Plans are to close the landmark Jake's for a few days to remove its storefront bar in favor of more seating.
Also in Manayunk: Wednesday is the expected opening of Cactus Restaurant & Bar (4245 Main St., 267-385-6249), a Southwestern cantina from Joe Abruzzo and Joe Jowett, who own Bayou next door. Cactus' specialty is homemade guacamole. Features: Hardwood floors, granite-topped bar, cherry tables, quesadillas, nachos, fajitas for one or two, a few $14-or-less entrees, 40 tequilas, many imported beers by the bottle. It'll be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 11:30 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
What's new
Root, a simple, 38-seat California-inspired BYO, has opened at 1033 Spring Garden St. (215-765-0904) under the guidance of Chris Hora, a native Angeleno who did time at Coyote Crossing in Conshohocken and West Chester, previously worked for Wolfgang Puck in L.A. at Chinois and Spago, and owned a restaurant in (Czech this out) Prague. Hora is intrigued by Slow Food and sustainable agriculture; see his reasonably priced menu at
www.rootrestaurant.com.
Tomorrow is the scheduled debut of Du Jour Cafe & Market at the Symphony House at Broad and Pine Streets (215-735-8010), the second location of the popular eat-in/takeout from Haverford Square. Not only casual and near the theaters, but there's a liquor license. It'll be open from morning through 10 p.m. Owner Marty Grims also has the Moshulu, and the Shore spots Daddy O, Plantation and the Inlet.
John Anderson has ventured into Center Square, Montgomery County, for a second Solaris Grille (2665 Skippack Pike, 610-222-9192), replacing La Bella Cucina across from Center Square Golf Club. He intends the 100-seater, open daily for lunch and dinner (plus Sunday brunch), as a complement to the Chestnut Hill original, plus banquet facilities for up to 200. Menu, based on a wood oven, is similar to Chestnut Hill's. There's a bar and outdoor patio.
