Montrose building at 47th and Baltimore (Photo West Philly Local)

Many people have been wondering what business is coming to the vacant storefront in the Montrose apartment building at the northeast corner of 47th Street and Baltimore Avenue. It was revealed last week (Michael Klein of Philly.com’s The Insider broke the news) that a Fishtown-based L.A.-style taco bar, Loco Pez, is branching out to West Philly and chose this location. No further details were revealed, including the timeline for the opening, and we couldn’t get more info from the restaurant folks either at this time.

One of our readers asked about vegetarian options at the restaurant, and there are quite a few at their Fishtown location, which offers brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour. What’s interesting is that they only accept cash. Check out their website for more info and the menu. And we’ll keep you posted on this new location.

And here’s a little bit of history of the old Montrose building, which has housed many businesses in its four ground-floor retail spaces over the years. The beloved Carrot Cake Man, Vernon Wilkins, used to have a store in the building for 17 years until 1996.

Distrito Taqueria (Instagram photo).

Chef Jose Garces, whose well-known restaurant Distrito (40th and Chestnut) serves some delicious Mexican fare but could be damaging to your wallet, has recently revamped the restaurant’s first-floor area and opened a less expensive and “uber casual” eatery, Distrito Taqueria, downstairs. The grand opening of the taqueria was on Thursday.

Here are some items from the taqueria’s menu: tacos (you can choose from chicken, beef, pork, goat barbacoa or tofu) are $3.50 each, extras for additional price; burritos and quesadillas are $9.50. Super nacho is $12 ($9 without meat). An order of guacamole will cost you $8, and salsa is $5. Soups and salads are also served. And the place has a full bar. The full menu can be downloaded here.

Distrito Taqueria is open daily 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

As always, we here at West Philly Local aim to keep neighbors abreast of community news and inform you of updates to that news. For today’s installment of updates, we’ve rounded up news about three big projects we’ve featured in the last three months that verge from the exciting (tacos!) to the conflicting (another expensive development!). And, of course, if there are other updates you’d love to know, we’d love to hear them in the comments.

Groundbreaking for Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral’s $110 Million Development

Photo by West Philly Local.

Tomorrow, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and Radnor Property Group (RPG) will hold a groundbreaking for 38Chestnut—the $110 million mixed-used development at 38^th and Chestnut Streets that will see the razing of two historic brownstones (pictured) formerly used as the Cathedral’s parish house. The demolition will make way for a three-prong 326,000 square-foot project (owned by 3737 Chestnut, LP and developed by RPG) to be completed in 2015, and will include the construction of an allegedly “state-of-the-art” 25-story apartment building targeting professionals and grad students, as well as the Episcopal Cathedral Center that features a three-story office building with ground floor retail, a community center, and an early-learning childcare center. Additionally, as part of a settlement with the Preservation Alliance, the development will also see the renovation and maintenance of the cathedral itself. The groundbreaking starts at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral, located at 13-19 South 38th Street.

As we reported in November, the demolition to the two 19th-century brownstones has been nothing but contentious since it made news last summer. In an 8-2 vote, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the Cathedral’s hardship application to bulldoze the two historically-sanctioned houses, which were on the list of Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The Preservation Alliance appealed this decision almost immediately, but came to an agreement with the Commission in March, in which a 50-year preservation and restoration plan is implemented and maintained by the Cathedral, with project funds set aside for immediate work on the house of worship.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Taco Angelenearlyo/Facebook

When Vanessa Jerolmack first moved to West Philly from Los Angeles six years ago, she was a fish out of water. The 32-year-old California native and owner of the local Mexican food truck, Taco Angeleno, admittedly had no friends in the city—but worse, “didn’t have any Mexican food to eat.”

So, to remedy the situation, Jerolmack, who comes from a Mexican family that ate “lots of Mexican food,” started to cook a vegan version of the cuisine for her and her husband. That then morphed into a weekly Sunday brunch, which she used as a way to get to know her neighbors by handing out invitations to random people she met.

“This is how I definitely made friends,” she said. “It started with eight of us, and then it would turn into 12, and then sometimes be 20 of us. Every Sunday, I would just cook this huge brunch. Everyone’s favorite started to be all the Mexican stuff I made.”

While it was “just regular Mexican food” to Jerolmack, her friends were amazed by its deliciousness—to them, she said, it was a bar above what was already offered in West Philly. It was an encouraging reaction for someone who already wanted to open a café of sorts.

That dream of opening her own joint, though, didn’t cement itself until last year. When she and her husband first bought the vacant lot behind her house two years ago, it was just transformed into her personal garden. But she began to think about what Los Angeles had that West Philly lacked, and how she could turn the lot into something more than just a horticultural space. So after an accidental trip to the Memphis Taproom, a light bulb went off: why not turn her swath of land into an outdoor restaurant?

Thus, Taco Angeleno was born. With help from the Center for Culinary Enterprises and a nine-month stint as a cook at Fishtown’s Loco Pez, Jerolmack was able to garner the resources and knowledge needed to develop her Mexican bistro, which she hopes to open on the lot at 5019 Baltimore Avenue this July (she debuted the truck at this year’s Go West Craft Fest, and held a preview picnic at the space on May 17). Much like the Taproom’s beer garden, Taco Angeleno will serve as a take-out outdoor eatery, complete with a food truck, four to six 6-foot picnic style tables, and an upbeat, friendly atmosphere to match Jerolmack’s personality.

Once launched, Taco Angeleno will offer an all taco menu with three meat (chicken, beef, and pork) and three vegan-based (seitan, a soy version of chorizo a.k.a “soyrizo,” and soy-free) options that can also be made into burritos. (While Jerolmack is no longer vegan, she wants to make sure her menu is evenly split so her vegan friends can also enjoy the food.) The menu will also feature a rotating daily platter special, like enchiladas, taquitos, and tamales, that will come with a side of rice and beans. It will operate from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and only during the warm seasons (possibly April to the end of October.)

As for the future, Jerolmack would like to build a shack that’ll house a full kitchen and some counter seating, depending on the success of the first two years. But she said she has no plans of taking Taco Angeleno beyond the neighborhood because “for this whole vision I have, it’s all about this block because it’s right behind my house. It’s my neighborhood. It’s my friends and that’s what makes me so happy.”

– Annamarya Scaccia

Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article listed “soyrizo” as “soy miso”.

 
We have good news and bad news. Curbside diners from Clark Park to Center City will be sad to hear that Honest Tom is retiring his taco truck. The good news is that an entrepreneur eager to get into the food truck game will get the colorful 1970 Chevy step van, one of the most vaunted food trucks in the city,  free of charge.

“Honest” Tom McCusker, who in December climbed out of the truck and into his new shop on 44th Street, is giving the truck away for a story.

“It runs like an old workhorse but definitely has its quirks,” said McCusker, who says he bought the truck off a man named Derek with credit card cash advances from “multiple credit cards.”

Here’s a post from his Facebook page that spells out the deal:

For those that have inquired or anyone else it may concern:

We have been trying to get the truck back into regular rotation for months now, but with the shop schedule being as demanding as it is we have realized that it is not going to be possible. So we’ve come up with a plan…

As good as the truck has been to us we’ve decided it cannot be burdened with a monetary value. We will be gifting it to a noble up and comer looking to dive into the dark scary world of food trucking. Email honesttoms – at – gmail.com with why you should be the chosen one and we will make a decision on monday the 9th of july,meaning emails must be in that Sunday by midnight.

So get your e-mail to Tom by midnight on July 8.

It was a familiar scene to many in West Philly. “Honest” Tom McCusker behind the counter asking for names and taking orders. But this time he was at eye level – not in his famous truck, but at his new shop at 261 S. 44th (between Spruce and Locust).

Honest Tom’s Taco Shop (Facebook link) opened for business this morning and with any luck, McCusker said, they will be open until 9 p.m. or so tonight. Honest Tom’s will be open seven days a week 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Like the truck, the shop is cash only.

Come back in a few days for a review, but we pretty much know how this one will turn out.