Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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Longtime Philly barkeep Clark Newman has his new P'unk Ave. tavern halfway open in anticipation of a grand opening in about a week's time. (They're still working on the kitchen, installing the draught system, etc.) Once they get rolling, chef Ben Johnson (formerly of Plough and the Stars) will be cooking up affordable, gastropubbish fare — bluefish filet crusted with toasted spices, samosas, a "deconstructed" meatball sandwich, a smoked trout sandwich, several vegan options and more. Newman will serve six beers on tap, with many locals — PBC, Sly Fox, Yards, Dogfish Head and the like.

Armen "Gooch" Terzian has reopened Café Cláve, which he ran at 43rd and Locust from 2003 till 2004. Back with a vengeance at his original location, he's serving Tiziano espresso, fresh pastries and Cuban sandwiches, empanadas and tostones. Gooch, who's an Afro-Cuban percussionist when he's not pulling perfectly calibrated shots, encourages local musicians to drop in to the café for pickup jams. "When musicians go by on their bikes, I stop them in their tracks," he says. Cláve's open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Rod Millwood of South Street chuckle institution the Laff House debuted Blue Bananas Café, a Caribbean sit-down that's taking over for the shuttered Sonam, this past Wednesday. BB's menu will hit a big cross-section of island favorites — beef patties, oxtail stew, curry goat and brown stew chicken (the bird's marinated in a brown sugar spice blend) are among the highlights. "I would send [Laff House guests] all over South Street to different restaurants," says Millwood, who'll do much of the cooking himself. "Then I thought, 'Why should I do that?' If I have my own place, they can go right there."

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