Vernick Food & Drink

I had a family line dinner at Vernick--a pleasant 25 minute walk away from campus--last weekend and I've been itching to blog about it since then. Hands down, Vernick has to be my new favorite restaurant in Philly.

Amuse bouche

Sea urchin, warm scrambled eggs, shrimp butter

M had initially told us to be on the lookout for the infamous Vernick waiter with the handlebar mustache, but I completely forgot about him until this sea urchin dish was brought to us. We were all intensely mesmerized by its appearance when a voice came out of nowhere and exclaimed, "Did your waiter tell you that was time sensitive?"....I looked up, puzzled (time sensitive...who says that?!), only to find that the voice belonged to THE MUSTACHE MAN! So apparently, time sensitive in this case means that you need to eat this dish within 15 minutes or else the yogurt (the white cream you see) begins to spread and it won't taste as good. "Don't forget to dig your spoon in so you can get all the layers," he adds, before quickly disappearing, never to be found again. This makes me wonder if he just comes out when a sea urchin dish is brought to a table. Elusive mustache man.

Anyway, I digress. The sea urchin was DELICIOUS. It may sound like a pretty weird combination at first but the scrambled eggs were extremely fluffy, creamy, and perfectly complimented the sweet pieces of sea urchin. I love uni and this appetizer was just divine.

Beef tartare, fresh horseradish on toast

The beef tartare on toast is another popular Vernick dish. C loved it and we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was already sliced into three pieces. It may look tiny but the portion was pretty large and surprisingly filling.

Brussel sprouts with caramel
28 oz. dry aged bone-in strip loin, charred lettuce, lemon 

And finally, the star of the night. The brussel sprouts came close to ilili's version, which made me SO ecstatic. I finally found a piece of my favorite NY restaurant in Philly. C was the one who pointed it out on the menu because it had caramel on it and it was just the perfect amount of sweetness.

The bone-in strip loin was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. I haven't had steak THIS GOOD in a while (or meat...for that matter). As for the charred lettuce--I could eat a bucket-full. It was so flavorful.

Last but certainly not least...

Blueberry pie, vanilla gelato

The waiter had told us blueberries were going out of season soon, so in other words -- we made the right dessert choice. Everything on the menu looked so appealing but this was a standout because I read way too many good reviews about Vernick's blueberry pie. The crust was crumbly and firm but as you forked your way to the center, the pie got more and more moist and gooey. Perfectly tart and sweet, the pie was the best way to end the meal on a high note.

I now understand why it's so difficult to get reservations at Vernick -- every single dish that was placed on our table was top-notch. We loved it so much that we were already planning our next visit even before the bill got to our table.

Vernick Food & Drink
2031 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA