http://www.supperphilly.com/default.asp
David's Thoughts: First, a quote:
"At Supper restaurant, Chef Mitch Prensky offers upscale modern American cuisine served in a beautiful, relaxed setting. Our urban farmhouse atmosphere is inviting and cozy. Our goal is to serve upscale food in a setting that breaks the traditional fine dining mold. Supper is a place to feel welcomed and relaxed while experiencing a great meal."
I think it is important to have a bit of context when your opening dish is pastel-colored deviled eggs. Which, for our excursion to Supper, was undeniably the case:
All jokes aside (and I'm sure Beth has an opinion on this dish), I enjoyed our deviled-egg starter. It is weird, and kinda fun, and pretty tasty. It is certainly not "upscale", and looks a bit more Easter-themed than I would prefer, but I wasn't displeased. However, I did have one criticism: serving half-egg portions makes the dish nearly impossible to share, and frankly feels a bit stingy.
Next up was the fried cauliflower, as recommended by Philly Mag (and also our waitress). Portion size, again, was unrealistic for splitting, and the cauliflower itself was pretty flavorless. The texture was interesting, and I enjoyed the accompanying mustard sauce.
Next, we embarked on my favorite culinary tour: the Charcuterie Plate. The spread was diverse and intense: a pate, a mousse, a house-made lamb pastrami, and a selection of seasonal pickled veggies to accompany the carnivorous collection.
I think it is important to mention that Beth and I visited Supper before Southwark, due to scheduling restrictions. Had it been the other way around, I would have been disappointed; Southwark's Farmouse Platter is definitely the better dish in my opinion. Why? Let me break it down for ya:
Cost: Supper's Charcuterie: $17. Southwark's Farmhouse: $15.
The spread: Charcuterie: 4 meats, no cheese, pickled veggies. Farmhouse: 4 meats, 4 cheeses, olives, nuts, bread, and fruits.
The journey: Beth and I devoured the Charcuterie pretty quickly- the veggies were too acidic and the meats went down fast. The Farmhouse literally extended our evening; we spent an hour working our way through that feast.
Overall: While the Charcuterie is a bit more adventurous on the red-meat end, I wasn't a big fan of the pastrami (though I was glad for trying it). The Farmhouse, as I wrote previously, altered my entire evening. Ultimately, this isn't a competition; the Farmhouse is simply better. I just like pro-con lists.
After all of our samplings, I was stuffed before my Burger arrived. The Supper Burger is not to be ignored. I am a big fan of the "judge a restaurant by it's burger" theory, and Supper doesn't disappoint. It is an 80/20 brisket composition topped with applewood smoked bacon, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and served with a side of duck-fat potatoes. At $14 it feels like a bargain (six dollars less than any other entree), and even the next day it was moist and delectable (the fries, however, were a dud). Truly a dynamite dish, and I would definitely order it again. Probably without all the apps. And probably at the bar. So ultimately, I'd come here for beer and a burger with a buddy, which I love; but this is not at all what Supper proposes to be- and I think I'd leave disappointed asking for more.
Beth's Thoughts:
(David: great post.)
Moving on.
We ruined it by going to Supper before Southwark. We should have maintained blogging order, but we failed. If I had eaten at Southwark first, Supper would have received an even less glowing review. To their advantage, we did go out of order and dined here first, without Southwark lingering on our palates.
I have often walked by Supper and was looking forward to finally going inside to eat. My foodie friends have always held it in high regard and I was excited to give it a try.
For those of you who have been following along from home, you know that my first impression of a restaurant comes from the wine, beer and cocktail menu. Supper did not disappoint when it came to the wine list - there were several interesting, moderately priced wines-by-the-glass available. Their wines-by-the-bottle list was somewhat limited, as was their beer list, so I decided to order a drink from their cocktail menu. I selected a Lou London, which was a combination of Maker’s Mark, ginger cognac, fresh orange juice, and citrus bitters. David ordered a glass of white wine. When my drink arrived, it tasted like orange juice with a hint of bourbon garnish. As I am not a fan of sweet drinks and David is less particular about these things, he was kind enough to relieve me of my poor selection and traded his glass of wine for my orange juice spritzer.
After spending some time studying the menu and, with the help of our waitress, planning our attack strategy, we decided on three appetizers and two main courses. Of the three appetizers, I enjoyed the deviled eggs the most. I thought the concept was quirky and interesting and the presentation was delightful. Being so close to Easter, I appreciated well-arranged colored eggs appearing on our table to kick off the meal. I do agree with David that it was difficult to share if both parties wanted to sample each egg, but I enjoyed this dish nonetheless.
The Cauliflower Special can best be described as a piece of cauliflower, breaded and fried. I felt as if I had seen this before - cauliflower tempura. I'm not quite sure why it was so "Special" but so be it. It was suggested by our waitress so we ordered it. I never need to order it again.
I love David's assessment of the Charcuterie vs. Southwark's Farmhouse Platter, so I am going to let that description stand. I do want to point out, however, that Supper does offer a Famhouse Platter including meats, cheeses and pickled vegetables, but it costs $32, which is more than double the price of Southwark's Farmhouse.
For my entree, I selected the Day Boad Scallops, as recommended by Philly Mag. The scallops themselves were excellent. They were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and overall a delight. I wished there were more than three. The rest of the dish was not quite so memorable.
My favorite element of the "Supper experience" was the decor. The modern design, clean lines and soothing wood tones immediantly put me at ease. It made me think of autumn. On my trip to the ladies room, which was on the second floor, I discovered the upstairs bar area. This space was closed on this particular Sunday night, but I could imagine meeting a friend there for a glass of wine on a more-croweded weekend night. Of course the cynical side of me wondered: If they hadn't spent so much on the decor, would the food prices be lower and more reflective of what you get for your money?
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