Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Feb 6, 2008

>> NOW SEATING

Open for about a month, Cafe Coláo offers the greater NoLibs area "the outstanding taste of Puerto Rico." Parked right next to Taco Riendo, Luis Santa's establishment starts early (7 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 9 a.m. on weekends) for breakfast, with everything from omelettes to egg sandwiches and pancakes. Traditional Puerto Rican dishes —including lechon asado al horno (roasted pork), chuleta (fried pork chop) and the always-popular mofongo (mashed plantains with garlic and gravy) — are tops for lunch and dinner. Sit-down service, takeout and delivery are all available. If you're dining in, check out a movie on the flat-screen TV while you wait. (On a recent visit, we got slightly sucked into Peter Jackson's King Kong.) Bite This: If tostones and alcapurrias aren't your thing, A) you suck; B) Coláo also offers straight-up American fare, like cheesesteaks and burgers.

>> WAITING LIST

WineO soft-opened briefly in the summer of 2007 before owners John Nolano and Massimo Cifelli ran into some snags — namely, speed bumps surrounding licenses due to a wall that was deemed structurally unsound by the city. Now, everything is fixed up, and the pair hopes to reopen by the end of February. Their wine list will span Argentina, Australia, Italy, France and Spain, with room for choices by the bottle and glass; eventually, Nolano says, they'll be able to make their own wine on-site, which they'll offer by the carafe and half-carafe. The menu will be "Mediterranean-American," with grilled octopus, mussels, ribs, a "WineO Burger" and cheese plates.

>> LITTLE VITTLES

La Salle University alumni and Northwest Philly residents will be interested to know that the school has purchased two campus institutions — Kirk's Pizza House (2145 Elkins Ave.) and the Explorer's Den (2160 W. Olney Ave.). Both eateries approached La Salle separately; a spokesperson says there are no clear plans for the locations as of yet, though one rumor has a Tony Luke's franchise moving into one of the sites. Tony Luke Jr. has yet to respond to a request for confirmation.

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