Exclusive: Bub and Pop's will soon reopen in NoMa with spiked sodas and bowling
Why it matters: Bub's seemingly abrupt shutter last week sparked fear of a permanent closure among its fanbase, but don't worry — the new version in the former Eleanor space promises to be bigger and better than ever.
State of play: Chef/owner Jon Taub tells Axios he's aiming to open in about two weeks. He's keeping the bones of the Eleanor's barcade, meaning plenty of room to settle in with a beer and play throwback games or duck pin bowling.
And the core menu of Philly-style hoagies and cheesesteaks will live on, as will the " Lil' Petey" sandwich-eating challenge.
Dig in: Taub tells Axios he's looking forward to expanding the offerings — with plenty of nostalgic nods to his favorite hometown Philly spots.
A custom soda fountain inspired by Nifty Fifty's will turn out egg creams, floats and malts, which customers can spike with booze (also look for wine, Champagne and beer).
Taub is working on a new pizza menu, as well as fun bar snacks for game days. Diners will also have a few lighter options for times when a huge Italian hoagie or braised beef brisket sandwich won't fly.
Context: Taub says the move has been in the works for a while after their landlord decided to double the rent on the small, mostly takeout shop. "It would have shuttered our business overnight," he says.
The landlord filed an eviction lawsuit earlier this year, seeking nearly $250,000 in unpaid rent and fees, which Taub tells Axios is erroneous, and that they've been "following legal counsel" since.
Between the lines: Taub has been making his own breads and hoagie rolls for a year-plus — which, along with homemade pickles and sauces, sets Bub's apart.
Now he's upping the game with a new Polin oven. "It's how Angelo's in Philly achieves that perfect crust and bronze color," he says.
All of the homemade accoutrements will be available to take away. "I know Trader Joe's is right down the street, but I wanted people to be able to come home with a container of our marinara and have a nice dinner."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
5 minutes ago
- Axios
Survey: Chicago back-to-school spending tops $740 per child
Shopping for school supplies will cost you more in Chicago, according to a new report. Why it matters: Back-to-school is the second-biggest retail event of the year, after the holidays. The latest: The annual Deloitte Back-to-School Survey estimates that Chicago parents will spend up to 30% more than the national average on school supplies. What they're saying:"Chicago parents are expected to spend $740 per child this back-to-school season," Deloitte Consulting's Matt Adams tells Axios. The national average is $570. "Chicago families are also spending more than the national average on packed lunches, extracurriculars and first-day outfits." Reality check: Chicago has outpaced national estimates before. In 2024, the report said Chicago parents would spend $747 per child, while the national average was $586. The intrigue: The biggest category for spending is clothing. 70% of local Chicago parents surveyed say their children's preferences generally influence them to spend more, including splurging on a first-day-of-school outfit. Zoom in: In addition to spending on back-to-school, 97% of Chicago parents surveyed plan to enroll their children in extracurricular activities, versus 90% nationally. Parents expect to spend $629 on fees and equipment, which is also above the national average ($532). Zoom out: 56% of the Chicago parents surveyed are concerned about higher prices and 71% of households report being in a similar or worse financial situation than last year. 51% expect the economy to weaken in the next six months (versus 37% in 2024). State of play: Prices for stationery and other supplies have risen 30% nationally over the past five years. New U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports — including backpacks, pens, binders and shoes — kicked in earlier this year, rose sharply, then came back down to levels still historically high. Yes, but: The full impact of tariffs hasn't hit store shelves yet — and back-to-school season may be the first test of how much price pressure shoppers will tolerate, according to a Wells Fargo Investment Institute report released last month.
Axios
33 minutes ago
- Axios
What the OpenAI valuation means for stock investors
OpenAI is in early talks to sell employee shares at a $500 billion valuation, Axios' Dan Primack reports. Why it matters: Amid calls of a market bubble, the lofty valuation provides justification for sky-high AI stock prices. Driving the news: OpenAI is weighing a secondary stock sale, Primack says, as first reported by Bloomberg. The deal would increase its valuation by nearly two-thirds. The tech company's previous valuation was $300 billion. What they're saying: "This is an AI Revolution, and OpenAI is the golden child," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives tells Axios. The valuation for OpenAI could "hit a trillion," according to a note from Ben Emons, chief investment officer and founder at FedWatch Advisors. That could drive growth in sectors like semiconductors and chips. Zoom out: The OpenAI valuation mirrors companies with exposure to AI driving the market. Fewer stocks are trading above their 200-day moving averages, and the number of stocks climbing versus declining is decreasing, Emons notes. That means a smaller number of stocks that are already expensive are driving the broader market, which leads to concentration concerns. However, if valuations are justified by earnings growth, then investors are right to be getting in, regardless of the elevated prices. Zoom in: Emons highlights more baskets of stocks with AI exposure are outperforming the Magnificent 7. That could indicate investor appetite for lesser-known AI plays like S.K. Hynix (up 50% this year) or Vertiv (up 17% this year), as the Magnificent 7 stocks become more expensive and aren't performing as well on a year-to-date return basis. As Axios Markets has reported, the AI supercycle ETF is up 23% year-to-date, versus the Magnificent 7 gaining 6.2% in the same timeframe. Yes, but: The OpenAI valuation could justify the prices of Magnificent 7 stocks with heavy AI exposure. Be smart: Tech stocks are historically overvalued at the beginning of a technological supercycle. If you worried about valuations, you would have missed every tech rally in history, according to Ives. The intrigue: OpenAI's employee stock sale also points to the increasingly delayed IPO process for startups. Employees used to stick around for a firm to go public. But that's taking longer and longer, and companies like OpenAI are finding new ways to reward employees in the interim.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Would you pay $600 for a lobster roll? This Iowa State Fair dish has gold, caviar, and Champagne
One of the most expensive dishes at the Iowa State Fair in 2024 brought a two-foot lobster roll to JR's SouthPork Ranch. The standalone restaurant on Rock Island Avenue knows how to bring the fun, gussied up in a chandelier overhead, pigs wearing cowboy hats and rhinestones, pink florals, and meals from breakfast through late nights of music on a stage that attracts in the crowds. That Connecticut-style lobster roll came in at $100, with fresh lobster dunked in clarified butter, served on a brioche roll. JR's SouthPork Ranch also offered shorter versions of the lobster roll at $31 for a 6-inch and $58 for a footlong. And they're back in 2025. If Brooks Reynolds, one of the owners of JR's SouthPork Ranch, has his say in the outrageous dishes coming to the fair, he would add his newest rendition of the High Roller lobster roll to that list. JR's SouthPork Ranch is once again pushing culinary boundaries at the 2025 Iowa State Fair with what may be the most extravagant fair food ever. This dish starts with a brioche roll painted in gold combined with duck fat before it's toasted on the griddle. A quarter pound of fresh Maine lobster fills the bun, that's then dressed in crème fraiche, and topped with Hackleback caviar, a sprig of dill, and flakes of gold. The price? $100. But wait, there's more extravagance waiting. Double that lobster roll and add a bottle of Dom Perignon for $600. Culinary director Heith Sheeley and executive chef Sarah Strong-Tuttle hope to surpass last year's sales of $225,000 in lobster rolls alone. Strong-Tuttle estimated they sold 300 of the two-foot versions in 2024, and it's returning this year. Last year, JR's went through 3,600 pounds of lobster tails and knuckles at the fair. After some flack on social media about the cost last year, the restaurant noted that most of the time, a big two-foot lobster roll is ordered for catering. If the Iowa State Fair vendor does not have a dish listed and approved by the fair, they cannot sell it. So the two-foot version is on the menu if people want to get it and split it. What's the history of JR's SouthPork Ranch? Co-owner Brooks Reynolds along with Carey and Corey Hansen of Greek House Chefs, who handle catering for sororities and fraternities nationwide and also happen to own Hansen's Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, won the contract for the former Diamond Jack's in 2020. After an extensive renovation that included a new kitchen, the outpost opened in 2021. They decorated it to the rafters with a wink and a nod to 'Dallas,' the long-running television drama featuring an oil tycoon family with J.R. Ewing at the helm. At SouthPork, the J and R stand for Jody and Rennie, Reynolds' parents. Reynolds also has the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest that celebrates all things pork as well. At SouthPork, a pun on the setting for 'Dallas' — Southfork Ranch, diners can find everything from bloody Marys and monkey bread in the morning to bacon mac and cheese with pickles and sidewinder fries for lunch and dinner. What's new at JR's SouthPork Ranch for 2025 Chicken Pickle Ranch Rocket on a Stick, $9: This dish was one of the top 11 items that competed in the Best New Fair Foods contest. This pickle-forward skewer stacks thick-cut sweet, dill, and garlic pickle slices chicken marinated in pickle brine and grilled chicken, all drizzled in a zesty ranch butter glaze. It gets a second coat of ranch butter glaze as it's served. More: These top three dishes compete for Best New Food at the 2025 Iowa State Fair Chicken waffle breakfast sandwich, $11: Before the Fairgrounds open at 8 a.m., JR's is making breakfast starting at 7 a.m. This year brings a Southern favorite to the menu with a chicken and waffle breakfast sandwich, with a twist. Last year, JR's introduced a pimento cheese spread, and that spread returns on the sandwich. For those who love maple syrup, that comes on the side. Lobster biscuits and gravy, $12: The breakfast favorite comes to the JR's menu with a lobster twist. 'This one I think I'm really excited about, because a lot of people want to get in on the whole lobster frenzy at the fair, but they don't exactly feel like dishing out the money for one of our lobster rolls. This is a way for them to still enjoy some fresh Maine lobster,' Strong-Tuttle said. The gravy has hints of garlic and lemon, with an ounce of lobster on top. 'We make sure to add an extra ounce of chunks of pieces of the knuckle and claw lobster to make sure you get that full, lobster experience, not just the flavor of it, but the visual of that as well,' she said. AE Party Dip Balls, $10: JR's introduced this dish in 2024, and it's making a comeback this year. This partnership with the local dairy vendor brings the nostalgic favorite, AE Party Dip, together with hash browns and potato chips for a walkable dish. You can order additional party dip on the side for $1. See the entire menu at Where to find JR's SouthPork Ranch Location: Rock Island Avenue, Des Moines Contact: Sign up for our dining newsletter, Table Talk DSM, which comes out on Wednesday mornings with all the latest news on restaurants and bars in the metro. You can sign up for free at If you see a new restaurant opening or a beloved place closing, send me some details at sstapleton@ Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@ This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: This $600 lobster roll at the Iowa State Fair comes with gold Solve the daily Crossword
