Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

Drew Lazor

NOW SEATING

From its dark wood/white tile/leather interior to its menu studded with decidedly non-Latin eats, chef Jose Garces' latest is a departure from the super-pretty small-plates approach he takes at his other city eateries. Next door to Tinto, the 30-seat Village Whiskey specializes in brown liquor (serious bourbon and scotch selections, with smaller rye, Canadian and Irish lists), hand-crafted cocktails (both classic and nouveau tipples) and unapologetically decadent eats (shortrib and cheddar-slathered fries, Kentucky fried quail). The star of the show will undoubtedly end up being The Whiskey King (above), a 10-ounce beast of a burger topped with foie gras, blue cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and maple bourbon-glazed cipollini onions. (As of press time, opening was set for Thu., Sept. 3, but there is a chance it may be pushed back. Opening is set for Fri., Sept. 4 at 11:30 a.m.) Here's the full menu; more food photos on Meal Ticket.

Our pick for soon-to-be-toughest BYO reservation in the city? Fond, the casual sit-down that chef Lee Styer, pastry chef Jessie Prawlucki (both from Le Bec-Fin) and front-of-house maestro Tory Keomanivong (Lacroix) opened this past Monday. People are already talking about Styer's cooking — plates like charred octopus salad; crispy veal sweetbreads; and pan-seared halibut with sweet pea ravioli, lemon brown butter and English peas. The P'unk space is small, so reservations are definitely encouraged; they're open Monday to Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Check out the full menu on Meal Ticket.

Chef Robert Halpern took over this long-running West Philly BYO from Erin O'Shea, Steve Cook and Michael Solomonov, officially reopening this past Wednesday. (That trio will open Percy Street Barbecue this fall.) Halpern, who's put in work at Chicago's Alinea and Hugo's in Portland, Maine, characterizes his cooking as "postmodern," which translates to unexpected techniques/presentations — take "pork, beans and beer" (white bean purée, prosciutto crisps, baby Brussels sprouts, Guinness foam) or his seared avocado dish served "in the style of foie gras." Hours: Tue.-Thu. and Sun., 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; closed Monday. Check out the full menu on Meal Ticket.