Between legal cases - which included defending such Philadelphia figures as Philip Testa, Buddy Cianfrani, and Angelo Bruno - power lawyer Nicholas Nastasi cooked.
He learned from his mother, Nina, and from his Sicilian-born grandmother Caterina. He cooked at home for friends and family, and when he was feeling even more creative, he cooked at the Penn's Landing destination La Veranda under previous owner Roberto Centofani. "I love the pleasure of turning out excellent food," Nastasi says.
And now, in his late 60s, Nastasi has bought a building in the heart of the Italian Market (Antonio Bonuomo's former corner butcher shop, which hosts the Frank Rizzo mural) and opened his own restaurant, Nina's Trattoria (910 S. Ninth St., 215-574-9995), a dinnertime BYOB open Tuesdays to Sundays.
Nastasi has delegated most cooking to the well-seasoned Joe Ling and Bill Wilson, and the menu (at www.ninas-trattoria.com ) is studded with family favorites such as asparagus patties. Entrees are under $29.
His family's spirit pervades the casually appointed dining room. Alas, Nastasi's mother (the restaurant's namesake) did not live to see her son's dream. Nina died last month at age 96.
In five years, Jose Garces has turned out Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey, Garces Trading Co., and - effective Friday - perhaps his most ambitious, JG Domestic , a rustic, artisanal-American concept in the lobby of the Cira Centre (2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363), the former Rae. It's an ode to greenery; a "living wall" of plants hugs the windows' southern exposure facing 30th Street Station, and three podocarpus trees grow through the 18-seat communal table.
Everything will be sourced from the United States - and some food eventually will come from Garces' newly purchased Bucks County farm. Chef de cuisine Dave Conn will execute a daily menu of mainly small plates embracing what Garces calls a "melting pot of cuisines." He says dinner tabs will be $55 to $60 a person, with lunch from $15 to the low $20s. It's open for lunch weekdays and for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays, plus weekday mornings for coffee and drinks at a kiosk that also serves baked goods from Garces Trading Co.
The Artful Dodger (400 S. Second St.) has reopened after several weeks' closure. New owners are longtime bartender Joe McBride and his wife, Christine, who have new investors, surgeons Daniel and Lori Timmerman.
The all-vegan Blackbird Pizza has taken over the former Gianna's Grille and Levis (507 S. Sixth St., 215-625-6660). Owners Mark Mebus and Ryan Moylan sell pizzas, sandwiches, and salads. Mebus cooked at the nearby all-vegan destination Horizons, as well as at Candle 79 and Blossom in New York City.
Chef Michael Thomas has left the Fishtown pub Kraftwork to join One Shot, the Northern Liberties coffee shop, as it prepares for a December opening in larger quarters nearby. Brian Lofink, chef at Kraftwork's sister operation Sidecar , is shuttling between both locations.
Cravings Cafe in Lansdale has closed. Chef Ted Scholl is at 63 Bistro in Montgomery Commons Shopping Center in North Wales.
The Capital Grille in King of Prussia opens to the public at 5 p.m. Nov. 8.
Contact columnist Michael Klein at mklein@phillynews.com . Enjoy dining? Follow his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider and on Twitter @phillyinsider.
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