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Thu
Oct 11
2012

Oh What Could Have Been: Pub and Kitchen Guys Taking Over Meme Space

Over the summer, chef David Katz shuttered Meme at 2201 Spruce St. after a four-year run. This space, which was previously outgrown by Melograno, was a corner grocery and deli as recently as ten years ago. Today, it offers a prime Rittenhouse neighborhood location on a highly visible corner.

In 1995

The other day

According to Michael Klein, Meme’s closing set off a bit of a horse race among Philadelphia restauranteurs, with many established names having a think about different concepts for the space. In the end, it appears that Dan Clark of Pub & Kitchen will be taking over this space, and opening an establishment that serves booze. A letter was affixed to the building a couple of weeks ago, as a means of introduction.

The letter

The letter indicates that the new restaurant will have seating for thirty-six, no hard alcohol, and no live music. The subtext of the letter is, in fact, far more interesting than the letter itself. For those of you who never knew or don’t recall, Clark surely still bears wounds from a zoning fight that was ultimately lost at the corner of 20th & Kater, when neighbors who stood in opposition to his plan to open Bedford Cafe bought the building while in the middle of appealing his zoning approval. Nine months later, the building that could have been a new neighborhood hub remains vacant. Awesome.

We added the pabbit

Hopefully, the P&K guys will have better luck finding support at 22nd & Spruce than they did at 20th & Kater. If not, we wouldn’t be shocked if they picked up and left town. Wouldn’t blame ‘em, actually.

10
COMMENTS
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Posted in Rittenhouse | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments
  • guest

    Kater st. should be renamed “D-Bag Ave” for that block.

  • pmg

    I appreciate Dan’s battle-scarred approach, but as someone who lives right around the corner, I actually wish that he would consider something more high impact–I would love a full bar and longer hours of operation! At a busy intersection served by several bus lines, and with regular concerts and other events across the street at Trinity, it’s a location that could handle more. How nice it would be to stroll across the street after seeing something at Trinity and have a drink?

  • JSPhilly

    Dan is also scarred by David’s experience with the neighborhood when he went through the process of opening Meme.

  • http://thisoldcity.com/ this old city

    Outgrown by Melograno? My understanding is the guy who opened Mémé couldn’t get permission to open up a restaurant on Fitler Square so he pushed Melograno out. The NIMBYs affecting this story are not just related to Pub & Kitchen. They have affected all restaurateurs mentioned in this story.

  • quoin

    pmg – I agree, but you are certainly in the minority amongst your neighbors. They came out of the woodwork to oppose Meme and to kill another proposed restaurant redo/expansion at 24th & Locust a few years ago. In a vibrant section of the city, no one wants their lives to be changed by an upscale restaurant serving -gasp- alcohol. In their minds it seems to directly equate to a 24-hour frat party filled with raucous drunks. Good luck P&K.

  • Anonymous

    You really should include the accent marks. While it was open, I heard a few people pronounce it like “meme” in the LOLcat/Richard Dawkins sense. “Mémé” would minimize the occurrence of this.

  • Anonymous

    Why does every block in this city seem to have at least one card-carrying member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union?

    Is this 2012, or 1912?

  • http://ProdigalPaul.com/ Paul Burkhart

    We will welcome him into this neighborhood and we will be better for it. Kater, your loss. I as well wish this spot could remain open later and serve a wider variety of drinks. A P&K-style place could compete well in the area, perhaps even offering alternaties to Sidecar, Doobies, Grace, and Resurrection–all great places, but they can get a tad old after a few years of patronizing them. More variety!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ken-Nemeth/641953126 Ken Nemeth

    I think the residents’ concerns around the alcohol part are more related to noise than then consumption itself.

  • http://nakedphilly.com/rittenhouse/fitler-dining-room-the-next-evolutionary-step-for-2201-spruce-street/ Fitler Dining Room the Next Evolutionary Step for 2201 Spruce Street | NakedPhilly

    [...] in October, we gave you the early skinny on Fitler Dining Room, while lamenting the fact that it wasn’t named Bedford Cafe and it wasn’t coming to 20th & …. Last week, the restaurant opened its doors for the first time at 2201 Spruce St., a corner [...]

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