{"id":306454,"date":"2026-10-14T13:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/306454\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T13:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:02:08","slug":"black-sesame-is-the-hottest-new-thing-on-menus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/306454\/","title":{"rendered":"Black sesame is the hottest ‘new’ thing on menus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Black sesame has been around for centuries. Now it\u2019s finding its way into all kinds of foods<\/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

Move over, matcha: Black sesame is the hot new flavor on Philly\u2019s cafe, dessert, and cocktail menus, Kiki Aranita writes. There\u2019s nothing new about it, but it\u2019s trending<\/a>.<\/p>\n

C\u00e0ph\u00ea Roasters<\/a>, the Vietnamese coffee shop whose crowds have outgrown its Kensington<\/a> cafe, is planning a substantially larger outpost in South Philly. And there\u2019s even more on the horizon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2615 Fun fact: C\u00e0ph\u00ea cofounder Thu Pham\u2019s daughter, born in June, is named Autumn \u2014 the English translation of Thu\u2019s first name. \u201cI gave her that because I don\u2019t have an English name myself,\u201d Pham says.<\/p>\n

Tattoos go hand in hand with the food and hospitality industry \u2014 and they often come with fun stories. Emily Bloch spoke with more than a dozen baristas, bartenders, chefs, and owners about their favorite pieces<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2712\ufe0f Try out some ink of your own at the temporary tattoo booth at The Inquirer Food Festival on Nov. 14. Ticket info is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf66 At the R&D lab of Milk Jawn, Amy Wilson creates new flavors for her popular ice cream shop. Zoe Greenberg paid a behind-the-scenes visit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf67 We answer this question: Can you have too much water ice in your freezer<\/a>?<\/p>\n

The Kibitz Room in Cherry Hill is pushing back on a claim by the State of New Jersey that it has not properly stated that its food is not kosher. Management wryly calls it a \u201cschmear campaign<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

One of Center City<\/a>\u2019s best cooked-to-order pasta destinations is DaM\u00f2 Pasta Lab, where mostly everything is imported, including the flour, the cheese, and the owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scoops<\/p>\n

Sagami<\/a>, the much-honored South Jersey Japanese restaurant, will take over the longtime location of Stephen Starr<\/a>\u2019s now-shuttered Pod on the Penn campus. Expect a massive sushi bar and house-made noodles, but no omakase experiences, owner Alan Su told me<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maya Bohem Coffee<\/a>, with roots in Turkey, will fill the vacant spot at Cherry Hill Mall previously occupied by the Bistro at Cherry Hill. The owners also run Blue Fig Garden<\/a> in the mall<\/a>. <\/p>\n

DePaul\u2019s Table<\/a>, the luxe Ardmore<\/a> steakhouse, is bringing its filet mignon and lamb chops to Philadelphia \u2014 without the white tablecloths. Owner Anthony DePaul has taken over the former Southside Pizza<\/a> at 917 S. 20th St., at Carpenter Street in Graduate Hospital, for a takeout-and-delivery offshoot called DePaul\u2019s Pronto. Targeting late November, DePaul plans to offer steakhouse fare alongside pizza, cheesesteaks, chicken and veal Marsala, and chicken Parm. DePaul envisions a few tables for customers who want to eat in, though there will be no table service. Ordering will be handled by counter staff and self-service kiosks. DePaul said he is seeing growing demand for delivery at his downtown Ardmore restaurant, including big orders through third-party platforms. Rather than invest in another full-service restaurant with substantial rent and overhead, he decided to try a smaller format.<\/p>\n

Bar Nostra is due to open later this month in the space previously occupied by Mix Bar & Grill, which closed recently at the River West Condos at 21st and Chestnut Streets. Nostra\u2019s owners include Aakash Patel of Bar1010. Opening menu will include 12-inch brick oven pizzas, pastas, salads, and a craft cocktail program featuring clarified cocktails.<\/p>\n

Messina Social Club<\/a> will open up for new memberships. As Kiki Aranita reports, 100 will be free for applicants who work in the restaurant business<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Restaurant report<\/p>\n

Lafayette\u2019s Creole Kitchen & Bar has opened in Philadelphia International Airport<\/a>\u2019s B\/C Connector. Shrimp and grits are on the menu, along with gumbo, shrimp \u00e9touff\u00e9e, red beans and rice, po\u2019boys, and chicken and waffles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore restaurant space that has housed Mikado Thai Pepper for 27 years is being split again. Win Hospitality plans to open Blue Elephant Ardmore next month at 64 Lancaster Ave. Win owners Pearl and Paul Somboonsong\u2019s parents, Sutida and Win, opened Thai Pepper in 1991, followed by Mikado next door. The restaurants merged in 1999. The new Blue Elephant, whose other locations are in Wayne<\/a> and Pottstown, will operate as a BYOB with a nonalcoholic beverage program on the former Thai Pepper side of the restaurant, seating 70 to 80 people. Its Asian fusion menu will include Hokkaido milk bread with miso butter and strawberry-yuzu jam, tuna bruschetta, and seafood green curry linguine. Mikado Thai Pepper will continue operating next door in the original Mikado space. The restaurants will have separate identities and menus, though Pearl Somboonsong said staff would accommodate requests from customers seated on the other side. \u201cThey\u2019re supposed to function as two separate restaurants, but I like to say they\u2019re friends,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Briefly noted<\/p>\n

Pastry Pants, a Swarthmore bakery, has closed. The owner, who founded the business in his driveway, told Denali Sagner that a constellation of factors pushed him to shut down<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Reading Terminal Market<\/a>\u2019s Scrapple Sculpting Contest returns for a third year at 11 a.m. Thursday as 12 contestants are given six pounds of scrapple, sculpting tools, and 90 minutes to create market-themed artworks. Can\u2019t make it? The sculptures will be displayed during the market\u2019s Scrapple & Apple Festival<\/a> from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, when visitors can vote for their favorite. <\/p>\n

Mobile dessert vendor Joey Cannoli<\/a> will hand out free cannoli at Recipe Philly<\/a> (1401 Arch St.) from 6-8 p.m. Friday, or while supplies last. He has two dishes on Recipe Philly\u2019s menu<\/a>, plus a pizza steak he calls the Italian Stallion. Ten percent of Friday\u2019s restaurant proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Goodness Bowls<\/a> (5 Paoli<\/a> Plaza, Paoli) will mark the grand opening of its Paoli cafe from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday with a DJ and family activities. The first 50 people in line who enroll in the rewards program will receive a free Avalon<\/a> Bowl. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of Breakthrough T1D<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Philly Coffee Festival<\/a> will draw specialty roasters and coffee shops to the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St.) this weekend. General admission sessions run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. each day; early admission begins at 9 a.m. Coffee tastings and live entertainment are included; food will be sold separately. Tickets start at $21<\/a>\u2060. <\/p>\n

The Manayunk<\/a> Mac and Cheese Crawl will draw 18 restaurants serving spins on mac and cheese during a ticketed crawl from noon-4 p.m. Saturday as part of Manayunk Fall Fest. Admission includes one sample from each restaurant while supplies last, plus a wristband and crawl map. Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m. outside the Manayunk Welcome Center (106 Grape St.). Tickets start at $21.<\/a>\u2060 <\/p>\n

Uchi and Ogawa Sushi & Kappo will team up as Ogawa executive chef Carlos Wills joins Uchi head sushi chef Josephine Fry and chef de cuisine Ford Sonnenberg for a 10-course dinner Monday at Uchi (1620 Sansom St.). Seatings ($175pp at the sushi bar or $150 at surrounding tables, plus tax and tip) are at 6 and 8:30 p.m.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2753Pop quiz<\/p>\n

Which Philadelphia sports star\u2019s name was attached to a Chinatown<\/a> wonton soup order that went viral?<\/p>\n

A) Bryce Harper<\/a><\/p>\n

B) Jalen Hurts<\/a><\/p>\n

C) LeBron James<\/a><\/p>\n

D) Cam York<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Ask Mike anything<\/p>\n

What happened to Walnut Street Cafe at Cira Centre South? \u2014 Charles K.<\/p>\n

Walnut Street Cafe opened in 2017<\/a> to great promise (and a glowing review from The Inquirer\u2019s Craig LaBan<\/a>). It closed unceremoniously two weeks ago at Cira Centre South at 30th and Walnut Streets. A rep for landlord Brandywine Realty Trust tells me that Brandywine has \u201cnew and exciting concepts\u201d on the way not only to the cafe\u2019s ground-floor space at 30th and Walnut but also to the Post<\/a>, the now-shuttered sports bar around the corner on 30th Street, and Sunset Social<\/a>, the 1.2-acre seasonal rooftop on the 12th floor. <\/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