Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

NOW SEATING

Open to the public since Monday, Susan Schlisman's newest Philly restaurant specializes in comfort-food traditions from around the country. (She's also got Devil's Alley on Chestnut and two Sam's Grills, in Jenkintown and Wynnewood.) Spread out over two floors, the clean, wood- and stone-adorned interior can accommodate 170. Sixteen American craft brews are on tap. Menu-wise, there's a bit of barbecue (flame-grilled chicken, hickory-smoked St. Louis-style ribs, smoked brisket, etc.) and a huge selection of sandwiches, including the tremendous-sounding tur-duck-en burger, featuring a duck rillette with ground chicken and turkey, topped with orange-cranberry relish. For more pics and the menu, check out Meal Ticket.

This shrouded-in-intrigue watering hole, in the former Bar Noir, will finally fling its subterranean doors open to the public tonight. Proprietors LLC, a design/consulting firm owned by David Kaplan (NYC's Death & Co.), has collaborated with owner Chris Doggett to develop the décor (it's got that Prohibition-era new/old thing going on) and the secret (as of press time) cocktail list, which'll feature between 15 and 20 tipples. Style-wise, expect the drinks to fall somewhere in the middle ground between throwback-classic and hypermodern.

Marathon Grill owner Cary Borish, manager Nick Maldonado and contractor Mike Parsell have converted U-City's MarBar into Panda Bar, a new bar and music venue. Aesthetic changes include the addition of high-backed booths and vintage-style wallpaper. Food- and drink-wise, expect a largely American craft draft lineup and a bar menu with shareable eats like pierogies and Kobe sliders. The first performance for the 3,500-square-foot, 350 capacity space is scheduled for Sat., June 20; R5 Productions will soon start handling the booking.