A tipster told Grub Street that 1601, the South Philly corner restaurant and bar at 10th and Tasker, was shut down by PLCB for operating with an expired liquor license. Its last Facebook update on March 7 states that due an “administrative glitch” with the state’s liquor control organization, the bar would “be closed for the next several days,” and that the owners were close to “resolving the snafu.” Last night it remained dark. Calls to the bar and PLCB failed to turn up any more information today. With truffled French fries, an ambitious beer and wine selection and pretty decent cocktails, 1601 was something of a trail blazer long before Pub on Passyunk East, Cantina Los Caballitos, Lucky 13 and other newcomers helped transform East Passyunk Ave. into a thriving hip restaurant row. So it’s kind of drag to see it closed.
