Italian shake-up
Chef Salvatore, at Skippack Pike and Penllyn-Blue Bell Pike in Blue Bell for 18 months, will yield to Blue, another Italian restaurant. Chef Salvatore De Cristofaro said he would return to Italy to shoot and produce a TV show. Blue's crew, which intends to install a wood-burning oven for pizzas and stay open during the transition, owns the popular Buona Via in Horsham.
Chef chat
Tony Clark is now chef at Serafina, the popular but critically panned Italian restaurant at 18th and Sansom Streets. Clark, who earned his stripes at the Four Seasons and with his Tony Clark's restaurant, recently parted company with Belvedere Restaurant Group (operator of Queen Village's Tapestry and Manayunk's Agiato). Clark said his children would operate Old Grange, his restaurant in Cape May; it reopens for the season April 23.
What's coming
Rakesh Ramola, a former chef at Tiffin, and his wife, Heather, are opening a branch of IndeBlue, their Collingswood Indian BYOB, at 205 S. 13th St., in the storefront near Chancellor Street that for many years was Pastoral, a Korean restaurant. Opening date is to be announced.
This weekend should see the opening of a third Shere-E-Punjab. The Indian restaurant/bar is in Concordville Towne Center (301 Byers Dr., Glen Mills).
A third Green Eggs Cafe has opened, at 13th and Locust Streets.
Next week should mark the debut of HipCityVeg, the vegan fast-fooder planned for 127 S. 18th St., in the spot that was Pad Thai Shack.
"Early May" is looking right for Brodo, the soup-salad-sandwich specialist in the United Plaza building at 31 S. 18th St., a former Naked Chocolate Cafe location.
I'd say "June" for Jane G's, the long-planned upper-end pan-Asian restaurant coming to 1930 Chestnut St. Chef Michael Chan's resume includes Shangrila in Devon.
June is the projected opening of Blue Belly BBQ, a small project that Cochon's Gene Giuffi is opening across the street at 600 Catharine St.
Contact Michael Klein at mklein@philly.com or @phillyinsider on Twitter. Read much more restaurant news on his blog, www.philly.com/insider, and follow him at www.philly.com/food.
