“The belly rules the mind.” - Spanish Proverb
The Landing Kitchen, Grand Lux Cafe, Tikiria Amor, Crab Du Jour, STARR Restaurants, and Prepped is featured in this week's Philly Grub newsletter. If you hunger for Philly food news, I got you.
Now that we’ve sprung forward and more daylight to look forward to, soaking up that extra hour of the sun may mean more opportunities to dine outdoors. As more people become vaccinated in Philadelphia and our local area, the capacity for dining indoors will increase, and we can hopefully see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel!
Across the bridge, New Jersey announced that it would increase indoor limits from 35% to 50%, including restaurants and bars. This is good news for guests and businesses alike. While some of us may still not feel comfortable dining indoors, I am cautiously optimistic that the coronavirus numbers will decrease and we’ll get back to some normal activities by the summer.
In this week’s newsletter, I’m simply rounding up some news stories which I thought were interesting. Keep the faith, my friends!
The Landing Kitchen at Ironworks Opens in Bala Cynwyd
Located at Ironworks in Bala Cynwyd, PA, The Landing Kitchen is an all-day cafe, kitchen, and garden bar operated by BE Hospitality, a new restaurant group from celebrated restaurateurs Fia Berisha (formerly Elements, Mistral) and Nicholas Elmi (Laurel, In the Valley). Located at 617 Righters Ferry Road in Bala Cynwyd with stunning views of the Schuylkill River, The Landing Kitchen will operate Tuesday through Sunday from 8AM-4PM. A sister restaurant, Lark, specializing in coastal Mediterranean fare, will be opening on the seventh floor of the reimagined Ironworks this spring, complete with a stunning terrace offering an expansive view of Manayunk and the river. Will you be checking out these new Main Line restaurants?
Grand Lux Cafe in King of Prussia Offers Cocktails-To-Go
Grand Lux Cafe will offer To-Go Cocktails in Pennsylvania for the first time ever, allowing residents to enjoy some of the restaurants’ best cocktails in the comfort of their own home. Cocktails include:
Tequila Cucumber Cooler ($24): Handcrafted with Avion Silver Tequila, St-Germain, cucumber, lemon, and mint
The Grand Lux Margarita ($24): Handcrafted with Azunia Organic Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, agave, and fresh lime
Mai Tai ($24): An exotic blend of Dark and Spiced Rums, island juices, and fresh lime
Tahitian Pineapple ($24): Our signature recipe featuring Reyka Vodka, pineapple, and fresh-squeezed lime juice
Red Sangria ($20): Handcrafted in-house with Red Wine and fresh fruit
Each bottle serves at least two people, and they are available exclusively for delivery through DoorDash or pickup through the Grand Lux Cafe website. To place an order, guests can select from the “Cocktails at Home” category listed at the top of the page. Have you ordered cocktails to go from anywhere?
Taqueria Amor in Manayunk Pops Up as Tikiria Amor
Speaking of cocktails, Taqueria Amor in Manayunk is channeling the tropical mood of the South Pacific to get us all out of the Northeastern winter doldrums. Tikiria, the tiki-inspired pop-up, will feature tropical cocktails such as Mai Tais, daiquiris, and Pina Coladas, as well as Hawaiian dishes like tuna poke, spam tacos, and Huli Huli chicken wings. Check out the full menu here. The special pop-up will be available through March 28. Are you a fan of tiki drinks and Polynesian cuisine? What’s your favorite?
Crab Du Jour Express Opens in Overbrook
As I have reported in the past, seafood boil chain Crab Du Jour is expanding at a huge clip. There are already many in the local area, including Philadelphia, Southeastern PA counties, and Southern New Jersey. Crab Du Jour recently opened another Philly location at 5610 Lancaster Ave in the Overbrook section. They have a few more area locations in the works. Are you a fan of seafood boil-type restaurants? What is your favorite seafood?
STARR Restaurants Ventures into Virtual Restaurants
Stephen Starr’s restaurant empire has recently opened three ghost kitchens, working out of restaurants that were not operating during the pandemic. Starr shared some insight with Philly Grub around the reasons why it made sense for him to open the takeout and delivery concepts and what inspired the three brands - Pete’s Place (Kinda Korean), Chicken Scratch, and Jackass Burrito. Plus new STARR Restaurant ghost kitchen concepts on the horizon. Have you been ordering from ghost kitchens? What’s your experience been like so far? Any favorites?
Prepped by Constellation Culinary Group
Constellation Culinary Group typically provides catering for large events and cultural venues on the East Coast and in California. In Philadelphia, they launched Prepped which provides unique and delicious COVID-friendly family and celebratory meal packages that are available for takeout and delivery. This spring holiday season, they are offering Easter and Passover dinners for a minimum of four guests. Email to place your order. Are you ready for Easter or Passover this year? What’s your favorite thing to eat for the holiday?
That’s it for this week. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. And don’t hesitate to send me tips about the Philly food scene!
Until next week — much love!
Marilyn
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