{"id":250958,"date":"2026-07-24T08:45:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/250958\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T08:45:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:45:24","slug":"sundae-sundae-sundae-7-of-our-favorites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/250958\/","title":{"rendered":"Sundae, sundae, sundae: 7 of our favorites"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know how to truly cap off a restaurant meal: a decadent ice cream sundae. Here are seven we love<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also in this edition:<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Klein<\/a><\/p>\n

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What caps a meal better than a cool and creamy ice cream sundae? Hira Qureshi shares seven of these decadent treats found on restaurant menus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf67 Two Philadelphia water ice makers locked down the top prizes at a water-ice festival at the Jersey Shore<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s your first look at Recipe Philly, where home cooks \u2014 not pro chefs \u2014 contribute the recipes to create the menu. It\u2019s also the basis for a reality series, filming now in advance of the restaurant\u2019s mid-August opening<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Tattooed Mom has hosted countless drag shows and burlesque performances since it opened on South Street in 1997. But the city has shut down those events (but not the bar itself) over a missing assembly license. Getting one could take six months, its owner tells Beatrice Forman<\/a>. <\/p>\n

River Twice<\/a> on East Passyunk<\/a> is expanding next door, and that means a real bar, more seating, and new opportunities to eat one of our favorite burgers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Critic Craig LaBan visits Terra Grill, a newcomer from globetrotting chef Laurent Tourondel in Northern Liberties\u2019 Piazza Alta, where he found \u201ca textbook chophouse vibe\u201d and a \u201csomething for everyone\u201d menu. Read on for his review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The food team caught up with a tasty chicken biscuit sandwich in Plymouth Meeting<\/a>, hot dogs in Bella Vista, loaded fries in Northern Liberties, and a winning bowl of gyu-don from a food truck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scoops<\/p>\n

Eggcetera Haus<\/a> will replace the shuttered Redcrest Kitchen at Sixth and Bainbridge Streets, likely in the next few weeks. Husband-and-wife team Rey Tamaka and Vina Kencana will operate the all-day bar-restaurant. Tamaka, who spent the last six years as head chef at an Old City<\/a> brunch restaurant, will oversee a modern American menu spanning breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while Kencana will manage operations. Breakfast will feature specialty coffee from Philadelphia\u2019s Vibrant Coffee Roasters, with dinner service adding pasta, steaks, cocktails, and comfort food. Hours will be 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Queen Village\/Bella Vista will get another all-day option next spring when Sabrina\u2019s Cafe opens at Fifth and Bainbridge<\/a>, down the block from mainstay Famous 4th Street.<\/p>\n

Sabrina\u2019s Cafe<\/a> \u2014 speaking of which \u2014 is behind a new venture aimed at the late-night crowd. Spence De Abreu, the 21-year-old son of Sabrina\u2019s founders Robert and Raquel De Abreu, is hoping for a late-July opening of Big Spence\u2019s<\/a>, a sandwich operation at 1816 Callowhill St., a few doors from the Art Museum-area Sabrina\u2019s. It will run via delivery services and pickup (no seating), offering six sandwiches at launch, with additional menu items expected over time. Initial hours will vary, with service planned as late as 2 a.m. during the fall, when college students are back. Opening is tentatively scheduled for July 29.<\/p>\n

Scampi<\/a>, chef Liz Grothe\u2019s Queen Village Italian-ish restaurant<\/a>, has added a beverage program in partnership with Northeast Philly winemaker Camuna Cellars<\/a>. The tie-in allows spirits and beer options from Pennsylvania producers, including Fell to Earth vermouthery<\/a>. BYOB is OK, with a $15-per-bottle corkage fee. Scampi also has collabs planned for August: Percy<\/a> (at Percy) on Aug. 21; Habibi Supper Club (at Scampi) on Aug. 23; and an Italian American pasta night with chef Wyatt Piazza at Kiddo on Aug. 30.<\/p>\n

Chimney Rustic Ales<\/a> closed its brewery in Hammonton, N.J., in June 2025, in anticipation of opening in Philadelphia. Brewmaster\/owner Dan Borrelli is seeing light at the end of a city-permitting tunnel, so he\u2019s looking at a late-2026 opening at 2153 E. Lehigh Ave. in Kensington. Borrelli said this location will have a full kitchen and a chef (to be named later) serving what he calls \u201celevated bar food, with some seafood mixed in.\u201d Borrelli had a seafood truck called Minnow Seafood Co. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to earn a Michelin star,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just want to serve food that\u2019s a little more upscale than you\u2019d typically find at a brewery or neighborhood bar.\u201d He specializes in lagers but also offers IPAs \u2014 because \u201cthey make up about 60% of the market, so you kind of have to have them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restaurant report<\/p>\n

Schmaltz, a new arrival in Point Breeze<\/a>, is drawing long lines with latkes, blintzes, and a craveable breakfast sandwich<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chibanos has opened at the former Effie\u2019s in Washington Square West, and Delco-raised owner Evan Fong Jaroff expresses his Chinese-Cuban background through pressed sandwiches, fried yuca, flan, and croquetas. Beatrice Forman tells a fascinating story of food and culture<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Call Your Mother, the D.C. bagel-sandwich chain, has signed a third Philly lease before the first shop even schmeared its first bagel<\/a>. <\/p>\n

EMei\u2019s Dan Tsao is taking over a fourth landmark restaurant location \u2014 the home of Old Original Bookbinder\u2019s \u2014 as part of the Sichuan restaurant\u2019s ambitious expansion<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Briefly noted<\/p>\n

Townsend<\/a> on East Passyunk Avenue has been closed since early May after extensive water damage from a fire next door<\/a>. Chef\/owner Tod Wentz has swung part of the French menu to Oltremare<\/a>, his Mediterranean seafooder at 2121 Walnut St. \u201cTownsend at Oltremare\u201d offers a hybrid menu from Townsend executive chef Alex Nissley through at least the end of the summer. <\/p>\n

Baby\u2019s Kusina & Market<\/a> in Brewerytown<\/a> returns Thursday, two weeks after a plumbing issue caused a flood. One change: Dinner service has been paused for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Baby\u2019s will do a popup at 11 a.m. Monday at Farina Di Vita<\/a> (250 Catharine St.) with a roast pork adobo sandwich.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing Laundromat<\/a><\/a> (1029 Race St.) is pricing all cocktails at $12 for the summer, discounted from $17-$21; it\u2019s open from 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u2753Pop quiz<\/p>\n

Local bartenders have been foraging recently for what prized ingredient to make amaro?<\/p>\n

A) black walnuts<\/p>\n

B) wormwood<\/p>\n

C) rhubarb root<\/p>\n

D) truffles<\/p>\n

Find out if you know the answer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude97 Winners! Last week\u2019s quiz asked you to guess how many miles Craig LaBan put on his car while scouting restaurants for his Jersey Shore dining package. We had a tie \u2014 the total was 1,034 and two readers guessed 1,000, so I ordered a runoff. Jan D. of Norristown<\/a> submitted \u201c1,005\u201d (29 miles under) while Ed H. of Philadelphia offered \u201c1,066\u201d (32 miles over). What\u2019s 3 miles among friends? I\u2019m sending Inquirer swag to both, along with my sincere thanks for reading. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcd6 Catch up with Craig\u2019s Shore favorites here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ask Mike anything<\/p>\n

Please update us on a couple of bakeries, like Manna near Norris Square and Del Buono\u2019s, where McMillan\u2019s was in South Jersey. \u2014 Scot T.<\/p>\n

Saif Manna, adding a brick-and-mortar location<\/a> at 110 W. Berks St. in Kensington, is aiming for a soft-opening of Manna Bakery<\/a><\/a> tomorrow, followed by a grand opening on July 30. Meanwhile, the PR machine is revving up for the opening of Del Buono\u2019s<\/a>, in a partnership with Al DiBartolo\u2019s custom-cake studio DiBartolo\u2019s Kakery<\/a>, at 15 Haddon Ave. in Haddon Township\u2019s Westmont section. Soft opening is planned for mid-August, with an Aug. 29 grand opening tied to Haddon Township Summer Music Festival.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcee Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com<\/a> for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.<\/p>\n

By submitting your written, visual, and\/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, including the grant of rights in Section 10.<\/p>\n