In 1996, Taichman opened her flagship restaurant, Audrey Claire, down the block at 20th and Spruce Streets.
Where's Franco?
Franco Faggi, who left the East Falls restaurant that bears his name last year, is now across the Schuylkill on the ground floor of the Presidential apartments.
Franco's Osteria (3900 City Ave., 215-473-3900), a refined white-tablecloth restaurant with a full bar and gas-fired, wood-burning oven, also has Luca Sena Jr. in the kitchen. Menu is pretty much as it was in East Falls: pastas such as tagliatelle Bolognese and penne puttanesca ($14.75), and classics harking back to Faggi's years at the old Monte Carlo Living Room, such as flounder Francesco ($19.75) and a rosemary-grilled pork chop ($18.75). It's open every day for dinner (entrees $19.95 and under), and weekdays for lunch (most of the lunch menu is $9.95 to $12.95).
Meanwhile, it's business as usual at Franco's Trattoria (4116 Ridge Ave., 215-438-4848), which is being managed by the crew from the Water Works at the other end of Kelly Drive. Chef Curtis Johnson previously worked at the Water Works.
What's new
Monday marks the official opening of Ro-Zu (700 S. Seventh St., 267-273-0885), a tiny sushi-centric BYOB on the corner of Seventh and Bainbridge Streets that has been operating in soft-opening mode since last weekend. Chef Todd Dae Kulper says he was born in Seoul, South Korea, trained by Japanese chefs, and moved here last fall from Hawaii to set up the restaurant with entrepreneur Ralph Pecca. They're aiming for high-end Japanese cuisine, with all sauces made on site and the sous-vide method used for cooked dishes, such as salmon with pineapple, confit tomato, and chorizo. Patrons also can choose omakase (tasting) menus starting at $25, plus a la carte. It's open for lunch and dinner daily.
