Where to Eat Next
The ETA: October
— Frohman’s Wursthaus
208 South 13th Street, Midtown Village, grg-mgmt.com
The Player: Jose Garces.
The Concept: “Beer and brats” spot with a wood-burning grill and a takeout window. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Abe Froman, the mythical “sausage king of Chicago,” from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The Food: Sure, it’s cased meat and cans of brew, except it’s Jose Garces’s take on them, so the beer is crafty and local, and the sausages are house-made and international: Italian, Polish, German, Thai, Indian, Japanese and vegetarian versions will appear on the menu, plus a Chicago-style hot dog. And fries—Garces plans “a big frites section where you can load up on toppings.”
Our Take: A takeout window will help alleviate Village Whiskey-style waits/-rejection, but may end up becoming a long line of its own.
The ETA: Early November
— Unnamed pub
122 South 18th Street, -Rittenhouse, starr-restaurant.com
The Player: Stephen Starr.
The Concept: English pub fare, but this is a Stephen Starr production, so don’t expect greasy fish and chips. He’s inspired by (and is negotiating a partnership with the owners of) clubby New York resto-bar the Spotted Pig.
The Space: Designer Shawn Hausman will combine adjoining spaces into a 8,500-square-foot bi-level pub that will “feel like a home,” Starr says; the best seats are tucked into the second-floor bay window overlooking 18th Street.
Our Take: There are plenty of British Isles-inspired pubs in Philly, but none occupy such prime real estate. Despite the location, previous restaurants have had difficulty here, but again, when food-world feng shui needs realigning, Starr is the man.
The ETA: Early November
Waiting List: Tiffin’s Munish Narula plans a small-plates Indian restaurant with a custom-built tandoor oven and a liquor license, at 777 South Broad Street, for December—get in the car, there’s no delivery here. >> Stephen Starr has a German-Austrian beer garden at 1210 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown on deck for late October. >> Grey Lodge co-owner Mike “Scoats” Scotese is reopening Fox Chase’s Blue Ox as Hop Angel Brahaus, a German pub with “Alpine” fare, in October. >> Wash West dive Doc Watson’s is getting a head-to-toe reno and will reopen in mid-September as “culinary pub” the Blue Bear Tavern.