Alex Capasso, the chef-owner of the well-received (and sorely missed) BYOB Blackbird Dining Establishment in Collingswood, NJ, resurfaces this week in Center City with Crow & The Pitcher.

The just opened restaurant and bar fills the void on South 19th Street that was left vacant last year when the short-lived C19 went dark. With polished service, a decidedly American menu with deep French influences, eight taps and creative cocktails from bartendrix extraordinaire Bess Gulliver, the new Rittenhouse haunt brings an air of casual sophistication to the ordinarily buttoned-down neighborhood. And the opening comes just in time for the begining of outdoor dining and drinking season. 

Capasso’s ambitious menu maxes out at $25 with a brawny beef rib-eye. The constantly changing menu will regularly feature upwards of a dozen or so plates both large and small. Early intel from Zagat has things like confited and fried cock’s combs, and a large, egg yolk-stuffed ravioli that plays on carbonara in leading roles on the bill of fare. There’s also a serious cheese program that will have as many as 16 different types carefully curated by sous chef Amy Miller and displayed in a cheese cart from Le Bec-Fin that legendary chef Georges Perrier gave to Capasso.

As far as drinks go, those eight taps at the bar will pour a rotating selection of craft beers from near and far. One tap will be dedicated solely to cider. The temperature controlled wine cellar will house a collection of vintages priced to move, and some pricier bottles for those with deep pockets. Gulliver, who most recently was the grand poobah Stratus Lounge at Hotel Monaco, has an interesting combination of cocktails — some original and some classic — that she and the bar staff will mix using mostly housemade ingredients.

Crow & The Pitcher, 267 S. 19th St., 267-702-0059, www.crowandthepitcher.com

Photo: Crow & The Pitcher