Res Ipsa Cafe
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Mark Corpus
Mark Capriotti
Tyler Akin
CityPhiladelphia
StatePA
Postal/ZIP Code19103
CountryUnited States
Coordinates39°57′03″N 75°10′42″W / 39.9509°N 75.1784°W / 39.9509; -75.1784

Res Ipsa Cafe was a restaurant and café located in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. It was a collaboration between the owners of Philadelphia cafe chain ReAnimator Coffee and Tyler Akin, a chef and the owner of Philadelphia restaurant Stock.

During the day, Res Ipsa Cafe served coffee and light food, but after 5:30 served a dinner menu with primarily Sicilian-inspired dishes.

History

Res Ipsa's storefront was previously occupied by the kitchen of an adjacent restaurant.[1] When the owners of ReAnimator Coffee. Mark Corpus and Mark Capriotti, were shown the space by a broker, they determined a coffee shop would not produce enough income to justify the rent.[2] They contacted the owner and chef of Philadelphia restaurant Stock to work with them to produce substantial dinner menus to serve in the evening.[2] Construction to turn the storefront into a functional restaurant began in 2016,[3] and the restaurant opened later that year. The restaurant was an “all-day [café]” similar to Dimes in New York City, switching from casual fare during the day to a more formal dinner menu and atmosphere at night.[4]

The restaurant was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not have the capacity add outdoor seating, and its pasta did not travel well, meaning it could not make up lost in-person income with money from deliveries.[5] Ultimately, the restaurant closed due to the pandemic.[6] The restaurant was replaced by a location of the bakery Lost Bread Co.[7] After the closure, Michael Vincent Ferreri, the restaurant's former executive chef, reopened South Philadelphia restaurant Irwin's.[8] The reopened Irwin's has been referred to as "a resurrection of Res Ipsa".[9]

The restaurant's name came from an abbreviation of the Latin res ipsa loquitur, meaning "the thing speaks for itself".[10]

Lawsuit

The restaurant was sued in August 2017 by Res Ipsa, an Atlanta-based clothing and accessories company,[11] for trademark infringement. The similarity in name led to the Atlanta company accidentally receiving praise for sandwiches it did not serve on social media. After formally switching the name of the restaurant to "Res Ipsa Cafe" the case was dismissed.[12]

Food and aesthetic

During the day, Res Ipsa Cafe served ReAnimator coffee, and a simple breakfast menu including sandwiches and yogurt parfait. The Sicilian dinner menu was primarily seafood and pasta-focused.[13] Michael Vincent Ferreri, the executive chef, drew from his professional experience at Italian restaurant Zeppoli and from his family's history — his great-grandparents emigrated from Sicily to the United States — to create the menu.[14] The dinner menu was served only Wednesday through Sunday, but the cafe was open seven days a week. The restaurant received praise for its salads.[15] As is typical for restaurants in Philadelphia, the restaurant was BYOB.[16][17]

The restaurant's agrodolce chicken was inspired by Ferreri's upbringing in Rochester and cooking Sicilian recipes with relatives.[18] Bon Appétit included the restaurant on its 2017 list of the best restaurants in the United States.[19] Alex Delany, of Bon Appétit, recommended ordering multiple half-portions of the pasta to would-be patrons.[20]

Reception

Jason Sheehan, writing for Philadelphia Magazine, gave the restaurant three out of four stars, in part to prevent the restaurant from being overwhelmed by "...a flood of tourists or culinary day-trippers".[21][22] Condé Nast Traveler said Res Ipsa offers a "nice respite from the bustle of Center City".[17] A review from The Infatuation praised the quality and variety of pasta.[23]

Several publications highlighted the restaurant's breakfast sandwich.[6][24][25][26]

References

  1. ↑ Staff, Sprudge (12 September 2016). "Build-Outs Of Summer: Res Ipsa of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania". Sprudge. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Tewfik, Alex (12 February 2020). "Are Philly's All-Day Cafes Built to Last?". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Staff, Sprudge (12 September 2016). "Build-Outs Of Summer: Res Ipsa of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania". Sprudge. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Chayka, Kyle (18 March 2018). "The Women Responsible for the Look of Your Next All-Day Cafe". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ LaBan, Craig (19 June 2020). "How historic upheaval in the Philly dining scene could reshape the future of restaurants". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 Tewfik, Alex (9 November 2020). "Goodbye, Res Ipsa Cafe". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. ↑ LaBan, Craig (10 February 2010). "Lost Bread Co. opens new retail cafe near Rittenhouse Square". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  8. ↑ Tewfik, Alex (10 March 2021). "Res Ipsa Cafe's Former Chef Is Reopening Irwin's in South Philly". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Sweitzer-Lammé, Maddy (2 May 2021). "Secret Gardens and Gorgeous Patios for Outdoor Dining in Philly". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Erace, Adam (23 February 2017). "Restaurant Review: Res Ipsa, a tiny Rittenhouse cafe with incredible pasta". Billy Penn. Billy Penn. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Bikoff, Mary Logan (2 June 2014). "Res Ipsa: Two Atlanta lawyers go from torts to ties". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  12. ↑ Steele, Allison (2 February 2018). "Is Res Ipsa your source for egg sandwiches or leisure accessories?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  13. ↑ Maiellano, Sarah (12 March 2019). "A Modern Spin on a Classic Feast". www.jamesbeard.org. The James Beard Foundation.
  14. ↑ Tewfik, Alex (7 December 2016). "What to Know About Res Ipsa, the All-Day Cafe Opening in Rittenhouse". Eater Philly. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  15. ↑ LaBan, Craig (20 May 2019). "Here's where to get the most beautiful salad in Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Res Ipsa". Bon Appétit. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Res Ipsa Cafe - Restaurant Review". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Lazor, Drew (28 March 2017). "Buffalo Chicken Has An Italian Cousin. His Name Is Agrodolce". TASTE. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  19. ↑ Staff, The Bon Appétit (14 December 2018). "The 22 Restaurants That Turned Us Into Dedicated Regulars in 2018". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  20. ↑ Delany, Alex (2 April 2019). "You Can Throw the Half-Order Pastas at Res Ipsa on My List of Reasons to Keep Living". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  21. ↑ Sheehan, Jason (23 March 2017). "Next Big Thing: Res Ipsa Reviewed". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  22. ↑ Vigoda, Rachel (28 March 2017). "Philly Mag Critic Doesn't Want Tourists to Know About 'Scrappy' Res Ipsa". Eater. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  23. ↑ McElwee, Sydney (28 January 2019). "Res Ipsa - Rittenhouse - Philadelphia". The Infatuation. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  24. ↑ LaBan, Craig (22 December 2016). "Another stellar breakfast sandwich, from Res Ipsa". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "Res Ipsa". Goop. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "Res Ipsa". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
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