A local hospitality power couple is giving a spring make-over to one of their Audubon restaurants. Richard and Christina Cusack, the minds behind June and Cafe le Jardin are transforming the latter into an Italian concept called Pops Trattoria, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The restaurant, located at 34 West Merchant Street, will be shutting its doors after two years in operation on May 4. The Cusacks anticipate a very quick turn-around time for the transition from French to Italian cuisine; they plan on launching Pops on May 7.
Pops, named as an homage to Richard’s father, will present the chef with a unique chance to try something new. Both June and Cafe le Jardin are French restaurants that take advantage of his training in Franco cooking. The Cusacks are describing their latest endeavor as “a love letter to classic Italian American cooking, seen through the eyes of a French-trained chef who grew up with Sunday sauce and stuffed shells”.
Pops’ menu will provide local foodies with an embarrassment of new favorite meals to indulge in, including meals like spaghetti all’assassina, braised short rib ragu with rigatoni, potato “Parisian” gnocchi with brown butter sage and ricotta salata.
