The Burkes are back!
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The Burkes are back!
I wept tears of Jameshattans when Jim and Kristina Burke packed up their restaurant, James, and moved up to New York in 2011. But after turns at Starr's Caffe Storico in the New York Historical Society and more recently, as chef at Daniel Boulud's db Bistro Moderne, the couple is back.
Kristina posted a picture on Facebook yesterday of a handsome rowhome with whitewashed brick and window boxes. "Our new digs...in Philly," she wrote.
The Burkes have only been back a few days and their lips are sealed on what's next for them. I can't image they moved back here without an ironclad gig locked up, not with two (adorable) kids en tow. So shall we speculate... Is Starr looking for any chefs right now? It would make sense for Burke to return to his employ. James was located right down the street from Bibou, and Pierre and Charlotte need a chef to replace Val Stryjewski at Le Cheri... Or maybe Jim and Kristina are shopping spaces for a second crack at ownership? Maybe they have a space already?
Wherever Burke winds up, I can't wait to eat his food again. Jameshattans on me.
