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AMBLER – Chad Rosenthal is sticking around Ambler.
The 48-year-old chef from Ambler recently opened Rosey’s, a Vietnamese sandwich shop on Butler Avenue, weeks after closing The Lucky Well. The bar and barbecue spot was a fixture on Ambler’s main street for more than a decade.
“When I opened the Lucky Well … there weren’t many barbecue, whiskey bars coming into Ambler. It was new. It was fresh. It was cool,” Rosenthal told MediaNews Group. “I was (at) the beginning of that revitalization of the whole town…”
When Rosenthal learned the building had been sold all these years later, instead of buying it, he saw an opportunity to try something else. Cantina Feliz, of Fort Washington, will be moving to the space on 111 E. Butler Ave.
“I dabbled in Bánh mì and it’s like my favorite thing in the world,” Rosenthal said of the Vietnamese food he centered his new venture around.
Rosenthal cultivated a passion for the cuisine while in China. He was in the printing business in the mid-2000s prior to entering the restaurant industry and would often visit Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong is one of the greatest food cities in the world. I miss it so much,” Rosenthal said, recalling a food stand he frequented while in China. He tried the signature dish and “it blew my mind.”
Rosenthal said he had a smaller version of Rosey’s at one point in Roslyn, but had to put it on the back burner as operations expanded at The Lucky Well. The idea of cultivating “smaller, simpler, unique experiences” was something that appealed to Rosenthal.
It was something he wanted to go back to, characterizing Bánh mì as a “Vietnamese hoagie.”
“It’s just really, really simple and something that I can keep consistent, and it’s different and new and fresh and all that. I’m excited about it,” he said.
The name pays tribute to his former barbecue restaurant on Main Street. The new business has two full time employees, along with a handful of other part time staff that had been working at the Lucky Well, but he acknowledged it’s a much smaller footprint than that of his previous establishment.
“We make everything fresh literally every single day, because the kitchen is so tiny, and we don’t even have a true cooking line in the restaurant. So it forces us to stay focused on putting out a few things great every time,” he said.
Rosenthal noted that his is a “heartier” and more “gourmet” version of the classic sandwich that gives a nod to his background in barbecue. Pork, chicken and tofu options will be available to order for $13. Additional items such as chicken liver pate and sardines can be incorporated.
“But all the other components are very traditional: pickled vegetables and jalapeno and cucumber and cilantro. We make a homemade mayo, which is really one huge component of our sandwich. It’s pretty traditional,” Rosenthal said. “Most Bánh mì, they usually use butter or mayo, and then we make a chicken liver pate, which freaks out some people in the suburbs, but it takes the sandwich to a whole other level.”
Lime soda and Vietnamese coffee from the Kensington-based Càphê Roasters will be available for purchase. Rosenthal added he’d like to install a station for chips and other snacks later on.
He’s excited to introduce area residents and visitors to food he’s fond of.
“The sandwich speaks for itself. People taste it, and they lose their minds. But just trying to get them to understand what it is, that’s the thing,” Rosenthal said, adding that “Philadelphia in general is a huge sandwich town. So it’s different. It’s not a cheesesteak, and it’s not an Italian hoagie, but I think it’ll go really well.”
That isn’t the only thing Rosenthal has in the mix. While details weren’t immediately available, he’s planning to expand his presence in the suburban borough.
“I have another project cooking on Ambler Main Street,” Rosenthal said.
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