Snack Bar!

[Holly Moore]

... I'm hoping the food will taste like NY...

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Grimey, gritty and bus fumey?

Edited June 11, 2007 by Holly Moore (log)

[Lisa1349]

Grimey, gritty and bus fumey?

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[philadining]

Things were hopping at snackbar on sunday. The place was pretty full, and there was a lot of buzz at one of the sidewalk tables where the next mayor was encamped. (Oh, wait, Michael Nutter still needs to get by the Republicans in the general election, but judging from the rock-star reception he was getting from passers-by, I think it's safe to say he's got it pretty well locked-up!)

But we were there for pork bellies, not pork belly politics, so we kept a respectful distance and stuffed ourselves silly.

They've added some really cool cocktails to the menu. I forget exactly what was in the one on the left, except that it involved Pimms... the one on the right was a basil lemonade, which was herby, sparkling, spiked with vodka, and totally refreshing.

The Octopus has undergone some small tweaks, and I like where it's ended up! It's grilled now, rather than the more gentle sous-vide it had been treated to, and while that's more a common prep around town, there's good reason for that: a slight char is such a great compliment to the flavors of the octopus. It's still assertive with smoked paprika, but now accompanied by olives and celery. The lemony purée remains, and good thing too, it's a perfect bright note among the dusky smokiness. This was really quite excellent.

I'm not sure I intellectually understand the combination of Asparagus and Escargot, but it worked, so I don't care! The snails were wonderfully tender, and while they might have benefitted from a bit more garlic, or something (their inherent flavor is pretty subtle on their own) the whole dish worked nicely together, with the slightly bitter char on the cool veggies, the earthiness of the warm snails, the richness of the crumbled egg.

We'd really been lured-in by the belly, so there was no resisting it. I liked the interplay of the sweet fruitiness of the melon, rhubarb and kumquat with the fatty richness of the pork, but we both felt like this dish needed something. I'm not sure what it is, maybe a salty component, or a spicy one? There was nothing at all wrong with the preparation, the quality was good, the crunch on the pork was nice, the fruits and vegetables were bright and refreshing, even the accompanying powder (brown butter maybe? something nutty...) was nice, but we still felt like the table needed one more leg.

We went back and forth a million times on this: are we hungry enough? Do we really want to order a steak at snackbar? Why in the world is there a steak on the menu here? Glad we succumbed to the pure hedonistic urge, this was actually the star of the meal. Hard to say why, except that it's a nice piece of beef, cooked properly (yes chef, they did get the temp right - see:)

Nothing too wacky here, just beautifully tender meat and an excellent horseradish-spiked potato salad, the essence of a nice summer dinner. OK, the super-concentrated wine essence smeared on the side was a little avant-garde. It had an edgy, biting sharpness that I wasn't sure I liked, but I kept finding myself dipping the meat in it, enjoying how it spurred classic sauce memories, rather than being a standard wine reduction itself...

All in all, good stuff, and I think the balance of small-plate experimentation and large-plate comfort is a smart one, especially for summertime on the square. Rumor is that more menu changes are on the way, so get on in there early and often, there's plenty to try!

Edited July 2, 2007 by philadining (log)

[NaFairge]

the red wine smear is syrah fluid gel.

octopus still sous vide, charred on the pick up.

mushroom soil on the pork belly.

steak looked a little sloppy, sorry about that guys! i guess that's what happens when the chef takes off for a night.

the pimm's cocktail is called a 'pimm's tea'. gin, pimms, lemon juice, cucumber and ginger ale.

try the 'charbandos' named after our dishwasher. tequila, hibiscus tea, pineapple juice, jalapeno. you would also love the cocoa nib/mace scented sweetbreads, carrot puree, french lentils, chocolate mint.

thanks for the feedback, p-dinin.

bangers and mash, mac and cheese, pork belly/scallop duo, pomme frites, all in in the works.

[philadining]

Cool, thanks for the details!

Don't bang on the cooks too bad about the presentation of the steak, it was cooked right and it tasted great, that's what we really care about! The octopus was beautifully tender, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it was still sous-vide. In any case, the char adds a great edge.

And jeeze I was looking at those sweetbreads, but got distracted by the steak. OK, must get back for an order of those and a Charbandos!

[Vadouvan]

Nice !

You rock Von Snack.

Those sweetbreads indeed look good.

[philadining]

Foobooz just posted a link to some Philly Mag teasers for the Best of Philly issue out soon. Snackbar chef Jonathan McDonald has been named best new chef.

Video Preview>> (the video at this link may change... I'm not sure it will always be this announcement, or even if this link will be active for long.)

Anyway, congrats!

Edited July 27, 2007 by philadining (log)

[kretch]

They've added some really cool cocktails to the menu.  I forget exactly what was in the one on the left, except that it involved Pimms... the one on the right was a basil lemonade, which was herby, sparkling, spiked with vodka, and totally refreshing.

Stopped in Saturday for after-dinner drinks. I'm not a cocktail drinker but I ordered the "Aloha Mr. Hand" (sake, watermelon, mint) simply on grounds of its brilliant name. Not bad, but not especially memorable. Second round, however, I went for the Pimms drink above. Absolutely phenomenal. Made me wonder why I don't get cocktails more often. So much more refreshing than a regular Pimms cup, which I used to drink begrudgingly when I worked in the UK. I ended up having two of them and could have easily gone for a third. The menu called it a "Pimms iced tea" and the ingredients are listed as Pimms, gin, ginger, and lemon. Garnish is diced cucumber. I asked the server what the recipe was; best I can recall (possibly wrong on the proportions) was a two count of Pimms, a smaller measure of gin, splash of ginger ale, and... I don't remember what he said about the lemon. Maybe lemon juice, but I'm guessing "lemon" in the British sense, meaning lemon-lime soda, ie, Sprite or 7-up. In any event, it was the best designer cocktail I've had, ever.

Tom

[kretch]

the pimm's cocktail is called a 'pimm's tea'. gin, pimms, lemon juice, cucumber and ginger ale.

Hm. I suppose I should have read through the thread before my post above.

Mind sharing the measures/proportions? I'd love to make this drink at home.

[townsend]

Congrats J-Mac!! Nice work!

Tod

[matthewj]

Good work Jonny, you looked so cute in the video. Congratulations

Edited July 31, 2007 by matthewj (log)

[NaFairge]

pimm's iced tea:

in a shaker with large ice cubes pour a 2 count gin, 4 count pimms, one half a lemon-juiced. shake and strain over diced cucumber in a martini glass or a rocks glass (chef's preference!). top with ginger ale.

it tastes like iced tea.....drinks like iced tea.....sneaks up on you like a long island iced tea!

[Andrew Fenton]

That's a great drink; I've made it twice over the last two evenings and it hit the spot. Most cocktails are either too strong, or too sweet for my taste, but this is just perfect for a hot summer evening.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, and I look forward to trying it at the restaurant soon!

[KitchenMom]

Can a vegetarian (eats fish and seafood) eat a full meal at snackbar? I'm looking for a place for Saturday night, and one of our group is a veggie. I haven't had a chance to eat there yet and am dying to, but I want to make sure it will work for everyone. Thanks!

[Holly Moore]

Dropped by Snack Bar for a 5 PM lunch. Actually a 4:48 PM lunch - they kindly bent their opening hours a bit.

There is something in my genetic structure that makes it impossible for me to grasp the concept of Small Plates. I still see small plates as appetizers meaning I need to order two dishes. I am a slow learner.

What stuck me today about the Snack Bar is that one can eat so well and so excitingly, so inexpensively. My first dish was gnocchi and beets with swiss chard, pistachios and goat cheese. The range of flavor is wild. The gnocchi - light and perfectly cooked. The swiss chard, pistachios and goat cheese - an incredible blend. Each time my fork scooped up a pistachio hidden under the gnocchi - surprise and glee.

All this for only $12.

Could have stopped there. Might have if it wasn't for those three letters that go so well together, B, L & T. Snack Bar's version, pork belly, arugula and heirloom tomatoes. Goat cheese smeared like mayonnaise.

Taste - how can pork belly, arugula, heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese not taste wonderful? It did.

But I've got a thing about sandwiches, especially sandwiches with bread on the top and bottom. They should be eatable as a sandwich. This wasn't. Couldn't get my mouth around it and after a couple of attempts, it started to break apart in my hands.

The presentation is impressive. But I would like this better if served open faced with a single slice of bread. And maybe the bread toasted a bit more - or maybe not at all if that would make it less crumbly.

One time, outside of the Prague, I dined in a restaurant where they were rearranging the large fish tank right next to me. A lot of fun to watch. This time, I got to see the large flower display sitting on the bar rearranged. Impressive. First step was to carry a vase the height of my friend Nadine back to the kitchen for a change of water. Precarious, but attentively and skillfully managed. Then, even taller flowers arranged in the vase, one at a time. A great floor show. They don't pay that florist enough. Actually, they probably do.

With the exception one too many slices of bread, a perfect late lunch.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Holly Moore (log)

[philadining]

Can a vegetarian (eats fish and seafood) eat a full meal at snackbar?  I'm looking for a place for Saturday night, and one of our group is a veggie.  I haven't had a chance to eat there yet and am dying to, but I want to make sure it will work for everyone. Thanks!

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The short answer is yes. Even a fairly strict vegetarian will find things to eat at snackbar, although practically-speaking, the menu's just not all that huge, there might not be lots of choices. But add-in fish and seafood and there's no problem at all.

I haven't seen the newest menu, with the items that Holly posted, but through all of the menu iterations there have been plenty of meat-free dishes. That gnocchi looks great...

The exact preparations change enough that I'd recommend asking if it's an issue, but I've noticed several items on the various menus that were what I've come to think of as "incidentally vegan," dishes that weren't constructed with those restrictions in mind, but just so happen to have no meat or dairy, or animal products of any kind.

[NaFairge]

vegetarians can throw down big time at snackbar. just ask.

[lfabio2007]

We were at Snack Bar on Sunday, after seeing the king Tut exhibition. I hate to always be the guy who complains but.. I wish I had come here before they had 'adapted' their menu. The food was good, no doubt about it. The corn soup was very interesting, my hamachi crudo, if a little disconnected, was good, the lamb with braised lentils worthy of praise, so were the scallops. The tres leches genoise was definitely good also.

But. But it felt like the chef's hand was being constrained into doing more 'meat and potatoes' stuff, as a poster above put it, when he could've been doing so much more - the chef's ability is very much not in discussion here and it seems like it was previously being put to better use. Even the pork belly, so often praised here, has been constrained into a 'BLT' that had nothing to do with the truly interesting renditions portrayed in the thread.

Plus, their new menu structure makes a 'small plates' kind of meal problematic at best - and I enjoy 'small plates' from before it was fashionable (after all, that's what tasting menus are about) - because the menu now has a solid traditional structure, effectively. Oh well. This is what I get for not going earlier, I guess.

Having said all this... would I go back? Sure. After having visited another half dozen places I have yet to go to. By contrast, I'll go to Osteria or its bigger brother any time - we actually just did last week.

[NaFairge]

snackbar will be offering a progressive tasting menu the first monday of each month, by reservation, beginning october 1st.

we want to get back to edgy side of cooking for those who are interested. we will also feature guest chefs from philadelphia, new york, south carolina and florida over the next year.

the details: price is $70 per person for the seven course menu. our new wine and beer list will be available in addition to the full bar but we would like to present the oppurtunity for bringing your own wines. the corkage fee is 20 per person but feel free to bring as many bottles as you would like.

the menu is available below. request reservations via email at jam@phillysnackbar.com. the staff will call you back the same day to confirm.

the menu.

hamachi crudo. campari caviar. passionfruit. preserved orange.

not-so-tossed salad. shiitake soil. toasted lager viniagrette.

chicken wing confit. eggplant. white chocolate-goat cheese.

poached black cod 'albufera'. pumpernickel. sour cherries.

lamb top-round (csv). chickpea yoghurt. minted consomme.

bleu des lacqueilles. port wine brulee. cocoa.

treacle pudding. shortbread. earl grey foam.

(no substitutions)

(no shellfish)

we are very excited to share our ideas with you. please feel free to post questions or comments and i will respond in the forum.

jonny mac

[philadining]

Love the idea of the tasting menus, the menu looks great!

Just to double check - corkage at $20 per person? I guess over the course of several wines during a dinner that's not too bad, and better than a per-bottle charge, but $80 corkage at a table for 4 is feeling daunting. Maybe not enough to dissuade me from doing the BYOB...

Anyway, looks exciting, thanks for doing it!

[Buckethead]

Just to double check - corkage at $20 per person?  I guess over the course of several wines during  a dinner that's not too bad, and better than a per-bottle charge, but $80 corkage at a table for 4 is feeling daunting. Maybe not enough to dissuade me from doing the BYOB...

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Yeah, I'd be interested to know if that's a typo or what. I've never heard of a corkage fee that high. If a party of two wants to split a bottle, you're talking $40 corkage for one bottle of wine. Unless it's just meant to deter people from bringing their own in the first place. In that case, it worked.

[Capaneus]

Just to double check - corkage at $20 per person?  I guess over the course of several wines during  a dinner that's not too bad, and better than a per-bottle charge, but $80 corkage at a table for 4 is feeling daunting. Maybe not enough to dissuade me from doing the BYOB...

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Yeah, I'd be interested to know if that's a typo or what. I've never heard of a corkage fee that high. If a party of two wants to split a bottle, you're talking $40 corkage for one bottle of wine. Unless it's just meant to deter people from bringing their own in the first place. In that case, it worked.

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I guess it depends: $25/bottle isn't unusual, but even that tends to be at places where the wine list is fairly high-end. Given the bottle prices at snackbar, it does feel pretty steep.

This is barely more than a guess, but I suspect that someone looked at how much per head a "normal"-drinking table would generate in liquor revenue, and called that a corkage fee. Not completely indefensible, but sort of defeats the purpose. And it places them very much at the upper end of these kinds of fees. When even Georges Perrier is allowing BYO nights, you would think the resistance across the board would lessen.

[matthewj]

Let's see. For 7 courses the total amount one would pay if they brought their wine would be 90 dollars. For seven courses. hmm. Seems like a really good deal for me. I mean the place is small so I bet it could be filled, with people who are willing to pay 90 for 7 courses and unlimited wines that one brings.

If I remember correctly 2 drinks from tria would cost and average of 12 13 dollars a glass. No one seems to be daunted You can get 5/12 glasses out of one bottle of wine. Suppossing no one brings Fetzer your in there. A person brings one bottle of wine for seven courses is just foolish.

Or maybe they can have a kegger and charge 5 dollars a solo cup. Hopefully they will have some beer pong table set up on they sidewalk.

Just a thought

Edited September 21, 2007 by matthewj (log)

[jelly]

With Ansill doing byob on Tuesday nights and on their Pif nights (no corkage fee -- and only a $15 corkage fee on all other nights), Gayle doing byob on Thursday nights (no corkage fee) , Sovalo and many other licensed restaurants doing byob with no corkage fee on certain nights....

This Monday night $20 pp corkage fee seems excessive. It will be interesting to see how many people go for it. I really don't think the per person part of it is all that generous. How many people drink more than one bottle (and on a Monday night!)?

[Tim Dolan]

Why not just add a wine pairing?