Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

>> NOW SEATING

Gino and Franco Iovino's well-loved Italiano, which closed in 2004 after 16 years of business at 13th and Locust, is back and better than ever with a 45-seat boutique space on the Pine Street side of Symphony House. The warm, earthy color scheme is accented with a copper-toned studded banquette; the front-of-the-house bar and bottle rack should clue you in that they're working with a liquor license (mostly Italian on the wine list). Menu specialties include carpaccios (tuna, octopus, filet mignon, Italian sea bass) and a variety of made-from-scratch pastas (gnocchi, passatelli, tagliatelle). They're open for lunch weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner Monday to Friday and Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Claudio Sandolo and John Talamo's pizza spot has opened in the just-off-South space that was most recently close to becoming the second location of Old City sushi favorite Zento. Grab a slice inside and catch a game on the flat-screen TV, take stuff to go or get yours delivered — menu items include baked pasta specialties (manicotti, lasagna, stuffed shells), gourmet pizzas ("The Works," with pepperoni, sausage, sweet peppers, mushrooms, onions and mozz) and specialty sandwiches on Italian rolls (the Sorrento features sautéed chicken breast, mushrooms, marinara and mozz). They're open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This West Philly coffee house opened to the public last weekend. The Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired name is just one of the novel aspects of the café — they also offer espresso and French press coffee from Counter Culture, the lauded bean roaster out of North Carolina. As of right now they're offering morning pastries/bites from Four Worlds Bakery, but the menu will expand as they settle in; art shows and regular movie nights are also coming soon. Right now they're cash only, but expect their credit card system to be set up within the week. They're open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.