Beef in Haddonfield
Culinary instructor and chef Ed Battaglia is gearing up for Saturday's premiere of
Ralic's Steakhouse (26 S. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield, 856-616-1520), whose menu is made up of what he calls "modernized classics." Battaglia, a Restaurant School grad, worked for Susanna Foo at Suilan in the Borgata in 2003 before directing the culinary-arts program at Garfield Park Academy in Willingboro. He will keep his day job, as Ralic's is open for dinner. Menu is priced between $10 and $18 for appetizers, and from the mid-$20s to mid-$40s for entrees.
Comings and goings
Rosey's BBQ, burning 'em up in Jenkintown, is shooting for July 1 for a smaller outpost, at 9 N. Main St. in Ambler.
The plaza outside the Comcast Center at 17th and JFK will have alfresco dining 10 months a year. Table 31's Chris Scarduzio says an enclosure - a giant canopy with drop-down sides - is being fabricated offsite. In early August, according to plan, the enclosure will be installed in stages, to minimize service interruption. Scarduzio envisions special events, such as dining keyed to the Comcast holiday show on the lobby video wall.
Le Pain Quotidien's second Philly location, at the former Robbins' 8th and Walnut store, is targeted for the week of July 18.
A whiff of intrigue surrounds chef Matt Zagorski, late of Rouge. He is working on something but won't talk. The invitation for the June 27 Chefs Dinner for the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society identifies him with something called "2025." A street address, perhaps?
Chef Shola Olunloyo, who parted ways with landlord Bart Blatstein before his Speck ever opened, is now consulting. He's working on the menu for Birra, the casual brick-oven pizza and craft beer restaurant coming together at 1700 E. Passyunk Ave. Owner Gordon Dinerman expects to open in mid-July.
Tweed, the stylish bistro at 114 S. 12th St., is closed after a year. Neither restaurateur Eddie Bianchini nor landlord Howard Taylor is talking about the situation.
Contact Michael Klein at mklein@philly.com. Follow his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider and on Twitter @phillyinsider.
