Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

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NOW SEATING

Named for the state dog of Louisiana, Catahoula (formerly Sauté) features chef Paul Martin's "urban" take on the Cajun/Creole cuisine of his native Louisiana. Can't-improve-upon-'em dishes like New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp and jambalaya (above; Martin does his with duck confit) have proven to be hits in the bar/restaurant's first month of business, but the former Starr chef (Washington Square, Alma de Cuba, Pod) also brings some fine-dining touches to the mix — take his Gulf Coast red snapper entrée with a crab and leek ragout. Catahoula opens daily for dinner at 4 p.m., except Saturday and Sunday, when they also serve brunch from 11 to 3.

Mike Barone and Dave Anthem have soft-opened Grindcore, an all-vegan coffee/café operation, in Pennsport. Temporarily running limited hours of 3 to 8 p.m. while the partners get everything organized, the 25-ish seat shop serves coffee roasted by Goshen Coffee out of St. Louis, and will offer an all-vegan selection of sandwiches, soups and desserts. For those worried about missing cream in their a.m. lattes, Grindcore is offering a wide selection of alternative milk products — almond milk, coconut, rice, soy, etc. The print show "PHL: Printers/Haters/Lovers," which opened last week with the café, runs through October. 1515 S. Fourth St., grindcorehouse.com.

The Food Trust will launch a night market series in Philly starting next month. Inspired by the bustling night bazaars common in Asia, the roving event, will take place six times over the next year and a half (each time at a different location) and feature a diversity of entertainment and Philly street-food vendors. For the latest info, join the mailing list at nightmarketphilly.org.

Barbuzzo (110 S. 13th St.), from Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, should be opening next Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Jesse Kimball, chef at Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St.), has consulted on a revamped menu for sister spot Local 44 (4333 Spruce St.). The West Philly beer bar will also launch a brand-new brunch menu, available Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 3, on Sept. 4.

Le Virtu (1927 E. Passyunk Ave.) has rolled out a grill menu for their lovely outdoor garden area, which they're calling Il Campo. On offer: meat and fish options (grilled housemade sausage, pancetta, lamb chops, calamari, shrimp), served with various salads/sides (farro, cannellini bean, cherry tomato, etc.), for $8 a plate. Drink specials, too. Il Campo is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. (weather permitting).