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Last year during the restaurant wars segment of “Top Chef,” chef Anthony Bourdain told the winning team he wished their restaurant would pop up in his neighborhood.
After dinner and Sunday brunch at the delightful Kennett, I wish it would leave Queen Village and pop up in Logan Square. I would be a regular.
Kennett opened Dec. 4 under the expert direction of executive chef Brian Ricci. He honed his culinary skills at Django, Supper and Pub & Kitchen. Ricci sources his ingredients from local farms, creating tasty dishes with in-season produce.
Edward and I settled into the backroom next to the wood-burning pizza oven. A perfect Rob Roy made with Johnny Walker Black ($11.50) was garnished with a sour cherry. Edward’s Bluecoat martini ($11) also was expertly made.
We began dinner with beets and feta ($8.50), an eye-appealing mix of tender red beets preserved in red wine vinegar and napped with chopped fresh mint, parsley, dill and chives. It was a cool and refreshing way to begin dinner.
Nothing is finer than an heirloom tomato salad ($9.50) when tomatoes are ripe and sweet. All they required was a sprinkling of salt. Lightly dressed and dusted with herbs, the tomatoes spoke for themselves.
I took a trip to Greece with the succulent lamb burger ($15). Ricci had the proper hand in using smoked paprika and tossing a cucumber slaw in yogurt with slightly salty capers, some shaved onion and purple cabbage redolent of cumin. I loved the pickle spear and homemade potato salad.
Edward went all-American with Kennett’s burger. Ricci used bone marrow in the ground beef mix and topped it with pickled onions, lettuce and a homemade anchovy mayonnaise. Edward opted for the spicy cucumber slaw.
I sipped a Victory Summer Love ($4.50)while Edward opted for the darker Dock Street Saison ($4.50).
If I see sticky toffee pudding ($8) on a dessert menu, I had to have it. It rated a 10. This satisfying dish was made with dates, a hint of sherry, caramel and cream. It was not too sweet and was deliciously satisfying. We also sampled blueberry pound cake ($7). A slab of slightly dry cake was topped with sweet blueberries and served with vanilla ice cream.
We returned to Kennett for Sunday brunch. I slid onto a high stool while Edward parked the car.
“Would you care for a glass of beer or wine?,” asked the friendly barkeep.
“I’ll have a bloody Mary,” I answered.
“That’s a great idea,” he said as he took a large jug of V8 juice from the fridge.
‘It’s a bit spicy, so I’ll give you a taste,’ he said.
I sipped the mix and said “that’s dreadful.”
But once he mixed the drink and served it over ice, garnished with a pickled string bean, giant green olives and wedges of lemon and lime the drink was perfect. It just needed some ice to settle down the heat.
I ordered the omelet ($14) prepared with house cured steelhead salmon. This is the French version of nova, eggs and onions. Small bits of salmon were mixed with sweet onions and nestled inside the omelet. It could have been puffier and there was a bit of brown on the outside, but the dish was creamy inside. I adored the roasted potatoes and crisp toast. My brunch arrived piping hot.
Edward’s English breakfast ($12.50) consisted of two fried eggs, locally raised roasted pork loin, butter beans, blood pudding and roasted tomatoes. The choice of pork loin in place of bacon, ham or sausages was unusual. The pork was tender, Edward was iffy on the pudding, but I liked it and the beans were light and creamy inside. His brunch came with honey wheat toast.
I wanted something sweet. Homemade deep chocolate almond bark ($6) arrived in a sundae glass around a generous portion of homemade black raspberry ice cream. With this in life, nothing is that bad.
Service at Kennett was first-rate. Ricci has amassed a fine staff and instinctively knows how to prepare fine food with top quality local ingredients.
Three tips of the toque to Kennett. SPR
Kennett
848 S. Seconnd St., at Christian
267-687-1426
http://kennettrestaurant.com
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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