Abe Fisher is another brainchild of Micahel Solomonov, the now-famous creator of Zahav. While Zahav continues to be on the all the hot lists for best restaurants around the country, the new 16th and Sansom 50 seater is what is everyone is talking about around Philly. And with good reason. Combine the innovative twists on traditional delicatessen foods with a consistency from the kitchen that Zahav will never accomplish and you have one fascinating dinner.
With a friendly and attentive staff that seems to take the concept of teamwork to the next level, dinner was started off with excellent explanations on the menu and cocktails ordered. The Abe Fisher cocktail mixes the slightly disconcerting yet completely satisfying mix of gin and dill pickle juice. If you like that sort of thing then you will really like this.
We decided to go full throttle and get the Hungarian duck for dinner. Why not? With a Magyar at the table, it seemed appropriate to rise to this challenge they seemed to be asking to have. This must be ordered for the whole table and a serving is meant for two. It also comes with two “firsts” and two “seconds” as well as two desserts. We went light with the firsts and ordered asparagus and eggs-a light combo of the two with onion, almonds, and a light peppering of paprika. It was a nice starter, and as it turned out, very appropriately light. However, as nice as the dish looked, it was by far the most forgettable portion of the meal. This can be easily contrasted with our 2nd dish, the heirloom tomatoes. Served with boursin, pickled long hot peppers, and the genius idea of smoked walnuts, this dish would make tomato haters change their tune in one bite. The mixture of flavors was heavenly. The peppers were sour yet spicy and in no way overwhelming, but merely a spicy addition to the back of the throat. The tomatoes were sweet and just ripe enough. The icing on the cake was the boursin and the smoked walnuts. These combined with the other flavors instantly made me think of a cheeseburger in the best way possible (aka no grease). The result was nothing short of perfect. A light refreshing dish with something for everyone.
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| Heirloom tomato, boursin, pickled long hots, smoked walnuts |
Our second round started with Corned Pork Belly Reubens. Imagine your favorite deli reuben with the accoutrement of slaw, bread and melted swiss, but in a bite-size form with corned beef that just melts in your mouth. Our final second was also a ode to famous delis that included beef tongue, matzo and a fried egg to top it off.
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| Corned pork belly reubens |
The center piece of this dining adventure was the Hungarian duck. This comes as a dish for two with a whole duck breast. The only “Hungarian” characteristic of the dish comes from its preparation. The meat is aged with fresh paprika and other conventional spices. When ordered, it is pan-seared and served with house-made bread, black lentil kishka and frizzy lettuce. The duck is without a doubt the best duck I ever had. Immaculately prepared, the skin adds a little crunch and spice to the tender meat. The fat even melts in your mouth. 100% tender, there was nothing tough, greasy or chewy about this duck. The lentil kishka added some depth and earthiness to the dish.
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| Hungarian Duck |
Overall, Abe Fisher was a wonderful experience. While most places of this high quality would probably require more visits to get a true feel for, the limited menu and thoughtfulness that goes into everything has one feeling like every dish on the menu is given the same amount of time and expertise. While the teamwork of the staff is most certainly to be commended, if you are looking for someone to talk to about the food throughout your meal, this is not the place. Having a different person come to the table at each setting made the consistency of a conversation hard, something that irked me. I like to be able to get to know my server a bit and develop a trust with them to maybe even fish out some restaurant secrets such as where products are delivered from or how the staff feels about certain dishes. This is just a personal preference of mine. That being my only complaint, I leave this saying any place that brings in a crowd with the variety of hipsters, young couples (including those with babies), middle aged suits, and even Jewish grandmas is not a place to pass up.
