Call it the Philly Mag Curse: Sabatino Out at Stateside

Was it something we said? Just a month after his restaurant Stateside was named Philadelphia’s best by none other than Philadelphia magazine, executive chef George Sabatino is OUT. (Unlike Le Bec Fin 2.0’s Walter Abrams, it’s of his own volition.) Here’s what the mag had to say:

Chef George Sabatino is having a helluva year. He’s won contests and awards. He’s in command of the kitchen at one of the busiest, most popular restaurants in the city. Rumors say the James Beard House has even been sniffing around. So the question is, is Stateside really deserving of all this attention? Is it really as good as you’ve heard? Yes, it is. Everything about the place—from the ever-changing, weirdly locavore menu that touches on every vital food trope in play on the national scene, to the bar, the room, and the hum of energy from a crowd that knows it has found itself at the center of something exciting—marks Stateside as not just Philadelphia’s first truly post-gastropub restaurant, but the place where American cuisine has finally come into its own.

He’s reportedly leaving to start his own restaurant with his wife. See Foobooz for more deets. [Foobooz]