28170147
According to my sister Sandy, I developed a taste for gin and vermouth when I was about 2 or 3 when my chubby little hand would pluck the olives from my father’s dry martini.
While dining at Snackbar, a cocktail caught my eye: The Paris Manhattan ($10). Made with bourbon, St. Germain, which is a slightly sweet elderflower liquor, dry vermouth and bitters, the concoction is shaken, strained into a chilled glass and finished with a brandied cherry.
“People come here for the Paris Manhattan,” our server told me.
While Edward sipped a Bluecoat martini ($9), I went for the unusual. What a delight. I enjoyed this drink so much, the friendly barkeep shared the recipe with me.
Snackbar is a most romantic restaurant. This cozy gem is about the size of a shoebox, kitted out with soft lighting, a working fireplace and a hidden-alcove table for two, which is the perfect place to pop the question.
It’s a New American bistro with European and Asian influences. Edward and I needed a nibble to go with our drinks and shared the obviously homemade chicken liver pate ($10). It was about the size of a golf ball, but was shaped into a creamy-and-slightly-pink-inside pyramid. The requisite cornichons, a smear of whole grain Dijon, crispy homemade crostini, a dab of mache and tiny sweet red onion rings kept us content as we made our decisions.
Since it was a cold, blustery evening, soup was in order. White bean soup ($8) was French in every way. A mirepoix formed the base for the rich stock that was enhanced by chunks of duck confit and topped with fried sage leaves.
The scallop crudo ($9) was the spirit of late fall. A large, thinly sliced, dry diver scallop overlapped in a line on the plate. It was topped with pomegranate seeds and washed in a light sauce of Champagne and mint. I thought it needed a bit of acid and a squeeze of lemon did the trick. We asked for bread and, within a minute, a small, freshly sliced baguette arrived with soft butter.
Blustery nights call for rich food. We nixed the snapper and salmon and ordered the chicken ($22) and short rib ($18). Colleen, our server, knew every ingredient in each dish and told us how they were prepared.
The chicken was a triumph. I have never eaten a chicken dish like this in a restaurant. Colleen told us the organic, free-range bird is done sous-vide on the bone for lusty flavor. After the vacuum-sealed fowl was slowly cooked in its water bath, it was filled with fresh spinach and gently cooked in the oven to crisp the skin. It was the most tender, juicy chicken I have ever savored. My dinner arrived with small rounds of roasted fingerling potatoes and tangy cipollini. A drizzle of pan juices truly gilded the lily here.
The short rib was braised in the oven and removed from the bone. This strip of meat becomes tender as it cooks and I cut it with my fork. The beef was nestled on a bed of slightly crisp barley and included tender glazed baby carrots. It was enhanced by a reduced red wine sauce. Nutritious barley was a welcome change.
I immediately thought of Elvis when I spotted the fried apple pie ($7) on the dessert menu. Cubes of unpeeled Granny Smiths, tossed with cinnamon, were wrapped in phyllo and deep-fried. The sweet was presented with a currant crème anglaise and white plum sauce. I found it to be a bit sour, but Edward disagreed.
You would never know a recession was on, as Snackbar was nearly full. The small bar at the front of the restaurant was doing a lively business.
Snackbar was once Salt. It was known for tiny — emphasis on tiny — pretentious portions. Snackbar’s portions are a little bigger and we did not leave hungry.
Service was excellent. Two servers and an assistant kept the flow of the meal going without a hitch. Share plates appeared without asking, our flatware was changed throughout and my napkin was folded at my place when I returned from the restroom.
Two important acts of omission here: No one attacked us with a giant pepper mill and the “what type of water do you want.”
Three tips of the toque to Snackbar.
Snackbar
253 S. 20th St.
215-545-5655
www.snackbarltd.com
28170142
