Wow. What an
incredible meal at Pumpkin. Our monthly Sunday Supper Club ventured out this
past week to sample their $40 five course prix -fixe menu, and we were solidly
impressed. It's a small room and seating for large groups can be tough. Our
group of 10 ended up split at two different tables which wasn't ideal, but by
the time the desserts came around it had cleared out enough so that we were
able to move back and forth between the tables. The staff had no problem
letting us sit for an extended period sipping the last of our wine and catching
up with friends. Such a warm and cozy
interior, great for a chilly October night with hearty fall food.
The menu kicked off
with a bowl of sweet potato soup for everyone. Poured tableside over a little
cube of apple & a pool of honey and enriched with miso for a beautifully
rich broth. Just thick enough to be substantial but not grainy in the least. The
soup had such a depth of multiple flavors that changed and evolved with each
spoonful.
Next up was a choice
of two appetizers - escargot or coddled egg. The escargot was served out of its
shell, with a few pumpkin gnocchi, crisp chanterelle mushrooms, sweet pecans
and micro greens. There was an ethereal mushroom flavored foam dolloped
over the top that intensified the earthy flavors of the chanterelles and
escargot. Not chewy in the least, and probably the best escargot I've ever
had. Better even than Bistrot LaMinette.
 |
| escargot w/ gnocchi and chanterelles |
The coddled egg was
a bit of a mystery on the menu - none of us knew exactly what was coming out of
the kitchen on this one. Essentially it's an egg that is cooked in its shell in warm water for an extended period of time. Similar to a poached egg, but
much closer to raw and a more delicate flavor. They serve it on top of a
panisse (a fried chickpea pancake) with some crunchy bits of chorizo in between
and an intensely green sauce made from scallions. With the side of a fork you
cut through the coddled egg and the yolk spills out it's luscious treasure,
coating the panisse & chorizo with a golden layer of eggy richness. A quick
swipe of the scallion sauce for a counteractive tang and you can taste, smell,
and see the chef working his magic on your senses. The plate is beautifully
presented, with more of the micro greens topping the egg & panisse, looking
like a plate of art.
 |
| coddled egg over panisse |
The only dish I
wasn't crazy about was the "salad" of roasted parsnip, celery root,
grapefruit and pistachio. I'm not a huge
fan of grapefruit to begin with and the flavor became a little overwhelming
with the other subtle ingredients. Others at the table really liked it though,
so I can't completely write it off. Just not my thing.
 |
| roasted parsnip salad |
Onto the heart of
the batting order - entrées. Side note here - have you ever thought about that
word "entrée". In French it
means "entrance" and is supposed to be an entry to the meal, served
before the main course. Not an appetizer
but somewhere in the middle. What ever
happened to this course? Why do we call
our main course the entrée now? Most
people in this country don't even like the French, so why do we keep using that
word? I digress.
We had the choice of
either the albacore tuna or Duroc pork loin for our main course. You can guess
which one I picked. Luckily the wifey got the tuna so I was able to try both. A
nice light sear on the fish and perfectly seasoned it was at once flakey and
buttery. A wonderful dark ruby red in the center. Confit potatoes, slices of
fennel on the side and an great buerre noisette sauce drizzled over the
fish. In case you're wondering, buerre noisette is a fancy French term for
browned butter.
 |
| albacore tuna with confit potatoes & fennel |
The pork dish was
near on perfect. Slices of the incredibly succulent Duroc loin and a chunk of
fatty, sweet, meltingly tender pork belly on the side. The loin was cooked
perfectly - just barely pink in the middle so it doesn't dry out and a nice
crust of seasoning on the outer edges. Slice off a piece of the pork belly to
go with it and it's piggy heaven on a fork.
Oh, and let's not forget the quince sauce, savoy cabbage and cipollini
onions on the side. If you could serve autumn on a plate, it would look like
this.
 |
| duroc pork loin and belly |
Dessert was an
option of either a chocolate cake with blackberry sorbet or a terrine of
butterscotch pudding with rum raisins and ginger snap. The cake was decadently indulgent, the sorbet
melting ever so slightly and mixing with a scoop of crème fraiche that added a
fantastic lightness to the dense and luxuriant cake. The pudding was a bowl of
magic sprinkled with pixie dust. I wanted it to go on and on. Towards the bottom I started
taking those tiny little spoonful's to help make it last just a little longer.
Hints of caramel, molasses, rum and ginger floating across your tongue like a
ghost. Did I just taste that? I thought this was right up there with the budino
at Barbuzzo. Apparently Food Baby is a pudding kind of guy.
 |
| chocolate cake w/ blackberry sorbet |
 |
| butterscotch pudding |
I think what I was
most impressed with at Pumpkin was the artistry of the plates and attention to
detail of every ingredient. Each dish was more beautiful than the last. They
are truly appealing to all your senses, the goal of any fine dining experience.
Service was attentive but never intrusive -they left you to appreciate the food
on your own terms. And that food was some of the best we've had on our Sunday
Supper Club run. For $40 this is an incredible deal. You're not going to leave
having to loosen a button, but you will certainly leave with a contented smile
on your face.
Food Baby Rating: Triplets!!
Pumpkin
1713 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Tues-Sunday 5:30 - 10pm
BYO, Cash Only
No comments:
Post a Comment