To begin with a disclosure, the location of Brick American Eatery in the more residential neighborhood of Rittenhouse Square swayed my opinion of the restaurant more favorably than had it been placed in an area surrounded by skyscrapers. Located at 1708 Lombard St., the restaurant is nestled in a picturesque neighborhood of suburban and urban qualities, featuring tree-lined streets with tight, cozy rows of brick townhomes. Needless to say, I was entranced by the area. Therefore, the walk to and from the restaurant seemed to muddle my critical eye — or rather, my palette. Upon reflection, the menu was impressive, offering innovative spins on classic (and sometimes boring) American cuisine. However, the food itself fell short.

Found at 1708 Lombard St., Brick American Eatery is located in a picturesque neighborhood on the outskirts of Rittenhouse Square. The eatery serves delectable twists on classic favorites, offering such delights as duck nachos and short rib mac and cheese.

I had never heard of this place — which is surprising because I spend most of my free time searching for new restaurants to try — until my friend discovered a Groupon deal for the restaurant (see, I’m not alone in my food-related research). Because we are both heavy eaters, my friend and I concentrate our dining endeavors on restaurants with notably large portions, with Yelp being our “fact checker.” In this way, the Groupon voucher became our golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory … of food. I will admit it here and now that we could not finish everything. While this may seem normal for a regular human being, she and I pride ourselves in being members of the “Clean Plate Club.”

Granted, we ordered a considerable amount of food that would challenge the greatest CPCers. To start, we split the duck nachos and short rib mac and cheese. I personally preferred the duck nachos because the dish had a protein rarely enjoyed in my diet, and it was topped off nicely with an avocado mousse (essentially guacamole), melted manchego cheese and a Mexican crema. What’s more is that the chips unexpectedly matched the iconic ones typically reserved to Mexican restaurants. In terms of the mac and cheese, I was definitely underwhelmed. My dining partner did not have any complaints, but I just found it to be too similar to what I could make at home. I must give the restaurant credit, however, for the interesting array of small plates, including the ones we tasted, as well as an apparent Asian trend with vegetable lo mein and tuna wontons.

Nevertheless, I was completely satisfied with the entree. My friend and I both ordered the lamb burger, though there were plenty of other options to choose from, including a variety of salads, pork tenderloin with peaches and strawberries, homemade ravioli in a pesto cream sauce, cornbread chicken, and crab cakes. Even so, I cannot resist a solid lamb burger. Although I have tried better (see my review of Resurrection Ale House), Brick American Eatery offered a satisfactory version with a spicy onion jam, manchego cheese and Worcestershire sauce.

By this point in the meal, we couldn’t take much more, which worked in our favor because we had nearly reached the value of our Groupon. I should note that the prices are not reasonable for a college student on a budget. To be honest, I’ll treat myself to an expensive meal once in a while if the food is worth it; but in this case, it is not worth the price unless you have a deal.

The post Brick American Eatery serves up a decadent twist on classic dishes appeared first on The Triangle.

Branzino Italian Ristorante — the first impression is really in the name. At least for me, Branzino has a certain flair to it, fancy but not unwelcoming. Mind you, this is disregarding the fact that “branzino” is actually a type of fish. Believe me, upon entering this place it becomes clear that Branzino (the restaurant) is the furthest thing from a stinky fish.

 Found on 261 S. 17th St. in the heart of Rittenhouse Sqaure, Branzino restaurant features fancified decor as well as delicious Italian dishes. In addition to baskets of warm bread and olive oil, the eatery serves up grilled calimari, mussels in a creamy sauce, and restaurant namesake Branzino Marinato.

Indeed, the decor is the first phase of fanciness that visitors will encounter during their dining experience there. For one, its location in the heart of Rittenhouse Square (261 S. 17th St.) is the first hint that the college kid in me is far from her territory. However, the overly lavish (poser) part of me felt right at home with the elegant draperies, rich golden accents and exquisite crystal chandelier overlooking the tables. This is only one of two dining rooms; there is a second one tucked away in the back, though it is typically reserved for larger parties.

While the design of the room was stunning, the size and layout were not as enjoyable. I sat at a table along the inner wall, which was close to the front window (an appreciated view) but even closer to the nearest table — I nearly sat in another woman’s lap trying to reach my seat.

However, once we were all situated with menus in hand, the lack of space became trivial. For one, food came before the menus, which is always an adequate distraction; and in this case, it was food not only worth waiting for but also worth violating a stranger for. As it goes in a self-respecting Italian place, we were first served warm bread with olive oil. I must say, too, that Branzino stepped up on its bread and oil fare, particularly with the oil; it was deliciously rich in flavor and texture but nicely balanced with a splash of balsamic vinaigrette and finished with a handful of olives. Needless to say, I asked for another basket of bread. But in my defense, the second helping was needed to sop up the leftover sauces from the appetizers, which simply could not go to waste.

Speaking of which, the appetizers (for the most part) were equally satisfying. I interject “for the most part” based on personal preference. To elaborate, I ordered the grilled calamari, which was tremendous, but the mussels were not. Again, I do not want to dissuade anyone from ordering the mussels, especially because the sauce was actually very tasty. I’m just not a fan of the slimy, goopy monsters in the first place . The meat was beautifully tender and didn’t taste too fishy, the best part being the creamy sauce accompanying it, which was loaded with fresh tomatoes and herbs. As I said before, not a drop of sauce was left behind from either dish.

In fact, the same can be said of the entrees; however, this is partly true because of the portion sizes. I typically eat more than my fair share of a meal — I don’t believe in leftovers, so I do what I like to call “clean-plating” (enough said) — so I realize that my concept of a portion size is about twice as large as the average healthy eater. Nevertheless, my three other dining partners agreed that there was not enough food. If anything, this could be taken as complimentary to Branzino for producing quality dishes that have customers wanting more. To be sure, I wanted more. I ordered the lumache pasta — if you’ve never heard of it (me neither), it’s a large snail shell-shaped pasta with lamb sausage and basil in a light, buttery sauce. In a word, it was delizioso.

Two of the other diners got the namesake Branzino Marinato. This is a whole grilled branzino fish that, to our pleasant surprise, is fileted tableside and topped with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, capers, white wine, lemon and fresh herbs, complemented with simple asparagus. While this sounds amazing, the dish underwhelmed me; the sauce seemed to mask any of the fish’s natural flavors. To finish the main courses on a good note, the final member of our group enjoyed pappardelle pasta covered in a hearty rabbit ragu with a side of rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes that were unexpectedly flavorful. Then, of course, we couldn’t help but indulge in some dessert, though we exercised self-restraint and split the bread pudding among all of us. It was tasty but not much more than that; there was nothing too extraordinary about it, just a nice belly-warming end to our meal.

The final verdict: Branzino is charming in appearance and staffed by pleasant servers who deliver upscale Italian food. Be that as it may, there was nothing outstanding about the restaurant, which was aggravated by the steep prices. All in all, I would suggest visiting this restaurant with your parents instead of using your own precious money.

The post Branzino dishes up classic Italian cuisine, although for a steep price appeared first on The Triangle.