Why Vernick has the Friendliest Chef's Counter in Philadelphia

A recent dinner had Vernick Food & Drink hit us with the ultimate restaurant hat trick: excellent food from first bite to last, outstanding service and notably generous wine pours. All that and a last minute seat at the chef's counter? Everybody wins.

View from the chef's counter and our grilled romaine

Reservations at Vernick, located on Walnut St. in the Rittenhouse neighborhood, are highly recommended - we made ours several weeks in advance for a birthday, but didn't call until the day of to ask for chef's counter seats. We were surprised to see the counter wasn't packed all night, maybe people don't realize it's there? Or are we the outliers who enjoy it over a regular table?

Either way, it was a great experience watching the small army of cooks prepare almost everything served that night. Edward, who was on fish duty, introduced himself right away and was willing to answer questions or toss us fun facts throughout the evening.

We usually aren't too picky about service but Vernick's staff was extremely attentive and friendly, very knowledgeable on food and wine, keenly aware of how to portion out our over-sized order, and never more than a half step away to address any need.  It was the best service we've had in a long time, with possible exception of The Four Seasons.