Food

Le Castagne, Rittenhouse's upscale Northern Italian restaurant, now has a downmarket cousin in Spiga. Former Le Castagne chef Brian Wilson, in partnership with Skip DiMassa, Giuseppe Sena and Anthony Masapollo, has moved a few blocks east to run the kitchen of the casual 60-seater, armed wit ... more »

Nicole Marquis is fulfilling the demand for mainstream vegan fast food with Hip City Veg in Rittenhouse. Steering clear of vegan preachitude, Marquis' aim is to provide a "100 percent plant-based" experience "familiar to meat eaters." Her chef, Lauren Hooks, is knocking out a menu with popul ... more »

SoWe has replaced Divan at 22nd and Carpenter. Nancy Law and Troy Barton are going for a neighborhood-bistro feel, with room for around 50 and an accessible comfort-food-style menu (pork-belly pastrami sandwich, steak frites, artisan cheese board, etc.) from chef Maureen Stoebenau, who last ... more »

The long-underutilized sit-down space in the Art Alliance is now home to Rittenhouse Tavern, a new one from national management company Restaurant Associates. The Tavern's taking an ambitious upscale-casual approach via chef Nicholas Elmi (late of Le Bec-Fin) and "chef collaborator" Ed Brown ... more »

Barry Gutin and Larry Cohen (Cuba Libre) have brought Matt Levin into their fray for Square Peg, a bilevel restaurant granting the chef the latitude to play with updated interpretations of comfy American diner foods. Levin (Lacroix, Adsum) is doing lighthearted but very hearty plates ranging ... more »