A bit of a shuffle is underway in Manayunk.
Saturday will be the final night for Mango Moon, the exotic Thai street-fooder that Moon Krapugthong opened in late 2008 at 4161 Main St.
In the fall, Krapugthong plans to open Yanako, a Japanese-themed concept, up the street at 4410 Main St., where Mainly Shoes was.
Yanako's food will be fresh and healthy with heavy (traditional) Japanese accents but served very simply/delicately, she says - "like the Japanese version of Chabaa Thai," her other Thai restaurant, at 4371 Main St. in Manayunk. (Chabaa Thai is undergoing an expansion, due to be finished by Mother's Day.)
Yanako's chef will be Ige San, who was Mango Moon's chef in residence in December.
Another restaurant will take over the Mango Moon space; stay tuned.
Talula's Garden, the Aimee Olexy-Stephen Starr partnership at 210 W. Washington Square, is looking to open at dinnertime Wednesday, April 13. Concept: garden to table, what Olexy considers an urban extension of her Talula's Table in Kennett Square. The outdoor patio will boast a mini-garden in addition to seating beneath a pergola made of reclaimed wood; the dining rooms play out under enormous Alice Waters quotations printed on the upper walls. Chef is Michael Santoro, previously chef de cuisine at Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C. For a peek at the menu, see www.philly.com/talgarden.
Ed Battaglia, who competed on Season 7 of the Fox show Hell's Kitchen, will juggle teaching cooking at Willingboro's Garfield Park Academy with his new duties as chef at Ralic's Steakhouse (26 S. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield, 856-616-1520), due to reopen May 12 after a renovation. Ralic's, to serve a moderate-priced steak-house menu, replaces Veronica's. It will be open Thursdays through Sundays.
From 1976 till 2006, when the Convention Center expansion displaced them, Willie Boukidis and his brothers owned Race Street Pizza at 13th and Race Streets. Boukidis could not stay retired. He has opened 1518 Bar & Grill, at 1518 Sansom St., on the block that houses 500°, Oyster House, Oscar's Tavern, Nodding Head (upstairs), Ladder 15, and a Marathon Grill. The basics: Ten beers on tap, two TVs behind the bar, easy-on-the-wallet menu from Agron Hajdari. It's open daily for lunch and dinner.
Warsaw Cafe, dishing up Eastern European food on 16th Street below Spruce in Center City since 1979, has closed. Its departure was rumored since last fall, when it sold its liquor license.
LoBianco, the Collingswood BYOB, opens its seasonal spot at 20 S. Douglas Ave. in Margate on April 7.
Contact columnist Michael Klein at mklein@phillynews.com. Follow his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider.
