it's what you want to know
Wayne is getting its first whisky bar and pub. The Goat’s Beard, a hit since it opened in Manayunk a few years back, will open in the old Xilantro space on N. Wayne Ave. in May.
Owners are Wayne guy, Sean Coyle (whose family owned the old Binni & Flynn’s in Gateway), and biz partner Michael MacCrory.
Expect the same locally sourced pub menu, small-batch craft cocktails and no fuss vibe. Xilantro went dark last week.
SoulCycle – the coolest workout on one wheel (just ask ’em) – is rolling our way.
The indoor cycling company with the celebrity-soaked clientele will open in Ardmore this spring, its first Philly location after recent debuts in DC, Boston, Miami and Chicago.
Soul’s signature yellow bikes will be installed in the 3,400 sq. ft. former Corner Bakery space in Suburban Square across from Ruby’s Diner. (Still no takers for the rest of the building’s first floor, vacant now that the holiday pop-ups have departed.)
Savvy, eh? Not about candles, apparently.
Until yesterday I had no idea that most scented candles are toxic. That the “petro-soot” given off by paraffin candles is as carcinogenic as diesel fumes or secondhand smoke. That the “natural fragrances” in most aromatherapy candles are synthetic and have no healing properties.
I saw the light after a chat with Berwyn gardener, Anglophile and home cook extraordinaire, Sandy Dalby, hands-on proprietor of A Charmed Garden, a line of organic candles, sprays, soaps and such.
Bring it on! A hipper, more community-oriented cousin to our sprawling mall, the King of Prussia Town Center is finally beginning to take shape next to Wegmans.
When the construction dust settles next summer, get ready for a 21st-century dining, shopping and hangout hub unlike any the area has seen.
The idea is to bring a downtown experience – with lots of outdoor noshing, free entertainment and upscale retail – to the boring old burbs.
I’ve long contended that the eastern Main Line was ripe for new Coffee Shops Not Named Starbucks. So naturally, I’m pleased to report that after a string of “soft opening” days in low gear, .Green Engine Coffee Co. is going full throttle in Haverford.
The hip new coffee bar on Haverford Station Road should appeal to commuters, college students and coffee geeks alike.
I dropped by Green Engine this week and liked what I saw: sunny bay windows, a plush couch and fireplace, re-purposed church pews and a most unusual piece of hanging art – an 81 sq. ft. “living wall” of ferns.
Hola and Bienvenida to Besito! The long-awaited successor to Suburban’s Square’s Plate will make its public debut Monday night.
I checked it out with a few friends at a “pre-opening event” this week, and yes, Besito, “little kiss” in Spanish, is more than ready to plant one on the Main Line.
Like the new Xolo Tacos in Bryn Mawr, Besito aims for a refined, authentic Mexican experience and largely delivers. Thankfully, this not the kind of place that slops the inevitable rice and beans on a ho-hum Tex-Mex “combo” plate and calls itself traditional Mexican.
From aperitivos (starters) to postres (desserts), almost everything we sampled was delicioso.
Wayne’s new Cornerstone Cheese and Charcuterie may just have the corner on cool.
Apparently, there are places like this all over Europe, Northern California and hip downtowns across the country, but I can’t think of a spot quite like it on the Main Line. The concept – a gourmet shop/BYOB/chef’s table hybrid – taps into the tapas trend and then some.
A jewel-box of a spot at the corner of North Wayne and West Avenues, what Cornerstone lacks in square footage, it more than makes up for in ambition.
There’s a boutique boomlet in Paoli of late. The thriving Paoli Shopping Center now has six women’s fashion boutiques (seven, if you count Trove General Store): Polka Dots, Talbots, Chico’s, Loft, Francesca’s, and, as of last Saturday, Scout & Molly’s.
Trendy and somewhat upscale (with nary a hint of the prevailing Main Line preppy aesthetic), Scout & Molly’s specializes in statement sportswear and accessories, mixing familiar labels like BCBG Max Azria, Joe’s Jeans, Big Buddha and French Connection with lesser-known quality brands like Krazy Larry, Vroom and Lavender Brown.
Prices vary. Some pieces are quite affordable but many are in the mid- to high range. Put it this way: You can pick up a pair of skinny jeans for $80 or for $180.
Holy Guacamole! Are we having a taco moment or what? By the end of the week, three new taco joints will have opened along a 4-mile stretch of Lancaster Ave. in less than a month. For the owners’ sakes, let’s hope that’s not one tortilla too many.
Riding the taco wave in downtown Wayne is Pipeline Taco. A beachy-keen twist on the traditional Mexican taqueria, Pipeline opened Friday in the former Garden Grove/Sophie’s Café/Cream and Sugar/Brew Ha Ha space on Lancaster Ave. (Clearly, the new owners plan to break the address’ apparent jinx.)
Tacos here are “island-inspired” – literally. The taste-of-the-tropics menu and ultra-casual surfer vibe are a riff on Killer Tacos, a taqueria on Hawaii’s North Shore with a cult-like following.
Quirky coffeeshop? Hip bakery café? Yes and yes but the surprisingly spacious Malvern Buttery is more like your favorite aunt’s enormous eat-in kitchen – assuming she’s a terrific scratch cook, uses state-of-the-art equipment and likes company by the carload. Fresh, pure, local, green, whole – there isn’t a healthy-eating buzzword the Buttery doesn’t embrace. Fruits and veggies come from Lancaster County farms; meats and dairy are grass-fed and organic.
