Ernesto’s 1521 Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

Italian Comfort

It had been almost a year since I had last visited Ernesto’s 1521 Café (5/26/05 to be exact) and its proximity to the Kimmel Center made it the perfect location for our family pre‑theater meal before the concert. We drove down to the Kimmel Center with Fred and Trudy, parked, and then set out for the brief one block walk to Ernesto’s. The pouring rain put a damper on the walk but the friendly greeting we received upon Ernesto’s quickly diffused the dreariness of the weather.

We were quickly seated and presented with menus. While browsing the menu, fond memories of the calamari fritti and osso buco that I had enjoyed during my last visit came back to me; in particular, the pomegranate molasses sauce and mango chutney that accompanied the calamari and the tenderness of the veal. I was also unfortunately reminded of the high noise level that pervades the dining room. The high ceiling and bare walls do little to dampen the chatter amongst the diners. Our server was a little tardy in taking our orders but the full dining room and low presence of servers were most likely the cause. As usual, service was friendly and relaxed throughout our meal.

We began with the calamari friiti with pomegranate molasses and mango chutney that I had previously enjoyed. I was disappointed this time with the heavy handed breading of the calamari but still very much enjoyed the pomegranate sauce and mango chutney that provided a nice fruity contrast to the fried calamari. My Dad was particularly impressed with the mango chutney. I greatly enjoyed the carpaccio di pesce di spada, thinly sliced marinated swordfish with olives and capers. The swordfish was extremely delicate and tender. The fresh olives, olive oil, and capers were light and refreshing. It was also impressed with the generous portion.

Mom enjoyed pollo sienese, chicken breast with porcini mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in a marsala wine sauce served with soft polenta. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The well‑seasoned cauliflower and broccoli was a pleasant surprise. Dad was thrilled with the torta di granchio, a crab cake with Dijon cream sauce served with soft polenta. The crab cake was full of fresh lump crab meat and light on filler. Furthermore, the well fried shell was nice and crisp. I was disappointed at the lack of variety of the sides since they were identical to the sides that accompanied the pollo siense. The polenta that came with both dishes was extremely disappointing. It was bland, lumpy, and gluey in viscosity. I enjoyed the Cioppino, a trtraditional Italian seafood stew with shrimp, scallops, clams and fresh fish served with toasted Italian bread. The stew was overflowing with a generous portion of fresh seafood. I enjoyed the fish variety which included some flounder and tuna. The tomato broth was light and refreshing and did not overpower the flavor of the seafood.

Overall, I recommend Ernesto’s 1521 Café. It is a cozy neighborhood restaurant that serves well prepared Italian fare. The friendly servers and warm room make for a relaxed and enjoyable meal. Its close proximity to the Avenue of the Arts makes Ernesto’s a perfect pre-theater restaurant.

The Facts:
Name: Ernesto’s Cafe
Address:
1521 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 546-1521
Website: http://www.ernestos1521.com
Cuisine: Italian

Price: Antipasto ($6-$9), Salads ($6-$8), Entrees ($16-$29), Pasta ($15-$18), Dessert ($6)

Little Fish (Philadelphia, PA)

Small and Mighty Seafood Splendor

I have always wanted to try out Little Fish yet somehow had never managed to make it over to the corner of 6^th and Catherine. It had all the makings of a restaurant that I love – small, intimate, BYOB, with an attentive chef / owner in the kitchen. The restaurant’s proximity to the Wachovia Center made it a perfect pre‑Coldplay concert stop. I picked Kendra up at Penn and headed up Washington Avenue towards South Philadelphia. We got lucky and quickly found a parking spot on the street. We grabbed the bottle of Syrah 1999 Lodi from Chateau Thomas Winery that I had picked up during my last trip to Bloomington, Indiana and headed over towards the restaurant.

The first word that came to both Kendra’s and my mind when we stepped into the restaurant was adorable. The dining room is extremely tiny and seats about 20 people, which makes it the smallest full service restaurant in Philadelphia to the best of my knowledge. The tiny, cramped room also showcases John Tiplitz’s minute open kitchen which occupies roughly one third of the room. Little Fish is a one man show with only one chef and one server assisting Chef Tiplitz.

We arrived slightly early yet were still seated immediately. Our server apologized for not being ready for us and informed us that she would be with us in a few minutes. While we sat and waited, we enjoyed two particularly interesting events. The first was the handwriting and hand posting of the menu on one of the walls of the restaurant. Our server handwrote the menu on easel‑sized paper with a magic marker and then clipped it to the wall adjacent to the door. The menu was changing even while she was writing it out due to a boisterous phone call between Chef Tiplitz and one of his fish purveyors. Chef was hollering into the phone that the quality of the tuna that he received was unacceptable. He then hollered over at our server and the tuna was quickly removed from the menu. The phone exchange was entertaining and lasted over five minutes. During that time, our server apologized for the yelling. I immediately cut her off her and told her that I wished all chefs cared as much about their ingredients as did Chef Tiplitz. At the conclusion of the call, Chef reluctantly put the tuna back on the menu but cautioned his assistant chef that they would have to carefully cut the fish, discarding any poor quality pieces in the process.

Once the phone call ended, our server approached our table and took our orders. Kendra and I decided to split the mussels red. We both enjoyed the fresh, fragrant mussels and the bowl was quickly vanquished. I was thrilled with my asparagus and scallop polenta tart with truffle oil. Sitting atop a very creamy and delicate polenta were two enormous scallops. Unlike typical scallops, these were wide and thin. They were unbelievably soft and simply melted in my mouth. The truffle oil was lightly applied and did not overpower the dish.

I ordered the striped marlin with piperade and polenta after an overwhelmingly positive recommendation from our server due to the high quality and rareness of the marlin. The dish did not disappoint. The marlin was perfectly prepared with a nicely seared exterior and a tender medium rare interior. The peppers and polenta perfectly accompanied the fish. I was struck by the simplicity and the flavors of the dish.

Kendra’s swordfish paillard with olive tapenade and tomato salad was stellar. The heavily pounded swordfish took on a completely different character due to its dramatically different texture. It was surprisingly tender and refreshing, a contrast to its normal thick, steak‑like composition. The accompanying tomato salad was simple, refreshing, and nicely offset the blackened swordfish.

The only course that did not thrill me was dessert. We were only presented with two choices and settled on the warm apple crisp with whipped cream. The dessert was straightforward and enjoyable but I had hoped for more given how much I had enjoyed our previous two courses. Nonetheless, a few cups of coffee brought closure to an excellent meal.

Overall, I highly recommend Little Fish. The excellently prepared seafood is extremely fresh and the constant presence of John Tiplitz ensures its consistency. Reasonable prices and the ability to BYOB mean that a meal here will not break the bank. This restaurant is the very definition of a small, intimate, romantic, Philadelphia BYOB neighborhood gem and should not be missed.

The Facts
Name: Little Fish
Address:
600 Catherine St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Phone: (215) 413-3464
Cuisine: New American, Seafood
Price: Appetizers ($7.00 – $10.50), Entrees ($18 - $28), Desserts ($7)