind for Babylon Bistro, she does note the menu and concept are still in the development stages, and will be fully fleshed out once a chef is identified. She is currently interviewing potential candidates, as well as pursuing other options.

Craig King of Ventures Abby Real Estate also plans to operate a restaurant at 5037 Baltimore Avenue, not far from Babylon’s pending home. While King hasn’t returned interview requests, we do know from Cedar Park Neighbors it will possibly be a 75-seat sit-down restaurant with weekend music entertainment.

–Annamarya Scaccia

Come late summer, West Philly will be home to two new diverse and palate-pleasing restaurants located in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises at 310 S. 48th Street.

For those who love Caribbean-American fusion cuisine, 48th Street Grille will provide a taste of the islands with a focus on seasonal fresh and local ingredients. Owned by Chef Carl Lewis of Catering by Carl Lewis, LLC, 48th Street Grille will serve fresh seafood, pasta, meat, poultry, curry dishes, burgers, salads, soup, vegetarian dishes and sandwiches, and non-alcohol beverages, as well as signature fare from the South and Jamaica, once it opens late summer. The 65-seat dining space will also offer sidewalk dining, take-out service, and full-service catering. It will be open Tuesday – Sundays for lunch and dinner, with mid-week breakfast available through Saturdays. Chef Lewis also plans to host special events for New Year’s Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Mother’s Day, as well as host midweek Family Dining Nights.

Area vegans and vegetarians craving more chow options in West Philly will find potential in Planet Vegan Café, a sit-down vegan juice bar and eatery opening in late July/early August. The vision of Dorinda Hampton, owner of vegan food company Really Fresh Vegan, Planet Vegan is a reinvention and enhanced version of the restaurant Hampton developed as part of her stint on Food Network’s 24 Hour Restaurant Battle in 2010. The 25-person capacity space will feature a full juice bar with all organic juice and smoothies, as well as serve hot and cold sandwiches, hot vegan and veggie dishes, soups, and salads using all healthy, organic, non-GMO products. It will also offer juice cleansing, in which six 16 oz. bottles of fresh-made juice are given for the amount of time needed.

“We want to have a really cool place where people can come, socialize and enjoy people’s company,” said Hampton, who also owns Sprout Vegan Eatery and Juice Bar, located at 909 E. Baltimore Pike in Kennett Square. “I want to [also] give people a new way of thinking about healthy eating. You don’t have to compromise texture or taste. It can be tasty as well as beneficial to your health.”

Planet Vegan will be open Mondays – Sundays (hours are yet to be determined), with takeout and delivery options available. Hampton plans to host local entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, and hold screenings of wellness, health and nutrition documentaries on Sundays.

Opened in September, the Center for Culinary Enterprises was designed to assist start-up and established food enterprises by providing commercial kitchen and food storage space for rent, as well as affordable food business development services. The 13,000+ sq. ft. facility, which is open 24 hours a day, includes four state-of-the-art commercial kitchens, the eKitchen Multimedia Learning Center (a demo kitchen and classroom), and retail space. A third restaurant may open in the space but it could not be confirmed.

–Annamarya Scaccia
 

If you are planning to spend the rest of the week here in the ‘hood, check out the Thanksgiving weekend hours at some local stores/cafes/restaurants. We’ll be updating this list as more businesses send us their schedules. If you want your business to be included in the list, please email us at: editor@westphillylocal.com or post your hours in the comments.

Aksum Cafe (4630 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: Closed
Friday-Sunday: Regular hours (Brunch: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Dinner: 5 – 11 p.m.)

CVS Pharmacy (43rd & Locust)

Thursday: Store: open 24 hours, Pharmacy: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Dock Street Brewery (50th & Baltimore)

Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Earth Cup (45th & Pine)

Thursday & Friday: 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Elena’s Soul (4912 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: Closed

Four Worlds Bakery (4634 Woodland Ave)

Thursday: 8 a.m. – noon.

Fu-Wah (47th & Baltimore)

Thursday: 9 a.m. – between 3-5 p.m.

Green Line Cafe

Wednesday: Baltimore Ave, Locust Street and Powelton Village close at 4 p.m.; Green Line at PennVet open normal hours (till 3 p.m.)
Thursday and Friday: – All shops are closed
Saturday: Baltimore Avenue 8 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Locust Street 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Powelton Village 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sunday: Baltimore Avenue and Locust Street 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Powelton Village 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave)

Thursday: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Milk & Honey Market (45th & Baltimore)

Wednesday: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The Fresh Grocer (40th & Walnut)

Thursday: open 24 hours

The Gold Standard Cafe (48th & Baltimore)

Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Serving brunch all three days (including black Friday) from 9:30 a.m. til 2 p.m.

VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave)

Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (open 1 hour earlier)
Sunday: 12 – 4 p.m.

Beat the heat this summer and grab some great food at a great price during the seventh annual University City Dining Days, sponsored by Wells Fargo. From July 12-26 enjoy a meal at the fixed price of $15, $25, or $30 (not including tax or tip) at one of the 34 participating restaurants in University City, including Distrito, Dock Street Brewery, and World Café Live, among others. Enjoy cuisines ranging from good old-fashioned pub food (New Deck Tavern) to Thai (Pattaya Thai Cuisine) to Indian (New Dehli Indian Restaurant) to Middle Eastern (Aksum Café) and everything in between.

Visit the University City District website for a full list including phone numbers and links for each restaurant. Reservations are encouraged, so make sure you call soon and save a spot! UCD is pulling out all the stops this year, including several commercials for the event, which you should check out below.

– Kelly Lawler

Han Dynasty, one of the city’s premier Chinese restaurants, has quietly opened its West Philadelphia location. The restaurant had a soft opening two weeks ago at 3711 Market Street, the former MidAtlantic restaurant’s space.

The restaurant specializes in authentic Chinese (Sichuan-style) cuisine and recently has been included in the list of the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the U.S. It serves lunch and dinner (no buffet), and offers takeout.

See the menu here. Stay tuned for set hours or call 215-222-3711.