What's coming
Blue2O (1960 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill, 856-662-0297) - and that's "blue-two-oh," not "zero") - will open Monday where Porterhouse was before a spring 2007 fire. The high-end seafooder is a new brand from Indiana chain Quality Dining, which also has the Chili's next door. Specialty is seafood (plus steaks and chops) cooked at 1,500 degrees over a hardwood-fire grill; there will be a raw bar. Executive chef Jasper Alivia, who studied at French Culinary in New York, interned with Rocco DiSpirito at NYC's Union Pacific, and sous-cheffed with Peter "Farm to Table" Hoffman at Savoy; he last was at Cuba Libre in Old City and Atlantic City. Figure on $8.50 to $13.50 for lunch, and $22.50 to $28 for dinner entrees. Open for lunch and dinner daily.
Valentino on the Square (267 S. 19th St.), just south of Rittenhouse Square at 19th and Manning, is being remodeled (darker, cozier) as an Italian wine bar called DiVino. It's expected to open early next week.
Lynda Hoseno says she is about a week from opening Lynda's Mediterranean, a BYOB, at 1617 E. Passyunk Ave. in South Philly, which last was Clementine's. She's a home-trained cook born in Algeria, and she says the moderate-priced menu will reflect her homeland.
