Levantine restaurant focused on wood-fired Mediterranean cooking to open in Olde Kensington
A Levantine restaurant with a mix of Mediterranean flavors and wood-fired cooking will open in January in Olde Kensington, replacing the former Primary Plant Based vegan restaurant that closed in September.
Emmett, led by chef Evan Snyder and managing partner Julian van der Tak, is slated to take over the space at 161 West Girard Ave. He had been searching for a storefront for the restaurant since the middle of last year before the opportunity opened up at the space at the corner of Girard Avenue and Hancock Street, which also was formerly Cadence BYOB.
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Levantine cuisine broadly covers culinary traditions from the eastern Mediterranean shores in the modern-day region of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. The rotating menu at Emmett will feature crudos, pasta, coal-roasted meats and seasonal desserts.
Some of the dishes at Emmett will include cured foie gras with winter citrus and semolina cake; matzo ball soup with duck confit, herbs and challah toast; lamb neck dolmades with beet matbucha and jus; and a smoked oxtail dish with Moroccan curry and caramelized cabbage.
Emmett will also have a full bar with a selection of wines and cocktails. Cadence BYOB, which operated from 2018 to 2021 and was once named Food & Wine's best new restaurant in the country, did not have a liquor license.
"It's time to really get moving and make this space our own, and show Philadelphia what our cuisine is all about, which to me is an 'upscale grandmother' vibe," Snyder said. "We're also very excited to be opening in a space that meant so much to so many people."
The 1,600-square-foot restaurant will have 36 seats for dining and a 10-seat bar. Snyder and van der Tak plan to renovate the space ahead of the planned opening in mid-January. Snyder previously served as executive chef of Redcrest Kitchen in Queen Village, while van der Tak has had stints at Jean-Georges and Vernick Fish at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and at several restaurants from Michael Schulson and Stephen Starr.
