After two years on Bala Ave., Avril has closed up shop. I can’t say I’m all that surprised — thought the space showed a lot of promise when we attended the grand opening, when I popped in recently I could tell that the life had been sucked out of the place. Best of luck to owners April Lisante & Christian Gatti.
According to Philly.com, a “seafood restaurant with a South Philly pedigree” will soon fill the space.
Ella’s American Bistro opened in Devon Square shopping center (the one with ACME) in December 2011.
Details are just starting to emerge about this restaurant. It is owned by the Devon Hill BMW Family, who also runs two boutiques – Devon Hill Boutique (at Devon Hill BMW) and Blue Horse Boutique in Wayne.
Executive chef is Matt Schuler, who was most recently the chef/instructor for Bryn Mawr’s Viking Range Culinary Arts Center. Schuler’s menu will feature casual bistro fare ($10-30) with a commitment to farm-to-table ideals such as locally-sourced, organically-grown, seasonal ingredients. According to Philly.com, the menu will feature items such as a grilled New York strip, heirloom bean chili, grilled pizza, Iron Stone Farms sirloin burger, linguine, buttermilk fried chicken, BBQ Berkshire pork chop, crispy skin red snapper, and lobster mac & cheese. Lunch and brunch will also be served.
A full bar will also be included — in keeping with the sustainable theme, it is made out of an organically milled sycamore tree.
At a recent event at Blue Horse Boutique, a few dishes that will be available at Ella’s were served, including: Southern Pecan Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches, Artichoke Bruschetta, Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies & Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
More info to come — feel free to post below if you have more details.
George Perrier’s bakery & cafe The Art of Bread will open on June 8, 2011. It is located at 920 Montgomery Ave. in Narberth, across from Staples.
Cedric Barberet — Le Bec-Fin’s executive pastry chef — will handle the bulk of the baking, with selections of bread, croissants, brioches and other pastries prepared twice daily to maintain optimum freshness. (The bakery will also serve Perrier’s restaurants and commercial clients.) The cafe will serve light fare such as salads, tartines, pressed sandwiches and quiche, as well as illy coffee, pastries & cakes. Also available will be chocolates, birthday & special occasion cakes and a line of prepared foods.
The Art of Bread
920 Montgomery Ave.
Narberth, PA
610-660-8222
http://www.artofbreadbygp.com/
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Redhound Grille will open in May 2011 at 128 Paoli Pike in Paoli, in the former Big Easy Saloon space (which closed last October).
Chef/Owner Shane Magee was most recently employed at Places! Bistro; according to an interview posted on Malvern Patch, Magee plans to serve “American food with a twist… There won’t be any cheese steaks or hoagies — but there will be braised short ribs, steaks, lots of fish, risottos … good food like we’ve done at our previous location, but bringing it in at a price point that’s going to be wallet-friendly.”
A wide range of entrees ($10-$22) may include:
On the drink side, Redhound will offer a variety of local beers (potentially including some local homebrews), as well as 30+ bottles of wine under $40.
Redhound aims to apply a community-friendly philosophy, attempting to bridge the gap between a local tavern and an upscale neighborhood bistro. Is this feasible? Only time will tell.
More info to come.
Redhound Grille
128 Paoli Pike
Paoli, PA
Gemelli chef/owner Clark Gilbert has sold his Narberth restaurant to John Wolferth (formerly of Sola), which will change name and concepts in a few weeks.
Fear not Gemelli fans — Gilbert will be moving the restaurant to Manayunk (4161 Main St.), in the spot that last housed Mango Moon, which recently closed. The new Gemelli will have a liquor license.
Michael Klein shares a funny story about what brought Wolferth and Gilbert together:
“After selling [Sola] in 2006, [Wolferth] says he took a break and got into quick serve. But when Gilbert opened Gemelli on Woodbine Avenue in October 2009, Wolferth says he showed up at the back door with his chef’s coat and knives. That inspired him to go back into the full-service restaurant game.”
Whole Foods Devon customers will be quite familiar with the recent construction that has expanded the space into the former Homebaked Ham store and revamped their prepared foods area a bit (including the addition of a pizza parlor).
“The Milepost Pub” is now open in the front area of the store (next to the cafe seating area). It offers 300 bottles of beer, 6 local taps for on-site pints or take-away growlers, and a wine-by-the-glass vending machine. The pub also offers a menu of small plates for noshing while you sip. Though the takeout beer area is rather small (and cold!), it is packed with a great variety of local beers, US crafts and imports. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the selection is different enough from that of nearby Wegman’s, so trips to both stores are warranted for the completist. The Pub is open daily from 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM, and on Sundays, from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM.
In semi-related news, WP Realty is also in the process of expanding the Whole Foods shopping center (once Devon Village, to be called The Shops at Devon), including the addition of another restaurant. (There’s a second building to the west of where Whole Foods currently stands.) No word on what that might be or when it will be ready.
Another (an actual?) Mexican-themed restaurant is coming to Wayne — in addition to the Spanish/Mexican tapas joint Matador (in the old Vivo/Freehouse space), Xilantro (which apparently is based on the Aztec spelling of the divisive herb), an upscale Mexican restaurant & lounge, will be opening its doors in late May 2011, just across N. Wayne Ave.
The owners hail from existing restaurants El Serape in Blue Bell and Los Serapes in Chalfont and Horsham (as well as a place called Cilantro – traditional spelling – in Salem, MA). Expect a more authentic Mexican theme than Matador, and tequila, as they have acquired a liquor license.
Xilantro’s seasonal menu will feature both “progressive” and “authentic” Mexican fare. Appetizers will include Guacamole made table-side, freshly-made tortillas and Arriba Chihuahua Nachos (which seems like a fancy way to say Nachos). Entrees include Grouper en Papillate, Filete Tres Chiles and Grilled Pork Chops with Tomatillo Sauce and Crunchy Plantain.
At lunch, guests can choose from a wide array of dishes such as Xilantro del Mar Salad, Salmon Tropical and a variety of Tacos, Enchiladas and Fajitas. In addition, all of the dishes that are made with corn products are gluten free.
The bar at Xilantro will house one of the largest selections of premium tequila in the Philadelphia area, with over 100 tequilas, along with Mexican inspired cocktails including specialty margaritas, Mexican beers and wines from around the world.
Menus (PDFs via Philly.com): Lunch | Dinner
Xilantro
103 N. Wayne Ave.
Wayne, PA
484-580-8415
Website | Xilantro’s Facebook Page
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:30am – 10:30pm
Friday – Saturday: 11:30am – 11:30pm
Sunday Brunch: Noon – 3pm
Sunday Dinner: 3 – 10pm
Catering & Special Parties also available.
A new French Bistro named La Petite Maison will be opening the weekend of March 26, 2011 in Berwyn, sharing the space with the Royal Tea House (where Berywn Coffee Co. used to be). The BYOB is the latest project from chef Maurice de Ramus, who’s had stints at Ardmore’s A la Maison, Philly’s Zen and Cherry Hill’s Onasis.
Dinner only, Tues-Sat 5-10pm. Entress are mid-to-upper 20s. 720 Lancaster Ave, Berwyn, 610-450-6133.
Here’s their opening menu (as written):
A new organic Frozen Yogurt Cafe, Yogo Sano, has recently opened in the space that used to house Cafe Procopio (just above the new Real Pizza location – across from the old Real Pizza location).
Yogo Sano says they are the only frozen yogurt store in the Philadelphia area that serves the highest quality USDA certified organic tart yogurt.
More info at http://www.yogosano.com/.
Hogfish Bar and Grill is coming to 372 W Lancaster Ave. (where Osaka was formerly located – in the same building as Flavor) this June.
It is named for a snapper-like fish native to Florida, and the menu will focus on seafood. Check their website for more details (when they are available).
Our prior speculation that this restaurant was related to the bar and grill of the same name located in Stock Island, Florida, was incorrect.
In unrelated news, Nova Grill is coming soon to 815-817 E Lancaster Avenue in Villanova.
Mike Solo is bringing his famed cuisine to the Main Line
Grilled Cheese & Pizza in Wayne and Paoli.
Later Luthra – Ale replacing Kebobs.
Wow… lots of restaurant news as the year comes to an end. Here’s a quick recap.
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