It was only a matter of time before a restaurant like Snackbar arrived in Philadelphia. After all, we’ve been circling this whole culinary avant-garde thing, this Spanish-born world of molecular gastronomy, for quite some time. Indeed, upon perusing the menu here, I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of inevitability: Finally, I thought, we’re thinking outside the box.
And even more important than all that is the simple fact that virtually everything I tried was damn tasty.
The menu is divided in categories, and within each one there are several items from which to choose. These are tapas-sized preparations, which means that you can taste a lot and not walk out of there stuffed. Recently, Ms. Martini and I found ourselves at Snackbar with another couple, taking full advantage of the small portions here: No matter how much we got, the logic went, there were enough people at the table to ensure that it was all eaten.
We were right.
The escargot skewers with butternut squash and walnuts ($9) were tender, and their natural earthiness was offset nicely-both texturally and in terms of flavor-by a sweet smear of pureed squash. A supremely tender block of chicken thigh ($10) was glazed with a slightly sweet black barbecue sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and plated with pureed daikon and black bean sprout.
Beef gyoza ($12) was an ingenious and witty take on classic Eastern European kreplach. In this case, shredded beef tongue was encased in a mustard dumpling, served in a perfectly piquant mustard sauce, given bass-note depth with the addition of tender black trumpet mushrooms, and brought to life with a cornichon: Call it haute-comfort cuisine.
Brussels and truffles ($9) was an in situ lesson in the benefits of trusting the quality of simply prepared ingredients, and repudiation to all who (wrongly) assume that this kind of cutting-edge cuisine is soulless.
Sliced Brussels sprouts, slivers of fresh black truffle, and Marcona almonds, were served plated with a Marcona almond foam. In conceiving and preparing this dish, chef Jonathan McDonald had rightfully made the decision to trust the flavors nature had given him. His job, in this case, at least, was merely to assemble them in such a way that they were all in balance. Both his restraint and his confident understanding made for one of the most memorable dishes of the evening.
I could go on: The pork belly with a slow poached egg in dashi ($11) was hearty winter food. The Taleggio polenta with tarragon and radicchio ($7) a vegetarian’s dream-and wonderful even to a passionate carnivore like me. The menu here is a veritable cornucopia of culinary possibilities.
We also ordered each of the four desserts. The tres leches brûlée with mate chino and a churro was as basic and as exciting as any dessert I’ve had recently. And the vanilla financier with white chocolate and a rose embodied the concept of elegant simplicity. The only disappointment, really, was the banana with curry powder and salty caramel. I found the flavors a bit too aggressive for my taste, and they seemed to lack the balanced subtlety of everything else I tried.
Banana aside, however, my meal at Snackbar was delicious, an exercise in finding the middle ground between the forward-thinking and the classic. Even the space itself strikes just the right mood, somewhere between lounge-style hip and unexpectedly comfortable. Much of this, I’d imagine, is because of the attention that owner Jonathan Makar shows all his guests-proof that a little bit of personal interaction goes a long way.
Despite all the food we ordered-and five glasses of wine and a few coffees between us-each couple only spent $89.22. That not only makes Snackbar one of the best deals in town, but also a great excuse to taste things you normally wouldn’t.
With the arrival of Snackbar, then, I have the feeling that Philadelphia has crossed some sort of culinary hurdle. Five years ago, a place like this couldn’t have existed here. So its presence feels like a harbinger of great-tasting things to come. I cannot recommend this little spot heartily enough. It seems be the first step in the next phase of this city’s restaurant odyssey, and we’re lucky to have it.
Snackbar, 253 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 215.545.5655; www.phillysnackbar.com
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AroundPhilly Staff
