New York City Finally Gets a Good Cheesesteak

Angelo’s cheesesteak fresh off the griddle / Photograph by Gene Smirnov

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. We’re in the run-up to Mother’s Day right now — one of the biggest single days on the restaurant calendar — and most of the industry is just keeping its collective head down and prepping for the siege. So we’ve got just a couple quick things to get through this week — including (but not limited to) new ramen in Center City, springtime food (and beer) festivals, Bradley Cooper’s cheesesteaks, and news from the Roots Picnic. Let’s get right into it and kick things off this week with …

Cheesesteaks in the Big Apple

Last week, I told you how you could get a taste of Nihonbashi Philly (the now-famous cheesesteak shop in Tokyo) for one night only right here on Fairmount Avenue. This week? We’re talking about Angelo’s cheesesteaks in the East Village.

Or, really, Helen Rosner is talking about it for the New Yorker in a review of Danny & Coop’s, the cheesesteak joint opened by partners and legit Philly celebrities Danny DiGiampietro (the baker and bread savant who owns Angelo’s in South Philly) and Bradley Cooper (who is Bradley Cooper).

Rosner likes the place, which opened this past January. Her positive review is unsurprising. Both Danny and Coop grew up here, in the beating heart of the cheesesteak universe, and both of them know what it takes to make a great steak. She says, “It’s the best cheesesteak I’ve had in New York — which isn’t saying much. It’s just as good as the best one I’ve had in Philadelphia, which is saying plenty.” But again, not entirely surprising since her best cheesesteak experience in Philly also came from Angelo’s.

Setting aside any arguments here over who actually has the best cheesesteak in Philly (a list on which Angelo’s would be highly ranked, regardless), the fact that the partners were able to transport the Angelo’s cheesesteak magic across state lines is no big trick. It’s Danny’s bread, after all, that steals the show. Some Cooper Sharp. Shaved ribeye. Onions off the flattop. What I’m not so sure about is whether or not Danny & Coop’s is able to translate the cheesesteak experience to New York City. I mean, the line? The accents? The attitude? It is the best and the worst of us, all on glorious display. And say what you will about the object vs. the experience, but I know that’s part of the charm.

Anyway, you can read all about these Philly boys making good in the Big City if you like. But if you’re looking to check the place out for yourself, keep a couple things in mind. First, Danny & Coop’s is only open three days a week, and the hours aren’t always dependable. Second, updates are shared via an Instagram page, which is … sparse. Third, there’s no seating, the space is bare-bones, and the cheesesteak is the only thing on the menu.

All of which kinda makes the place sound pretty Philly after all.

Now what’s next?

Kyuramen Comes to Philly

Inside Kyuramen’s new Philly location / Photograph courtesy of Kyuramen

There has been a distinct lack of ramen news in this column recently. What used to be an almost weekly staple of Philly restaurant opening news has slowed recently. It’s not that we have a lack of ramen shops in town. It’s just that, at a certain point (like happened with hot chicken spots a few months ago), I’m pretty sure one was opened on pretty much every other block.

But there’s always room for one more, right? Or at least that’s what Kyuramen is hoping.

This is a national brand of Japanese-style ramen shops, with dozens of locations stretching all across the country. Until now, Philly had been completely off the map. But yesterday, the first local spot soft-opened in a newly redesigned, 3,200-square-foot space at 12th and Arch, right by Reading Terminal Market.

It’s got seating for 90, including special sake bottle-service tables and a handful of “honeycomb booths” like something out of an ’80s sci-fi movie. There’s a Japanese wish tree in the center of the dining room, a host’s stand designed to look like a ramen cart, and the whole place looks wild. Or, if nothing else, different — which is always good.

And the menu? Heavy on the soup, as you might guess. There are 11 kinds of ramen — from Tokyo Tonkotsu to Korean Kimchi — braced by a long list of apps (takoyaki, gyoza, okonomiyaki, shrimp pops, salad balls, and more), omurice omelets, “burgers” that are kinda like deconstructed bao, and then mille crepe and cherry blossom jelly for dessert.

Again, I really like the look of it. The whole vibe of the place just feels a little to the left of all the “traditional Japanese ramen” spots we got during our big ramen boom, and I’m excited to see if Kyuramen holds up in person.

If you’re interested in checking it out for yourself, it’s currently in soft-open at 44 North 12th Street with lunch and dinner service every day.

Getting Social

Vanessa Wong of Fishtown Social / Photograph by Mike Prince

Two bits of news from similarly named operations this week.

First, the wine bar Fishtown Social is celebrating its ninth birthday on Thursday, May 1st, with a party and extra-special wine tasting. Owner Vanessa Wong has gathered more than two dozen of her favorite bottles and will be pouring for everyone who shows up at just $25 a head.

Plus, she’s finally launching the long-awaited Fishtown Social Monthly Wine Club, which will work like this:

“[The Fishtown Social Monthly Wine Club] will provide members with two thoughtfully selected bottles of natural wine each month. The wines that will be featured in the Wine Club will always be seasonally appropriate and sourced from small producers who treat their grapes with immense care from vine to bottle. In addition to the monthly allocation, members will also receive a monthly newsletter featuring background on the featured products and producers, insights into the regions where the products are produced, tasting notes, and pairing suggestions. Membership will also provide early access to ticketed events at Fishtown Social, first dibs on rare and allocated bottles, invitations to special members-only tastings, and exclusive discounts in the shop. Oenophiles who sign up on or before May 1st will enjoy the anniversary tasting for no charge and will depart the event with their wine club bottles for May as well as a branded tote bag and wine key. All of this for $55 per month.”

Need details? You can find them right here.

Meanwhile, over in University City, Sunset Social (set on the Cira Green rooftop park at 129 South 30th Street) is opening for the season and marking the occasion with a Kentucky Derby watch party on Saturday, May 3rd. It’s a family-friendly event, so there’ll be balloon animals, a caricature artist, and games, plus food and drink for purchase. The race will be shown on the joint’s massive 60-foot TV screen, and the whole thing is free (not counting the food and beverages, which are PAYG).

The Derby party kicks off a whole season full of events at Sunset, including movie nights, Margarita Mondays, cornhole tournaments, Quizzo, DJ sets, Phillies game broadcasts, and beer specials. You can see the full schedule of events right here.

Roots Picnic Goes Large

Okay, so y’all know about the Roots Picnic, right? The huge hip-hop festival that’s coming to the Mann on the weekend of May 31st?

Yeah, well, this year founder/organizer Questlove is leaning in big time on the local food scene. He and the Roots Picnic team have locked down nearly fifty local restaurants, chefs, and food truck operators for the event, and the list is basically a greatest-hits mixtape of picnic foods.

We’re talking Amina and Black Dragon Takeout, Doro Bet, Down North, and Vegan-ish. There’ll be BBQ from Mike’s, water ice from Cori’s, and jerk chicken from Gigi’s & Big R. It’s a huge lineup. No one is going home hungry.

The Roots Picnic is happening at the Mann on Saturday, May 31st, and Sunday, June 1st. You can find all the details and info you need right here.

Now, who has room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Photograph courtesy of Rittenhouse Row

One more festival to put on your calendars: The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival is happening this weekend, on Saturday, May 3rd, from noon till 5 p.m.

As always, this is a big day for eaters. All those restaurants clustered around Rittenhouse? Almost all of them have got something special planned for the event. Everything from burgers and margs from a.kitchen to wagyu sliders, lobster rolls, and caviar bumps from Barclay Prime. The Continental is doing a space-themed pop-up with frozen Astronaut cocktails and ice-cream sandwiches. El Merkury has churros and street corn. El Rey is letting guests build their own piñatas. Kampar is showing up with saté and achat. Wilder has porchetta sandwiches. And the brand-new Weckerly’s in Rittenhouse will be slinging ice-cream sandwiches all day. Philly Mag will also have a table at the event, so be sure to stop by an say hi!

More info, if you need it, is right here.

And finally, this week, here’s another name that hasn’t been in the column for quite some time: Shake Shack.

So why am I mentioning them now? Because in honor of the season, they’re rolling out a limited-time-only barbecue menu at their Philly brick-and-mortars. We’re talking Carolina BBQ burgers with fried pickles, barbecue chicken sandwiches, and a classic barbecue burger with smoked bacon, American cheese, and house barbecue sauce on a potato bun. They’re also doing three new shakes: an Oreo funnel cake shake, a banana pudding shake, and a “Campfire S’mores” variety that sounds awesome.

The new menu hits on May 2nd (April 29th if you’ve got the app).