Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Oct 2, 2007

>> NOW SEATING

Open since Sept. 18, this 65-seat space on the first floor of the Philadelphia Art Alliance serves as a lunch 'n' brunch companion to the Kimmel Center's Cadence Restaurant. (Both spots are operated by NY-based food-service specialists Restaurant Associates.) Tuesday through Saturday, Gardenia serves a lunch spread of rotating fish, meat, salad, veggie and dessert dishes; Sunday sees an a la carte brunch menu that features French toast, frittatas, etc. Manager Rick Brown says the space will also be able to host private events.

Did you notice that South Street's Wasabi House location had disappeared? Us, neither. Imagine our surprise, then, when we stumbled across Gaja Gaja, the new Japanese/Korean sit-down that replaced it. Open since Sept. 10, the restaurant's sushi options are truly staggering (almost 50 different maki!), and the Korean choices — mostly classics like bibimbop and jap chae — ain't too shabby, either. Plus, there are a few interesting fusion items here and there (e.g. maki with bulgogi — thin-sliced Korean beef — crab, cucumber and oshinko).

>> WAITING LIST

David Arrell hopes to have this coffee shop, which we first told you about in June, open by mid-November. He'll serve fair trade-certified coffee and tea products in addition to health shakes, organic sandwiches/salads, vegan chili and more. Design-wise, Good Karma looks to become the greenest café in all the land: Arrell is working with Old City consulting firm Greenable to furnish the space with eco-friendly products, from cork flooring to sustainable lumber to a bartop made from kirei, a wood substitute crafted from sorghum stalks.

>> LITTLE VITTLES

Marcie Turney says Bindi (105 S. 13th St.), the Indian BYO she and partner Valerie Safran are opening in the café space of their Grocery Market, is just about complete. They'll be opening the first week of November — but the pair's going on vacation first. Y'all deserve it.

 

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