Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Published: Feb 13, 2008

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Fishtown will see the opening of the mysterious Memphis Taproom by early April. The venture is headed up by Brendan Hartranft, "all-around guy" at Nodding Head; Ken Correll of Bensalem's Shackamaxon Catering; and Paula Decker, wife of Nodding Head's Curt Decker. Though there won't be any brewing on-site, they'll pour a solid selection of American craft, Belgian, English and German brews. Food details are sparse at the moment, but Hartranft lets on that the menu will feature, in part, products from Greensgrow Farms and Polish specialties in a nod to the neighborhood. "We're trying to stay away from terms like 'gastropub' because we don't want it to seem like we're telling the neighborhood what to do," says Hartranft. "We want to develop an organic dialogue between the residents and us."

Last week, we learned that Ludwig's Garten is now in the capable hands of Jason and Delphine Evenchik, who own Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro (129 S. 13th St.). Dubbed Time, the new project will keep the basic Garten shell intact, save for extensive cosmetic repairs. One side will be for the drinky (at least 20 beers on tap), the other side for the grub (Evenchik calls it "updated country club fare," giving steaks and shrimp cocktail as dish examples). The overall feel, Jason stresses, will be across-the-board welcoming. "If someone wants to come in after a hard day's work, they'll be comfortable," he says. "If someone finishes up work at City Hall and wants a steak dinner, they'll be comfortable, as well." They're shooting for mid-March.

"Growing up, I was a really skinny-looking kid — my nickname was Sticks," laughs Nick Miglino when asked about name for his upcoming project. The South Philly native, who sold Felicia's (1148-1150 S. 11th St.) to the team behind the fast-approaching Devil's Den, has taken over the ancient Broadway II for S&S, which he hopes to open in April. The menu plan sounds intriguing — it'll feature a mixture of "Mexican, Asian and old South Philadelphia [dishes]." Examples include Italian mac and cheese, pizzas, fish and chips, meatloaf, vegetarian options and more. Miglino tacks on that he, along with kids Peter and Felicia, will resurrect his daughter's namesake restaurant in Center City sometime next year.

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