The northern section of Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore (Clark Park “A”) has been under construction this week. The work includes installation of long-awaited permanent chess tables to “replace the ratty units the players now employ,” according to the Friends of Clark Park website, and restoration of the layer of gravel that covers the plaza, which hasn’t been updated since 2009.

A rough estimate of the cost of this project is $15,000, and the funding became possible thanks to Friends of Clark Park membership dollars.

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Mood Cafe’s second location will open this fall at 126 S. 45th Street. (Photo by West Philly Local)

The popular Indian/Pakistani chaat restaurant on Baltimore Ave, Mood Cafe, is expanding to a second location in the area – 45th and Sansom – with plans to open in two to three weeks. Owner Hasan Bukhari wanted to make sure customers knew he wasn’t shutting down the old location. “It’s not a new location, it’s an expansion,” he said.

The new location will have more menu offerings with hot food favorites such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Biryani and Lamb Rogan Gosh. “I’d like to introduce the people to really good food. The cooking style will be closer to homestyle cooking, we’re going to have a very selective menu… Over there, I’m thinking we’ll start delivery at some point. But for now, we’ll only offer takeout and a place for people to sit,” Bukhari explained.  Continue Reading

If you’re going to watch the final presidential debate before the election, check out these viewing parties in West Philly. The debate is this Wednesday (Oct. 19), and begins at 9 p.m. There are various starting times for the parties though, so check out more information below. Also, the following West Philly/University City bars usually host watch parties: The Bar(n) (49th and Catharine), City Tap House (39th and Walnut), as well as the Hillary Clinton SW Philly Office (533 S. 52nd St).

Drexel Dems Presidential Debate Watch Party

8-11 p.m., Wahoo’s (3180 Chestnut St)

West Philly 3rd Presidential Debate Watch Party

8-11 p.m., Cavanaugh’s Restaurant & Sports Bar (119 S 39th St)  Continue Reading

The first floor of the residential building connected to the left side of Clarkville at 43rd and Baltimore would be converted into a restaurant under a proposal considered last night by the Spruce Hill Zoning Association (Photo from Google Street View).

The Spruce Hill Community Association considered a proposal last night to convert the first floor of the row home adjacent to Clarkville at 43rd and Baltimore into a small restaurant amid concerns from some neighbors of commercial encroachment in residential areas.

Brought by the owners of the Clarkville building (not the business itself), the proposal for 4303 Baltimore includes an 1,100-square-foot restaurant on the first floor and renovated, high-end apartments on the second and third floors. In the past, the building housed three apartments, but is in rough shape, said Tom Lussenhop of Best House Partners, the building owners since May.

The proposal requires a variance for the first-floor restaurant, which has yet to be decided on (they’re open to suggestions). It will not have a liquor license.  Continue Reading

Developers pitch a proposal for an apartment building at 4045 Baltimore to the Spruce Hill Community Association Zoning Committee on Thursday evening (Photo by West Philly Local)

The owners of a parking lot on the 4000 block of Baltimore are proposing a five-story, 55-unit apartment building.

New Horizons Housing, which owns the lot at 4045 Baltimore Ave. (see Google Street View image below) and an adjacent apartment building, brought the proposal before the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee last night for feedback. A formal zoning request has not yet been made.

An apartment building once stood on the lot, but burned down in the mid 1980s. The proposed building would include mostly 450-square-foot, one-bedroom units and a few studios.

Under one version of the proposal, the plan includes a small 900-square-foot retail space. Concerns included the proposed building’s height. At 71 feet, it would be about 15 feet higher than a nearby apartment building (owned by the same developers) and would be the tallest structure in the immediate area.  Continue Reading

EAT Café, Philly’s first nonprofit, pay-what-you-want restaurant, is opening this month at 3820 Lancaster Avenue, and neighbors are invited to check it out this Friday (Oct. 14) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. during a Community Open House.

This is an opportunity for the community to become introduced to EAT Café, its staff, and its unique payment model before the restaurant officially opens for business. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public, and coincides with Lancaster Avenue’s Second Friday.

EAT Café’s Grand Opening date is Wednesday, Oct. 26. Check out this page for updates.

In case you missed it check out our earlier story on EAT Café and the people and organizations behind it here.