Southwark

[vigna]

Stimulated by Craig LeBan's three bell review in this Sunday's Inquirer, I stopped by Southwark last night for a bar supper. As expected, the place was almost full, but there were a few seats at the beautiful wooden bar. I had two courses: a wonderful asparagus bisque with smoked salmon, and the "farmhouse plate," a great assortment of paté, cheeses, sliced meats, olives, and sliced fruit. The soup was a substantial bowl, rich and creamy, with delicious bits of the salmon ($6.00). the farmhouse plate (from the appetizer selections) had small pieces of four cheeses (an artisinal machengo, a double cream brie-like cheese, and two other nice cheeses whose names I don't recall), a slice of paté made with chicken and pistachios, slices of boar carpaccio, prosciutto, perhaps 15 olives of different varieties, hazlenut pieces, thinly sliced pears and apples, slices of toasted bread, and slices of spicy homemade bread. (I think this plate was $14.00). Really good! (The only negative for me: the very acidic large green olives.) Equally satisfying was the list of wines by the glass -- many selections from Sussex (the supplier associated with Moore Brothers). I had a glass of delicioius Ratzenberger riesling, followed by a glass of Patrick Rion pinot noir. Both priced under $7.00 per glass, if I remember correctly. All the wines by the glass looked interesting and were priced very fairly. Total bill without tip, but with tax, was $33.00, a very good deal for this level of food. I can't wait to try other items on the menu. The woman eating next to me had a luscious roasted half-chicken main course and her companion was raving about an oysters-on-the-half-shell appetizer. I was happy (at first) that no one was smoking at the bar, but unfortunately for me, a group of three smokers plopped down right next to me halfway through my meal. I think this place will be a food destination, and the owners should really consider a non-smoking policy (this may be a controversial idea in Philadelphia -- but is the law in New York!) Except for the smoke (and the resultant smoky smell on my clothing for the rest of the evening), I thought this was an outstanding place. And fond memories of Alouette, which used to be at this spot long ago, only enhanced my enjoyment. I'd be interested in the opinions of other Egulletiers on Southwark. Did LeBan get this right? I rarely think he does, but so far, I agree with him on this one.

Edited April 27, 2005 by vigna (log)

[mrbigjas]

thanks for the review, vigna--i'm going tomorrow night with some friends for dining out for life. while i'm not sure that a restaurant's performance should be judged on big nights like that, i still have high hopes.

[stephenc]

Oh wow. Southwark got three bells?

How do you pronouce this restaurant? South-wark? Suttherk, or Sutthuck? I've never been there, so I have no idea.

[Andrew Fenton]

I like Southwark, too, even though this review means it'll be a pain to get a table now. Here's an old thread about it.

Edited April 28, 2005 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[deprofundis]

Oh wow.  Southwark got three bells?

How do you pronouce this restaurant?  South-wark?  Suttherk, or Sutthuck?  I've never been there, so I have no idea.

←

I say south-wark.

[mrbigjas]

well, we went last night for dining out for life, and had a great time and a great meal.

good sign number one: when i ordered my martini 'not too dry' the bartender put in a good glug of vermouth. sweet.

good sign number two: sweetbreads on special for an appetizer. of course i got them. they were great--paired with a bread pudding of sorts and a cranberry-based sauce... man oh man

others got a delicious porcini fettucine--which was a bit light on the pasta, but that was fine because it meant waaaay more porcini.

i got the pork chop that craig laban raved about. it was excellent--maybe a leeeeetle sweet for my tastes, but then again i'm not a sweets lover. and it was MASSIVE. i took half of it home. that can be either good or bad, depending on what you think of giant pork chops. my wife got the halibut with a beet/grapefruit salad, which was good. the salad definitely complemented and even really outshined the relatively simply cooked fish. someone at our table got the shad and enjoyed it, although i didn't taste it.

also everything was very professionally and smoothly-run, and really fairly priced as well. good stuff. i'll be back, and probably sooner rather than later, assuming i'll still be able to get a reservation once word really gets out as to how good it is. maybe a restaurant will be able to survive on that corner for a change.

[Buckethead]

I went there last night, sat at a table in the bar area. The food was excellent, but the service was not. Our server didn't really seem interested in whether or not we wanted to eat or drink anything, we had to call him over just to order, let alone get a new drink or get the check, once we actually had to get up and walk over to him to get his attention. As a result, our meal took forever: we got there around 6:45, and didn't leave till 10. I like taking my time and all, but this was a little ridiculous. I am pretty sure it was just the one server though, a different server brought our desserts out and he was very nice. But enough about that:

There were three of us, one who had been there a few times before (I hadn't). We knew that the desserts were good, so we ordered on the light side: three small dishes and one large to split between us. We had the farmhouse plate, the smelts, and the conch beignets, and we split the roasted half-chicken large plate. The farmhouse plate was a mixed bag: the cheeses were good, especially the manchego (may have been romano, I can't tell them apart sometimes), but the bread was a bit soggy. The meats (prosciutto, a terrine, and a carpaccio of some delicious animal) were excellent, the olives were pucker-inducing. I had never had smelts before, and I doubt I ever will again. They're everything I don't like about fish. Same goes for the conch. My two comrades liked them a lot, though, so it's probably just me.

The roasted chicken was one of the best-prepared pieces of chicken I've ever had in my life, served on top of some kind of leafy greens and fava beans. There's not much to say about it, it was plain and simple in a way that a lot of other places strive for, but fail at. If you think that chicken is just a tasteless blank slate for other flavors to be laid on top of, this dish will dispel that.

Dessert was the best part. We had the butter cookies with fresh lemon curd, the pot de creme, and the goat's milk custard. I managed to fit cookie, curd, and chocolate on my spoon simultaneously, the result was tasty to me and revolting to my companions. As I got near the bottom of my pot de creme, I realized I may need a little-bitty spatula to get the last bits, but thought better of it. I did use my spoon to scrape it within an inch of its life, though.

I will definitely go back, I have to have the rest of the dessert menu. I suspect that the lackadaisical service was just the one server, next time I'll make reservations and sit in the dining area, where hopefully he won't be.

[serpentine]

I was the sole smelt-liking member of Buckethead's table. (Um, I'm going to try to ignore whatever kind of bad pun is lurking in that sentence.) I can't resist adding a few thoughts to his excellent review. I admit that smelts are likely a love or hate kind of thing. If the presentation of the whole fish before filleting is not your favorite part, skip 'em. I thought they were beautifully done, tasty, with perfectly crisp skin, but even I got tired of them before I could finish. It's a very generous portion for an starter, particularly as they are a stronger-tasting fish.

I like the beignets, though I preferred them on a previous visit with crab -- the crabmeat made a more delicate, and therefore more beignet-like beignet.

The goat milk panna cotta was awesome. It wouldn't be to everyone's taste, but these folks make my kind of deserts -- simple, well-conceived, and not super-sweet.

Our waiter was shockingly bad for an establishment where I've received such fine service in the past. I was embarrassed. I'm not much of a complainer, but honestly, I wish I'd said something. I agree that it wouldn't keep me from returning, though.

[mrbigjas]

I was the sole smelt-liking member of Buckethead's table. (Um, I'm going to try to ignore whatever kind of bad pun is lurking in that sentence.) I can't resist adding a few thoughts to his excellent review. I admit that smelts are likely a love or hate kind of thing. If the presentation of the whole fish before filleting is not your favorite part, skip 'em. I thought they were beautifully done, tasty, with perfectly crisp skin, but even I got tired of them before I could finish. It's a very generous portion for an starter, particularly as they are a stronger-tasting fish.

to me, that's definitely a sharing dish--get a plate for the table, and everyone gets a couple. unfortunately, if you're the only one who likes them, you're screwed.