The
outside is sleek and dark and mysterious looking. The space is the former home
of Foot Locker, interestingly enough, but they've done a total gut of the
interior. It's got a huge central
kitchen with counter space to watch the action.
Warm wooden tables soften the
stark ceiling and hard lines of the interior. You are surrounded by chalkboard
paint walls marked up with the menu, specials & drinks.
There is
a small bar at the front, but it's
really more of a table with some stools. We did see people eating there, but it
just looked awkward. This is not a place
to come for after work cocktails. This
is about dinner, and dinner only.
The drink
of the summer - the Negroni. I promise I'll switch back to Old Fashioned's once
the cold temperatures set in.
Instead
of bread, you get toasted rice crackers with sesame /air wafers. It's
thoughtful, but just tastes like you're eating sesame seeds. It looks more like
an ancient papyrus copy of the dead sea scrolls than an amuse bouche.
Raw diver
scallops floating in buttermilk, dusted with poppy seeds, painted with green
chili paste, white soy, and chives. Somewhere between sashimi and crudo - it
reminded me of an everything bagel with whitefish. Just an incredibly light and
subtle version.
A much
better take on the raw fish was the fluke with tonburi seeds, charred jalapeño
match sticks, and shaved celery ribbons. There is a just noticeable hint of heat from the jalapeno that brings
out this amazing flavor of the fluke. I've never had it raw before, but it
seems silly to cook it at all now.
The
tomato and bean salad sounded great on the menu, but didn't really deliver in
the bowl. I loved the charred bean
sprouts, but the Chinese sausage and dried scallops were nonexistent. The dried shrimp adds some punch, and the
squid was good but a strange addition. It seemed like a elaborate take on
rustic Chinese food that wasn't really necessary.
Probably
the strangest sounding item on the menu is the egg custard and caviar, and we
had some reservations about even ordering this.
Low and behold, it was probably the best thing on the table that night.
Siberian sturgeon caviar sits delicately atop a rich egg custard swimming in
brown butter, crispy potato bits and cauliflower mushroom. It is decadent beyond imagination, but not
overwhelming to the palate. Salty caviar plays off the luscious custard with it's subtle sweetness, the crunchy potato dances with the silky mushrooms. One of the most original dishes I've eaten all
year.
There are
a couple pastas on the menu - and they are good, but this is not their
specialty. The corn ravioli is a curious
Italian/Mexican hybrid of pasta pockets
with chorizo, white cheese, pickled and roasted onions, sour cream & lime.
I'd like this dish more if they dropped the ravioli concept and baked them into
empanadas, then cut down on the amount of sauce. The flavors are there for a
hit, just not the right texture.
A
much more traditional take was the hand torn pasta. Simple shreds of
pappardelle pasta, snail sausage (yes, you read that right) nuggets, garlicky,
crispy chicken skins, some shaved pecorino, and a puree of Italian parsley
drizzled over the top make this a very pretty dish. Strong flavors from the
snails and chicken skin are anything but overpowering - more of a nice texture
antithesis to the silky pasta strips.
A
beautiful piece of Wagyu chuck flap steak, drizzled with whole grain mustard,
was super tender and gorgeously marbled. Wagyu is a cheaper version of Kobe
that can be bred in the US. Chuck flap is a terrible name for a very tasty
section of cow that is similar to flank & skirt steak. I'd never have
thought to put a mustard sauce with beef, but it works well here. Grilled broccoli - you should try this on
your grill at home by the way - and chunks of fried potato make this easily the
most substantial dish on the 20 item menu.
A
caper brined piece of trout was flaky and moist - no doubt a result of it's
time in the brine. It sits atop a bed of
smoked potato salad, pepperoncini, crab, trout roe, & chive oil. I think
this dish might be a victim of an overzealous imagination. The trout on it's
own is great, but gets lost among the myriad of other ingredients.
On to
dessert, with the clear winner being the rocky road - chocolate pudding,
toasted marshmallow & candied walnuts. Each bite is sweet, salty, crunchy,
smoky.
The goat
cheese sorbet was decent - I really enjoyed the crumbled shortbread cookie. But
both of the desserts lacked visual appeal. No wow factor here. Two kind of
boring looking plates with good ingredients and flavors, but no love in the
dish.
Serpico
shows enormous potential in it's use of ingredients, particularly the raw
seafood dishes where they really shine. The menu right now lacks a real
cohesion or sense of purpose though. You can see all these whiffs of
inspiration swirling around, waiting to be transformed into the Sistine chapel
ceiling. Let's hope the chef doesn't put away his brushes any time soon. He's
got a great pallet to work from.
Food Baby Rating: Twins
Serpico
604 South
Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19147
215-925-3001
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