Vernick Food & Drink
One could spend some time unpacking exactly what it means for Vernick Food & Drink, chef Gregory Vernick’s eponymous Rittenhouse Square restaurant, to say that it “specializes in American cuisine.” Maybe it’s the whole corner of the menu dedicated to toasts—slabs of grilled Metropolitan Bakery sourdough mounted artfully with not-so-humble toppings like sweet Maryland crab meat and velvety chicken liver mousse. You might also see it in the far-flung “raw” offerings, where a bowl of custardy scrambled eggs topped with lobes of sea urchin plays nice with sparkling slivers of sea bream dotted with grilled jalapeño oil. Or maybe it’s the satisfyingly straightforward large-format dishes from the wood oven—a supremely juicy Amish chicken, a bruiser of a dry-aged steak, a whole fish perfumed with fennel and orange—that lend the menu a comforting, “something for everyone” quality, even in a spare, industrial space that doesn’t try to be cozy. Whatever it means, Vernick represents everything that we love about dining out in this country right now: Honest, compelling food made with great ingredients and cooked with genuine soul.
PRO TIP: We’re always happiest eating at the bar, but the back dining room is where you’ll get a view of the bustling open kitchen—just make sure to reserve well in advance if that’s your bliss.
THE DETAILS: Closed on Mondays, open for dinner every other night of the week. While food service doesn’t start until 5 p.m., the bar opens at 4:30 p.m., which is when you’ll want to arrive if you want to stake out a sans-reservation table.
