After Four Years, Cantina La Martina Is Closing

From left: Camaron suizas; Chef Jiménez preparing barbacoa in the backyard of Cantina La Martina. / Photography by Michael Persico, originally in From Mexico to Philadelphia: Cantina La Martina Is a Journey of Flavor

Howdy, buckaroos! And welcome back to the weekly Foobooz food news round-up. Just a few quick things to get through this week, including (but not limited to) Iron Hill’s sudden closure, dancerobot’s sudden opening, a garlic festival in Easton, a Buttery for Ardmore, and Peter Chang’s new Colmar restaurant. So let’s get right into it, shall we? We’ll kick things off this week with …

Cantina La Martina Comes to an End

In some very late-breaking news, we just heard that Cantina La Martina — Kensington’s beloved Mexican restaurant from James Beard-nominated chef Dionicio Jiménez — is shutting down.

And by “just heard” I literally mean that this announcement was made an hour ago. Obviously, there aren’t a lot of details just yet, but here’s everything we know.

After four years of knocking out really excellent shrimp tacos and enchiladas suizas at the corner of Kensington Avenue and D Street, the team from Cantina took to Instagram to say that they were not going to be renewing their lease on the space and that November 2nd would be their last day in business, adding, “We’d love for you to join us in making our final Celebration of Life event at the Kensington Cantina truly unforgettable that day.”

And while this might be the end for the Kensington location, it certainly isn’t the last word on the nascent Cantina empire. For starters, there’s still Dionicio’s La Baja restaurant in Ambler — a place that is quieter than the original Cantina, but also deeper, more complex, more biographical and, in its own way, just as much of an escape as Cantina ever was. There’s a Cantina menu at Human Robot in Jenkintown, a private catering business that Dionicio says they’re going to keep running and pop-ups planned around the city. Plus, there’s this:

“This isn’t goodbye — just a new chapter. We’re actively searching for a new home for Cantina la Martina.”

That’s toward the end of Cantina’s goodbye announcement on Instagram, and I’m really hoping it’s true. Cantina has been a huge part of both the Kensington neighborhood and Philly’s restaurant community for these past few years, and to lose a place like that completely would be terrible. So I’m really pulling for them to find a new home to settle into. Doesn’t have to be in Kensington (though that kind of continuity would be nice). Doesn’t even have to be in the city proper. I’d just hate to lose that kind of voice from the choir, you know?

Anyway, you’ll know more when we know more. And in the meantime, get out there and show the place a little love while you can. November 2nd is right around the corner. And I know there’s a lot of folks out there who are going to miss this place when it’s gone.

Got an Iron Hill Gift Card?

Photograph courtesy of Iron Hill Brewery

Last Thursday morning, Iron Hill, one of the most iconic fixtures of the local suburban restaurant scene announced that it was going away for good.

“After many wonderful years serving our communities, all Iron Hill locations have closed. It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we are deeply grateful for your support, friendship, and loyalty over the years.”

And that was … kinda it. No warning. No explanation. Just a quick note saying that every single one of its 19 locations was closing immediately. And just like that, a chain with almost 30 years of history in the region, started in 1996 by a couple of Delaware home brewers with some bottles and a dream, vanishes.

Iron Hill had signs of trouble, though. Just a few weeks ago, the chain announced the closures of three locations (Voorhees, Chestnut Hill, and the flagship in Newark, Delaware), saying that losing these three locations was “truly part of a larger growth story: We are evolving, strengthening our brand, and positioning Iron Hill for long-term success.”

That was CEO Mark Kirk who said that. He took over as CEO of the chain in January of this year, and made that press statement at the beginning of September. And now, three weeks later, here we are. Word is, there was a lot of financial maneuvering going on behind the scenes. The company was looking for investors and new funding sources, none of which panned out. But what kills me about this is that the employees — all of them — basically found out at the same time we did. They all got an email through the company’s scheduling platform saying, essentially, don’t bother coming in. We’re done. And that was early in the morning on the day the closure was announced.

It’s even more surprising because, as one Redditor pointed out, Iron Hill gave away $500 gift cards to 10 sweepstakes winners on Saturday, September 6th as a way to hype up their Oktoberfest celebration, which started September 19th and was supposed to end October 6th. “I feel for all the people who just won $500 gift cards in the Oktoberfest promo, what a rug pull,” said Redditor AstutelyProfoundly. According to Delaware News Journal, there is a way to receive a refund for a gift card after a company files for bankruptcy, but it’s unlikely you’ll get paid in full. Gift cards are considered unsecured debt, making gift card holders the lowest priority.

One tiny silver lining in all of this? It looks like the gang at Stove & Co. (which owns Stove & Tap, Joey Chops, Rooster’s Glenside, etc.) is doing what they can to help out those stuck with Iron Hill gift cards and nowhere to use them. For a limited time, show up at any Stove & Co. location with an Iron Hill gift card and they’ll exchange it for a $25 Stove & Co. gift card. You can see the details here. It’s a nice gesture, but a small consolation to gift card holders.

Now let’s just hope that all those Iron Hill crew members who find themselves suddenly out of a job can find work quickly and with as little stress as possible.

Mama Chang Comes to Colmar

Chef Peter Chang / Photograph courtesy of Mama Chang

Peter Chang has cooked for the president of China. He has cooked Americanized Chinese food in a strip mall for suburbanites. He has worked under pseudonyms, written secret menus, been tracked by food writers and chased by Chinese bureaucrats and American immigration officials. He has cooked in more than a half-dozen states up and down the eastern seaboard and the District of Columbia, been nominated for the James Beard Award, and one of his restaurants — Chang Chang — is listed in the Michelin Guide for Washington D.C.

A few months ago, he opened a restaurant in King of Prussia (which I wrote about back in June). And now he’s opening a second Pennsylvania spot, this one in Colmar, just north of Montgomeryville and Lansdale, at 118 Bethlehem Pike. And I could not be more excited.

He’s calling the place Mama Chang, named “for the female influences in his life, including [his] wife, daughter, and 84-year-old mother,” according to press materials. And it’s opening on October 10th with a free community party (which will also serve as a fundraiser for Manna on Main) starting at 4 p.m. featuring a lion dance, complimentary snacks and refreshments, and an official ribbon cutting.

Chang has had one of the most interesting careers of any chef I’ve ever read about; a curious mix of suburban necessity and authentic Sichuan flavor, full of mysterious arrivals, sudden departures and outlaw cool back in the days when he was always on the run. Recently, he’s become much more stable (obviously), and currently has restaurants with his name on them scattered all over the country, but this new one in MontCo? It’s a BIG one: 9,700 square feet with seating for 280, plus private event space and long, communal tables. He’s going to be doing family recipes here — comfort food based on dishes passed down through the women in his family, largely based on dishes from China’s Hubei province (where Chang was born). That means stews and stir-fries, hand-torn vegetables, homemade fish cakes, sweet potato noodles with pork and mustard greens and tomato-scrambled eggs with shrimp.

This is “less about haute cuisine and more about comfort, memory, and tradition — simple, soulful and shareable food,” according to Lydia Chang, Peter’s daughter and CEO of the restaurant group. And I am absolutely there for it. As mentioned, opening day for Mama Chang is October 10th. You can keep an eye on the place by checking out the website here.

Now what else is happening this week?

Oh, Right. Dancerobot.

A preview of dancerobot’s menu / Photograph courtesy of Jesse Ito

The new restaurant from Jesse Ito and Justin Bacharach is opening today. So if y’all want to stop reading right now and go wait in line, I completely understand.

For those of you still left, I wrote all about Jesse’s inspiration and the run-up to this place (essentially only the third restaurant he’s ever worked in) in a long profile for Philly mag a couple months back, and about dancerobot’s details specifically late last week when word broke that the opening date had been announced. In case you managed to miss both of those pieces, though, here’s the nut of it:

This new spot, opened by Jesse Ito (of Royal Sushi and Izakaya), in partnership with Justin Bacharach (his trusted Izakaya lieutenant and long-time chef), is a Japanese comfort food restaurant focused on small plates, snacks, curries, katsu, Japanese breakfasts, and that sense of walking into a place that time has kinda forgotten. There’s no sushi, but there is a bar. There absolutely will be lines, so be prepared for that. The feel is 1980s-Japanese-Friendly’s-but-Also-Kinda-Like-Midnight-at-a-Shinjuku-Convenience-Store if that makes any sense. Lots of neon and retro vibes, basically.

Justin will be in charge of the kitchen, and he’s bringing some serious expertise in exactly this kind of cuisine after years spent holding down the fort at one of the most raucous izakayas since Philly discovered how much it digs izakayas. And the whole thing comes with this massive weight of expectation because Jesse is already one of the most award-winning (and award-nominated) chefs in this city which already has more than a few, and this is the first new restaurant he’s opened since Royal debuted way back in 2016.

So yes, it’s a big deal. And I’m wishing the team nothing but luck in what is no doubt going to be a killer first week of service.

… And in Ardmore, Coffee and Croissants

Croissants from Buttery / Photograph courtesy of Buttery

There’s good news, though, for the early birds in Ardmore because it looks like The Buttery — the scratch bakery and coffee shop originally opened in Malvern in 2015 — is about to open its third location in Suburban Square.

October 4th is the big day, though the place will actually be up and running in soft-open mode from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from October 1st to the 3rd. But Saturday the 4th? That’s when they really light the place up. They’ll be giving away free sable cookies to the first 100 customers who show up and buy something on Saturday and Sunday, and will be rolling out the full spread of local coffee (from Passenger in Lancaster), hand-made baked goods, pastries, croissants, scones, ham and brie sandwiches, and — new to this location — a bagel program with homemade jams and spreads.

The newest Buttery will also be offering things like chicken katsu and pastrami reubens — a somewhat deeper and more complex menu than they’ve tried before. And that’s not surprising because while all the attention is being focused on the new location, the original Buttery location in Malvern will be going through a redesign and interior renovation intended to make the place into a community gathering place, with 54 indoor seats and a full kitchen serving a “cafe-casual” menu alongside the traditional baked goods, pastries, and coffee.

Once opening weekend hits, the new Ardmore location will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Menus and details available right here.

Now who has room for some leftovers?

The Leftovers

Pierogi from Little Walter’s / Photograph by Gab Bonghi

A riveting profile of Stephen Starr just dropped in the New York Times. Written by none other than Philly Mag contributor Christine Speer Lejeune it is the most comprehensive, in-depth look into the mind of the man who forever changed our city’s restaurant landscape. You can read the full story here, and check out Victor Fiorillo’s column where he shares some other fun Starr facts that didn’t make it into NYT.

Remember last week when I told you about Joey Baldino reopening the old Bomb Bomb in South Philly sometime this fall? Well guess what? “Sometime” apparently means this Thursday, October 2nd.

The news hit Instagram yesterday, and now I’m telling you about it right here. 5 p.m. 1026 Wolf Street. Be there or be square.

Also last week: We had some more news about Philly chefs and restaurants getting named for illustrious awards with not one, not two, but three of our own getting tagged on the list of the “50 Best Restaurants in North America.” And, apparently, that wasn’t the only list Philly made because I just got word that Wine Spectator is coming out with a list of their editors’ favorite wine bars across the world, and both a.kitchen + bar and Superfolie made the cut. According to WS, the list “pinpoint[s] our editors’ favorites around the globe for the discerning enophilic traveler,” which is just such a Wine Spectator thing to say. But hey, I figure if you care that much about the fancy grape juice, you’ve probably already got a subscription, so you can check out the list in the October issue. Otherwise, you can just go here and see what those editors have to say.

Looking for something a little bit less globe-trotting and enophilic? Then how about the Easton Garlic Fest happening October 4th and 5th in picturesque Easton, PA. There will be over 100 vendors packing the streets, hawking their garlicky goods and offering everything from garlic-stuffed pierogies to garlic ice cream. There’s even a garlic-eating contest, which is just … gross. But also maybe fun? I dunno. One thing’s for sure, though: No vampires. So that’s a bonus.

Details available here. And if garlic isn’t your thing (seriously?), just remember: Bacon Fest is right around the corner.

Speaking of pierogi, Little Walter’s is celebrating National Pierogi Day with a one-night-only wine-paired pierogi dinner in collaboration with Pray Tell Wines. It’s happening on Wednesday, October 8th at 6:30 p.m. at Little Walter’s. Tickets are $125. And the menu looks amazing. We’re talking six courses of bonkers pierogi riffs. Dig it:

Pierogi Chlebowe — sourdough pierogi bread, smalec, cultured dill butter, smoked sledzie rillet, carrot surówka, beet farmers cheese

See what I mean? That, plus the wine pairings makes for an excellent night. Reservations are still available. Get yours here.

For the first time in a year, Oyster House’s Sam Mink is inviting in another crew for a new lobster roll collaboration.

This time around, he’s bringing in the crew from Paffuto to do a Fra Diavolo Lobster Roll, described thusly: “Poached lobster gently warmed in fra diavolo butter (consisting of fermented Fresno peppers, garlic, shallots, and oregano), and topped with chives and Paffuto’s house giardiniera to help lend some acidity.”

Nice, right? It’ll run you $39 (which, yes, is pricey), but proceeds from the lobster roll will be going to benefit Philabundance, which is nice. The collab roll will be available at lunch and dinner from Tuesday, October 7th through October 11th.

And finally this week, here’s one for all you Swifties anxiously awaiting the release of The Life Of A Showgirl. Loretta’s in Head House Square is doing a limited-edition “Cold Brew (Taylor’s Version)” to celebrate the new album. The cafe and bakery is doing a $10 cold brew with brown sugar orange syrup, topped with pistachio brown butter glitter cold foam, pistachio dust and  orange sprinkles, “mimicking the orange and green color scheme of Swift’s album cover,” according to owner Kelsey Bush.

The drink will be available starting Thursday, October 2nd at 7:30 a.m. and will be served through Sunday, October 5 at 4 p.m., all in celebration of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album.