Sometimes the name says it all when it comes to Philadelphia’s premier casual dining hit list, especially those found starring in our restaurant gastro pub-alooza. Monk’s Café, Center City’s Belgian beer haven, is one such example, a Euro-nod to the seminarian’s craft. The lovely-sounding Tria, which describes the art of fermentation as constant celebration, is another. And then there’s the Standard Tap, Northern Liberties heady beer-meets-comfort-food mecca; it’s the one that pretty much started Philly’s gastro brew-ha-ha in the first place.
A simple mention of any one of these three famed restaurants and you pretty much know what you’re in for, even before you’ve walked through their front doors.
What then to make of Teresa’s Next Door?
Co-owners Michael Ellis and Andrew Dickerson, who took pubby pages from each of the aforementioned notables, are certainly going for understatement with what they’re calling the place adjoining their popular brick-oven Italian, Teresa’s Café, located in the heart of Wayne.
Other restaurateurs might try for something flashier, using descriptors that incorporate “authentic” and “Belgian” into the moniker, though this would hardly scratch the surface of what this eating-and-drinking spot is really all about.
Forget the name. Know that this two-year-old is where Ellis and Dickerson offer a vast, impressive list of beers to be had (26 on tap and more than 200 by the bottle), and blessedly, where the fare is totally comparable to those three Philly-side inspirations. And, unexpectedly, it’s where there’s also one hell of a wine list (and great cheeses!) to be had.
Walking into TND and your nose immediately detects wafts of wood smoke drifting about the place. Also in the air is smooth tunage playing from speakers, maybe some Grateful Dead to go with those fabulous provincial mussels or a quaff of tripel and a Jimmy Buffet chaser, perhaps.
On your right against the wall are a row of two-tops and cherry wood booths, about 50 seats in all, leading to the open kitchen framed by handsome slate brickwork. Therein the window, swarthy dark-haired gentlemen bustle and cook.
Underfoot is more polished slate. On your left is a blue stone granite bar. Behind it, on high shelves, like a glassy cascade, shimmers a plethora of drink ware—steins and flutes, pilsners and goblets—hundreds of proper vessels each waiting appropriately matching pours. Below that, the back bar is stocked with bottle after wine bottle, a stellar, well-thought-out selection of the stuff.
“If there’s something I want to impart about Teresa’s that people don’t seem to realize,” Dickerson will later say to me, “it’s that our wine selection is as good as our beer selection, and our markups are priced very well.”
Something’s missing from this bar scene though. You pick up on it immediately: No TV’s.
Dickerson grimaces at the thought. “Go to other places and everyone’s getting cramped necks, hypnotized by the closed captioning scrolling along. Here, we encourage conversation, not ESPN.”
In Philly, you’ll never go hungry or thirsty due to a lack of Belgian-based pubs and kitchens, which, seemingly, open once a week. The suburbs, sadly, are much slimmer with pickings: nary a mussel to be plucked, frites to dip or a cassoulet to fork into.
It’s all here at TND and more, hearty starters like those dark beer-dunked, chorizo-zesty moules served with a crispy nest of perfectly cooked frites and a scrumptious ramekin of chile-spiced remoulade for dipping. Buttery escargot is another hearty item, as is the traditional duck and pork terrine, studded with pistachios and served with cornichons, crusty bread and good ‘n grainy mustard.
There’s also a contingency of Mexican flavors blended into the Belgian/Franco/Brit menu, maybe not so surprisingly, since another glance at the open window shows that those stoves are staffed with south-of-the-border cooks. Thus, their influence is unmistakable. Crispy flautes, carnitas-filled tortillas and chipotle-creamed seared butterfish pescadoros all make an appearance next to the likes of overseas menu brethren such as bratwurst, croque monsieur and a cheddary tenderloin sandwich with Worcestershire demi on a long roll.
And then—modeled after the very fromage-centric Tria and all its fermented goodness—there’s a fine selection of cheeses: runny or pungent, aromatic or savory, they all go with the hoppy and viney pours served at Teresa’s.
If good food is half the equation and drink selection is another third, then it takes a savvy, well-trained staff to make it all complete. At TND, the crew knows its stuff and works hard to complement your meal with the right kind of sips and swirls.
I recognize a young manager named Drew, a guy who impressed me last year when he was bartending at the otherwise so-so McKenzie’s Brew House in Malvern.
Now, his hair is clipped, his pants are starched and he traded in a tight tee for tailored button-down. Drew and his easy demeanor fit in well here.
And so does Dickerson’s, who is an affable and assuring soul amid all the fine food and drink.
He’ll deftly guide me to a spectacularly hoppy American classic, Dogfish Head, which at this moment (Monday through Friday, between 4-6pm) is just $3 on draft. Wines are three bucks off as well during these happy hours.
Only the young ladies at the shared Café/TND hostess stand blow me off when I’m departing, a wee too busy chatting to look up when I wave goodbye and try a cheery “Happy New Year!”
Still, I can’t stop thinking about those extraordinary frites while knowing I’ve found a new favorite star along these otherwise Belgium-less barrens that are the ‘burbs.
Its name may not convey all that Teresa’s is about, though it’s a very tasteful next door worth entering, nonetheless.
Visit Teresa's Next Door
