Autumn Brings New Restaurants to Center City
Ah, fall. These are the days when our thoughts turn to school bells, cooler weather, falling leaves, and pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and it’s a sentiment shared by many people I know. This fall promises to be a yummy one for Philadelphia and Center City in particular, as a crop of new restaurants are popping up all over town. Philly.com recently published a rundown on all the new eateries. Here are some of the standouts.
An image of chef/owner Yianni Arhontoulis at Mica restaurant, just one of the new eateries coming to town this fall. (Photo: Philly Inquirer)
Mica in Chestnut Hill has the same name, but it’s an all-new restaurant after being closed for a two/month hiatus. The new owner and chef is Yianni Arhontoulis, the former chef de cuisine at Blackfish in Conshohocken, the flagship restaurant of Mica’s previous owner Chip Roman. The resto is now BYOB, with a $69 tasting menu and a five-entree a la carte dinner menu with meals starting in the $20+ range.
The James is coming to Logan’s Square at 19th and Arch. The space was, until 3 years ago, the home of Mission Hill restaurant. According to The Inquirer, The James will offer “big and hearty, protein-centric fare – with everything made in-house. Bar will have cocktails and eclectic wines and craft beer.” Partner Eric Vesotsky says that the aesthetic his team is aiming for is “comfortable and casual but… upscale urban.”
Scarpetta, the classic Italian eatery helmed by celeb chef Scott Conant, is coming to the Rittenhouse Hotel. Scarpetta has several locations throughout the country, but it is based in New York. It is taking over from Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, featuring what the Inquirer describes as “a minimalist, monochromatic, modern design using reclaimed white oak, honed calacatta gold marble, and distressed leathers.”
Harp & Crown, opening in mid-October, comes to Rittenhouse courtesy of Michael Schulson and Nina Tinari-Schulson, whose hit restaurant Double Knot is located at 13th and Sansom. The bar-cum-resto marries modern and Old World cuisine in the capable hands of chef Karen Nicolas, one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs for 2012. The basement bar will feature two bowling lanes. Strike!
