Elijah Milligan Unveils His Ambitious New Restaurant

Elijah Milligan / Photograph by Mike Prince

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. James Beard Award news aside, there’s lots of big news happening this week in the industry — including (but not limited to) two new restaurant openings, a big pop-up preview, another big new restaurant announcement, plus new menus, anniversary celebrations, and more. So let’s get right into it and kick things off this week with…

Lovechild, Coming Soon

The last time we talked about chef Elijah Milligan, it was to say goodbye. He was the opening chef at Rosemary in Ridley Park and was doing interesting work there, but left after just a few months. He told Victor Fiorillo that he had “a few things in the works,” and not much more than that. It was a big shake-up for a restaurant that was just starting to find its footing out in Delco, but owner Philip Breen had a backup plan.

George Sabatino — former Best Chef in Philly, ex of Fork, Stateside, Aldine, and, more recently, culinary director for Val Safran and Marcie Turney’s restaurant group — stepped into the spot on the line vacated by Milligan. He lasted eight months, give or take, then also jumped ship for a new project of his own: Fleur’s, a very large, very French restaurant/bar and boutique hotel in Kensington that’s supposed to be opening, like, now-ish. (The original plan was for a spring opening.)

Meanwhile, we just got word that Milligan has finally put a name to at least one of the things he had in the works several months ago. Lovechild will be coming to the former Lucky Well space at 900 Spring Garden Street some time early this fall. The menu “will feature global influence with a heavier focus on Japanese and Mexican cuisine,” according to Milligan. There’ll be a raw bar, an Argentinian wood-fired grill in the kitchen, a full bar program, European wines, “a very eclectic, lengthy menu including various shareable plates, plenty of vegetable options, house-made pastas, signature cuts of meat and fish,” and more. Milligan is really throwing everything he’s got at this project. And what he’s got? Well, that’s a lot.

Seriously, dude isn’t just an industry lifer; he comes from generations of industry folk. His mom and stepfather owned a soul food restaurant when he was a kid — a spot that he eventually took over when he started cooking. He started at the J&A Culinary Institute in South Philly two weeks after graduating from high school, did time under Daniel Stern, Chris Kearse, David Ansill, Greg Vernick, and Nick Elmi (when he was at Le Bec-Fin) here in Philly, went out west to work for Dominique Crenn and Michael Chiarello in California, then came back home again to raise his daughter and cook some more.

So yeah, he’s got a deep well of experience to draw from — everything from Michelin stars to Delco steaks and burgers. And Lovechild is going to tap into all of that.

“I want this to be both a neighborhood gem and a destination,” he says. “This is a project I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into for a long time. I knew it was going to name it Lovechild, and I knew I was going to want to incorporate a variety of cuisines that I love into one menu. I have learned so much from some really incredible chefs, and I’m ready to create something really memorable in a city that I truly love.”

When it’s done, Lovechild will bring ’70s vibes, brushed gold, pendant lights, and north of 100 seats to Spring Garden, including the dining room, a chef’s counter, and bar seating. Service is planned for five nights a week. And while there’s no hard opening date yet, we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the old Lucky Well to see how things are progressing.

Now, speaking of new openings …

Corio Opens for Dinner

Dishes from Corio’s dinner menu / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

Last month, I told y’all about Corio — the Italian-inspired bar and restaurant being opened by three Vernick alums at the uCity Square development on Market Street. When we last talked about the place, they were going through a weird kind of soft-open process where they started with limited-menu takeout and walk-up service, then slowly rolled out sit-down services and a full board.

But last week, they launched for real: full-service dinners Monday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., a reservation system, and an actual menu. Just like a real, grown-up restaurant. June 10th was the first night of actual service. And that menu? It looks good.

There are seven different pizzas on the menu, three of which I want to eat right now: a braised rabbit pie with ricotta, oregano, and tomato; a hazelnut pesto with roasted poblanos; and a potato and green garlic pizza with confit potatoes, garlic purée, pecorino, and provolone. There’s also wings, hoagie salad, stuffed long hots, chicken riggies with cherry peppers, and a roasted half-chicken with lemon and pancetta. It is a seriously Philly kind of menu, touched with what looks to be exactly the right amount of class to make it feel like a nice night out. It’s chef food, basically. Made by the chefs who grew up eating this stuff. And I’m psyched to see how things play out for them.

Meanwhile, over in Fishtown …

El Chingon Version 2.0, Ready for Summer

Carlos Aparicio of El Chingon / Photograph by Mike Prince

You guys already know that chef Carlos Aparicio of El Chingon has been prepping that weird, triangular, outdoor space at 1431 Frankford Avenue where Frankford and Marlborough Street meet. It used to be El Jefe, but Aparicio has been working for months to turn it into a new, more casual, outdoor version of his award-winning Mexican restaurant. And now it looks like he’s just about ready to show it off to the public.

Tomorrow, June 18th: That’s the big day. He’ll be opening up at 4 p.m. and welcoming guests to this new, summery version of El Chingon with its open-air picnic table seating, birria cemitas, and street corn. The crew will be doing quesabirria and choriqueso tacos, choripapas (chorizo and fried potatoes, which I could basically live on if someone bought me a beer now and then), tres leches rice pudding, and homemade conchas.

The new spot is really a perfect summer hideaway. And Aparicio is getting it open just in time for the weather to turn hot. He’ll be doing staggered hours to start, but when things settle down, he’s looking at adding brunches, DJ nights, delivery, and a series of pop-ups he’s calling “Jardin de Agave” in conjunction with Bluebird Distilling, which will focus on local craft spirits and cocktails. So really, the party is just getting started.

And we’re not done yet either. Because now I have to tell you about …

Chance Anies’s Filipino Outback Steakhouse Pop-Up at Emmett

Inside Emmett’s dining room / Photograph by Mike Prince

Yup. You read that right. In case you missed the news, Chance Anies of Tabachoy is working on a second restaurant — a Filipino version of Outback Steakhouse that he’s calling Manong (which means “big brother” in Ilocano, because the space will be about three times the size of Tabachoy). He picked up the old Tela’s Market space at 1833 Fairmount Avenue in Kensington, and while he’s not projecting an opening until fall (September, at the earliest), he did promise that he’d be previewing the new concept with some pop-ups around town.

And guess what? Now he’s making good on that promise with the first Manong pop-up happening as part of Emmett’s “Not A Pop-Up” dinner series. He’s hooking up with his new Kenzo neighbor for a one-night preview on Tuesday, July 15th, cooking alongside Emmett’s chef, Evan Snyder, and doing a full, family-style meal for guests between 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Two important things to know about this:

First, the menu looks killer. BBQ chicken skewers, chicken liver mousse with semolina cakes, rye tartlets with wagyu and horseradish, big plates of lechon baka, and lambchetta with white cucumber yogurt. There’ll be coconut rice dolma with French onion labneh dip on the side, Filipino potato salad with potato skin chicharron (!!!), popcorn shrimp with tamarind and bonito aioli, and more. Plus, there’s dessert: “Filipino Gelati” with calamansi wooder ice, toast milk and pandan ice cream; and “Dirt Pudding” with chocolate curd, gummy pigs, and coffee soil.

Second, Anies is saying that this will be one of the only previews he’s planning, but that anyone who shows up on July 15th will get an automatic invite to the Manong friends-and-family dinner prior to opening. Which, I gotta say, is a pretty cool perk.

Anyway, tickets for the Not-A-Pop-Up dinner are $95. You can get yours here.

Okay, now who’s got room for a super-sized helping of leftovers?

The Leftovers

The Lód Wodny z Kolcami, a Polish water ice with local strawberries infused with bison grass vodka, at Little Walter’s / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

Lots to get through here, so I’ll try to make it quick:

Wanna get drunk and look at monkeys? I know I do. Good thing the Philadelphia Zoo is launching a brand-new “Summer Skip Day” Friday happy hour program. Every Friday, from noon to 5 p.m., they’re doing discounts on food and drinks, pushing themed cocktails, throwing ice cream socials, offering discounted hot dogs, and more. The specials change week-to-week and month-to-month, but they’ll be running this promotion every Friday from now until August 29th. Details here.

Southgate (which I love) is celebrating its 10th anniversary in July. All month long they’ll be doing $10 food and drink specials and offering locally made merch for guests. Plus, for the week of July 21st to the 27th only, they’re doing a throwback cocktail menu, rolling out “remastered” versions of all the classics from their original 2015 list.

Speaking of anniversaries, Little Walter’s (which I also love) is turning a year old, and chef Michael Brenfleck and his crew are celebrating with a “One Year Anniversary Party” on Thursday, June 26th. From 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. there’ll be all-you-can-eat Polish party food, boozy water ice, live entertainment, and who even knows what else. Then, on Monday, June 30th, they’re bringing back their pierogi tasting dinner for one night only. Five courses, lots of pierogi, and just one seating, starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets for the pierogi tasting menu are $100 and available here. Getting into the anniversary party will cost you $50, and you can make reservations here.

The crew at Paffuto has a pretty cool thing going: a “Pop-In” dinner service inspired by the Mexico City restaurant Expendio di Maiz, where there’s no menu, no reservations, just some tables and chairs, lots of food, and guests who show up, sit down, eat until they’re full, and then just leave.

They’re calling it “Pasta Mangia,” and it works like this: You show up, pay $20, and are served a first course of pasta (plus a bottle of San Pellegrino, bread, and giardiniera). You eat, and then if you’re still hungry, you ask for some more. Subsequent bowls are $15. Then, when you’re done, you just leave. Simple. The kitchen cooks whatever pasta it wants. Bowls come out whenever they’re ready. It’s basically an answer to the profusion of multi-course, multi-hour tasting menus that are taking over Philly’s restaurant scene, and I kinda dig the idea. If nothing else, it is a refreshingly informal way to handle dinner. Though Paffuto still takes reservations (and recently launched an à la carte menu in place of their own original tasting menu), they’re stressing that Pasta Mangia is supposed to be the kind of thing you just drop in for. According to partner Jake Loeffler, “We want our guests to be able to pop in without a reservation, sit down, order a bowl of pasta or two or three, and have no idea what’s coming. It’s a style of dining that really speaks to us, as both chefs and frequent diners.”

For something slightly more formal, there’s this: Townsend is doing a wine trivia night on Wednesday, June 26th, in the upstairs dining room. They’re calling it “Can You Outsmart the Sommelier?,” and it consists of four curated wine pours and four rounds of wine-themed trivia, led by Raeya Swope of Whiz Wit Trivia. Townsend’s sommelier (and co-owner) Gordana Kostovski will select the evening’s flight while trivia teams compete for bragging rights — and a luxe bottle of wine to match. Tickets are $100 per person and sold by two-, four-, and six-top tables. There’ll be an à la carte happy hour starting at 4:30 p.m. Check-in for teams is at 6:15 p.m. And the first pour will be at 6:30 p.m. Interested? Get your team together and get your tickets here.

And finally this week, if you’re looking to get a little bit smarter (or just to learn something cool about the art and history of brewing in Africa), South African filmmaker Obakeng Malope is screening his documentary, “Mamogaswa Beer Film,” at Yards Brewing on Monday, June 23rd, at 7 p.m.

This documentary explores the links between traditional brewing techniques in African villages and the modern craft brewing industry, with a focus on oral history and ancestral knowledge. Malope explains, “I have not only documented a vital tradition but also opened up an important conversation around the origins of malting science and brewing techniques — many of which appear to have pre-industrial roots in African communities.”

Sounds like an ideal night of entertainment for the beer nerds out there. And watching movies at the bar is always fun. The event is free, so drop on by if you’re in the neighborhood.