Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

NOW SEATING

Now in its second week, Effie Bouikidis-Schweich and Christina Jimenez's BYO is plating up contemporary American fare just across Pine from the family's Effie's restaurant (1127 Pine). The focal point of the economical 28-seat interior is a framed photo of Paul, the sisters' father and restaurant's namesake, who passed this winter. Chef Adam Merlin, who was last in the kitchen at Georges' on the Main Line, is doing a diverse menu, featuring everything from yellowfin tuna ceviche and house-cured duck prosciutto to a surf-and-turf of short rib and scallops. Hours: Tue.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-11 p.m.; Sun., 5-9 p.m.; closed Mon. More on Meal Ticket.

Sphinx, a Middle Eastern café/hookah bar, has opened in the breezy corner space at Front and Chestnut. Floor-to-ceiling windowed doors on the Chestnut side provide plenty of fresh air for the deceptively large space. Eats include a selection of salads and sandwiches in addition to falafels, gyros and koshary, that signature Egyptian mix-up of pasta, rice, lentils and blackened onions in a tomato sauce. Hookahs, right now, are running $17. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-mid; Sat.-Sun., 9 a.m.-2 a.m. More on Meal Ticket.

A trio of owners — Mario and Natale Presta (Old City's Bocca and Manayunk's Bella Trattoria) and Melvin Marrero — are taking a swing at the standalone restaurant space at Fourth and Girard with this aptly named pizzeria. Three kinds of pie on offer — traditional crust (white, buffalo chicken, meat lover's, etc.), thick-crust Sicilian and a cracker-thin square variety, dressed with light mozz and tomato chunks and topped with a variety of goodies. Also on the menu: pasta, calzones, stromboli, salads, burgers and steaks and wraps and sandwiches. They deliver in the area. Hours: Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. More on Meal Ticket.