The October Hit List: Le Cavalier, Mission Taqueria, Spice Finch, and More

Philadelphians will know chef Tyler Akin’s name from his gone-but-not-forgotten restaurants Stock and Res Ipsa. He now runs the show at Le Cavalier in the up-and-coming city of Wilmington. Situated in the storied Hotel Du Pont, this French brasserie does the classics well (think: French onion soup and warm madeleines), but keeps it fresh with seasonal elements, like a squash soup with brown butter and sage for fall. Looking ahead, Akin is planning an epic throwback dinner in December to celebrate the hotel’s 110th anniversary, with dishes inspired by historic menus.

It’s officially Oktoberfest season, so don your dirndls and break out the accordion. Just kidding, don’t actually cosplay Bavarian, but do scope out Brauhaus Schmitz’s month-long activities lineup. The popular German spot on South Street, boasting 34 German beers on tap, is known for its annual celebration. All month long, head there for German dishes like schnitzel, wurst, and giant pretzels with beer cheese. On October 13 and 14, the team transforms the 23rd Street Armory into a Munich-style festival with biergarten benches and tented ceilings.

Husband and wife duo Angela and Joe Cicala live and breathe Italy. When they’re not cooking refined Italian food in their glittering restaurant at the historic Divine Lorraine, they’re planning trips to Italy as tour guides for their customers. Go to Cicala for the delicate handmade pasta (yes, all of it), shareable large plates, and Angela’s desserts, particularly the housemade pistachio gelato sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with olive oil.

Marc Vetri’s 32-seater is an Italian institution. Now that the star chef bought its Midtown Village townhouse, it’s an institution that owns the bricks. Thank goodness Vetri isn’t going anywhere, because it’s hard to find a fine-dining restaurant that perfectly blends confident cooking and service with a friendly, yet intimate atmosphere. The $165 tasting menu, which always includes the famous spinach gnocchi, plays on seasonality and handed-down techniques from the chef’s time in Italy.

Call 215-732-3478 for reservations.

Combine tacos and collaboration to get Mission Taqueria’s TACOLAB. It’s a series of joyful dinners that bring together some of Philly’s hottest chefs. Oyster House, Kalaya, and River Twice have all been recent collaborators. October 23’s TACOLAB will feature Tabachoy’s Chance Anies and Mission chef Alejandro Martín Sánchez for a Filipino Heritage Month-themed dinner that considers how each of their respective families’ home countries were influenced by Spanish colonialism. Resy is the place to snag a $65 ticket to these one-night-only events, and yes, they fill up fast.

This new food hall on Spring Garden is the brainchild of chef Chad Rosenthal, known for his Ambler barbecue joint, The Lucky Well. This Philly outpost serves as an incubator for emerging chefs looking to grow their customer base and hone their entrepreneurial skills in an already built-out location. What’s especially cool here is that you can order dishes from each concept — and the bar — all at once. That’s right, no more waiting in line after line to try different bites. For the next few months, the chef lineup includes grilled Vietnamese cuisine from Jacob Trinh’s Nướng, Rob Miskell’s Italian food at Sauce Boy, Navajo tacos by Marcos Espinoza (a name most Philly food folks will know) at Shiprock, and barbecue from Rosenthal’s Lucky Well.

Celebrity chef Jen Carroll and her partner Billy Riddle developed the menu at Rittenhouse’s Spice Finch. Though they’ve moved on to open their own cooking studio, a meal at Spice Finch still offers their signature style. It’s a shareable, dippable, vegetable-forward Mediterranean meal that always leaves us feeling good. There’s a full bar here, but also a focus on low-proof and non-alcoholic cocktails, like one with mint tea, coriander syrup, and lemon.

Chefs Alex Hardy and Tara Buzan-Hardy took time visiting Michelin-starred restaurants around the country to glean inspiration for the new location of their celebrated Main Line restaurant. Order a la carte — the thrice-cooked fries with black summer truffles is a nice start — or go with the $150 seasonal six-course tasting menu that starts with two amuse-bouches. The new At the Table location offers a major increase in indoor and outdoor seating, deep blue Pacific Ocean-themed decor, and a bar menu.

Call 610-964-9700 for reservations.

When we heard about last summer’s fire at Tierra Colombiana, we were worried about the future of this 30-plus-year-old Latin American mainstay. Luckily, with the support of their community, owners Mercy and Jorge Mosquera were able to quickly reopen. This is a large and busy restaurant with an equally huge menu, full of classic dishes like mofongo, empanadas, plantains, whole snapper, paella, tres leches cake, and so much more.

Wyndmoor’s Yankee Chipper styles itself after the fish and chips shops found in villages throughout Ireland. This casual outfit took a summer break and then reopened with an expanded menu, dining room upgrades, and a brewery license, which allows it to sell beer, wine, and liquor (as long as they’re produced in Pennsylvania… yes, our state is weird). Fish and chips baskets here come with either traditional Irish chips or American-style fries. While you’re eating all the fried food, order some fried pickles and clam strips, or go with heartier main courses like bangers and mash or Guinness stew. Don’t miss live music on Wednesdays.