The May Hit List: Little Fish, General Tsao’s House, Prunella, and More

After two years of opening and closing, pivoting to takeout bento boxes, and dealing with that massive flood from the Queen Village water main break, Little Fish is back in action with a new menu and a daring new weekday-only schedule. Alex Yoon and his team will still be focusing on intentionally sourced, highbrow seafood dishes, but it’ll be a la carte, instead of the four-course tasting menu. Don’t skip the Hokkaido scallops seared with a bit of dashi brown butter cream and served on glass noodles. The spicy, earthy grilled octopus with a dash of that hot mustard vinaigrette is also a must. You may not be able to dine at Little Fish on the weekend, but all the more reason to give you something to look forward to in the middle of the work week.

Fancy Italian meets casual cafe vibes at Michael Schulson’s new spot, Prunella. Pizza lovers will find inspiration in the octo-pie, an octopus with pistachio pesto and mozzarella pizza, and in the meaty Kareem the Dream pie covered in braised pear, smoky pork sausage, and thyme. If you’re not in the mood for pizza, there’s plenty of fresh pasta and small plates to nibble on, like the tuna crudo with blood orange and the saffron cavatelli with lamb ragu.

We all know Cake & Joe for their ornate cakes and elaborate chocolate and fruit mousse creations, but this dessert shop has one of the best brunch menus on East Moyamensing Avenue. Owners Sarah Qi and Trista Tang bring dishes from their childhood near Beijing and give them a bit of an American twist. Savory brunchgoers will enjoy the dumpling mushroom soup made with Kennett Square mushrooms and the congee topped with avocado and a bit of crunchy fried onion.

No reservations. Walk-ins only.

General Tsao’s House is a spicy oasis in Rittenhouse Square. They’re bringing the heat with mouth-numbing Szechuan pepper-coated fish, cumin lamb that will make you sweat, and dan dan noodles that will bring tears to your eyes. If you can’t handle the heat, fear not! There are lots of moderately spicy and non-spicy dishes to enjoy too, like the Peking duck bao buns and the sweet-and-spicy General Tsao’s chicken.

Beach season kicks off at the end of this month, and what better way to dine down the shore than with an old-school seafood meal at Cape May’s Oyster Bay. Enjoy fresh surf and turf options while taking in the nautically inspired décor. The jumbo lump crab cakes are a customer favorite, but if you want to take advantage of what the sea has to offer, indulge in the seafood pot pie bursting with lobster, shrimp, and scallops swimming in a creamy Gruyere lobster sauce. When it comes to “turf,” the crispy duck breast glazed in Vermont maple is a solid choice, but for the best of both land and sea, grab the NY strip steak served with grilled shrimp.

Brennah Lambert wanted to expand people’s perception of plant-based cooking, so she opened LesbiVeggies, the Black-owned, LGBTQ+, all-vegan café in Audubon, N.J. She’s been making waves with her tofu scramble breakfast tacos, jackfruit consommé, which tastes and feels exactly like pulled pork, and the Cajun cauliflower sandwich. Even if you’re not completely vegan you’ll find Lambert’s food satiating, filling, and you’ll definitely be surprised that it’s all plant-based.

No reservations. Walk-ins only.

Sushi is all about technique, precision, and presentation, and Kinme checks off all three. Here you’ll find some of the most artfully plated sushi that’s as stunning to look at as it is delicious to eat. You can’t go wrong with a fancy roll or a simple sashimi, but to really get a sense of the quality of the fish, go for the chirashi bowl, in which various cuts of raw fish are topped with a bit of roe, all served on a bed of perfectly cooked rice.

Sandwiches aren’t a dish, they’re an artistic form of expression, or at least, that’s how they’re treated at Maria’s Bread Sandwiches in Collingswood, New Jersey. Every sandwich begins as a blank canvas of Mighty Bread Co. bread and is thoughtfully built, pairing quality ingredients with exciting flavors. For breakfast try the avocado toast, a slice of sourdough smeared with chunky avocado and topped with perfectly jammy eggs and a generous drizzle of chile oil. For lunch, get a taste of what the Jersey Fresh philosophy is all about with the Down the Shore Chicken Salad Sandwich seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, and a creamy tomato soup made with New Jersey tomatoes. With the Collingswood Farmers Market returning on May 7^th, it’s the perfect mid-morning break from shopping.

No reservations. Walk-ins only.

Come for the vegan food, stay for the nostalgic monster thrills. Monster Vegan is the new horror-themed vegan spot in Center City, serving up vegan cheesesteaks, spicy rigatoni Bolognese with Impossible beef and sausage, and creepy cocktails and mocktails, all with a side of a scary good time. Keep an eye out for ghoulish events including their weekly horror movie nights, where you can watch a classic creepy film every Thursday.

If you’re a fan of German food and beer, Brauhaus Schmitz is the place to eat, drink, and be merry. With over 30 German beers on tap and traditional housemade sausages, this spot offers a little taste of Munich on South Street. It’s one of the few restaurants around that serves up classic German dishes like frikadellen, German meatballs, and weisswurst, a Bavarian specialty sausage made with spiced pork and veal.