Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

Baby Blues BBQ
3402 Sansom St., 215-222-4444, babybluesphilly.com.

The Fischer clan, natives of Newtown Square, runs three Baby Blues locations in Cali, and brother Stephen has just debuted the first East Coast outpost. Replacing Bubble House, Baby Blues features a clever reclaimed/salvaged interior, the focal point of which is an island kitchen cranking out dishes from multiple 'cue traditions — look for beer-braised brisket, baby-back and Memphis-style ribs (above), slow-smoked chicken, seafood and sides aplenty. Full bar, too. They're open daily for lunch and dinner.

The Bottle Shop
1837 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-551-5551, bottleshopbeer.com.

Michele Aquino and Gena Montebello have introduced The Bottle Shop, a craft beer haven on hopping Passyunk Avenue. The girls currently have 400 beers in stock, with plans to bump that total up to 700 in the coming months. They're also doing coffee and snacks like fresh-popped popcorn, gourmet pretzels and hot dogs. They're open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Liberté
The Sofitel, 120 S. 17th St., 215-569-8300, libertelounge.com.

The Sofitel's new restaurant is a French-inspired operation tailored to the urban-hotel-lobby regular. Featuring cocktails from mixmaster Marc Yanga and a menu from chef Kevin Levett, Liberté has a central bar and a fireplace lounge in addition to the dining room. Levett's menu is stocked with fare like slow-roasted pork belly with caramelized apples and boudin noir, and house-cured trout with red lentils, lemon confit and crêpe chips. The spot's open daily for lunch and dinner.

LITTLE VITTLES

King of Tandoor owner Mohammed Islam is looking to open a restaurant at 1634 South St. American Blackboard (1516 South St.), from cheffing brothers Tim McGinnis and Jason Roberts, should open in December.