MidAtlantic

Considering Gayle was one of our favorite places, we have been itching to give Daniel Stern's new place MidAtlantic a go. It is a different experience than Gayle. As a restaurant/tap room, MidAtlantic is not as intimate and as expensive as Gayle. Nonetheless both of us enjoyed and would recommend.

The decor is interesting with big windows and an open kitchen. Youthful vibe. There is a decent sized bar and small table seating along with a standard dining room. You can also sit at seats in front of the kitchen, which seems to be the new trend. It also looked like you can get private seating for a bigger party if desired. The service was good.

The one drawback is the location. It is at 37th and Market Street and seemed all alone. It is a desolate area with not much activity in the neighborhood on a Saturday night. There is really no reason to be in the area besides going to MidAtlantic. I would have liked to see Stern pick a location closer to Distrito and The Bridge, which is a nice area and another quality restaurant like MidAtlantic would only add to the scene.

The appetizers were delicious. We had the MidAtlantic pig "wings" and the rarebit fondue and soft pretzel. You have to get the pig wings. I guess you can call them the daniel stern take on wings. They are not spicy hot, but rather bbq flavor. The "wings" are basically pieces of pork fried.

The Stern take on scrapple is supposed to be really good, but we didn't have.

I had the burger, which was quite good. The burger at Village Whiskey is much better, but you definitely will not be disappointed. The roll was good and the burger was cooked perfectly. I would have another any time. The MA fries were good, but not the best. Above average for sure.

Kristy had the bean and potato salad. She labeled it ok. I think it was more poor selection than the salad not being good. The "salad" was more bean than salad and potato and the vinaigrette was not her style. That said, the couple next to us had the beet salad and that didnt look to good. So maybe stay away from the salad and stick to the real food.

The beer selection was excellent although I am tiring of every place having all the standard local brews (yards, sly fox, etc). Don't get me wrong I like all those beers, but could use a bit more variety. They did have Lionshead, which is rare. Good cheap beer.

Verdict. It is a place worth checking out. I am not itching to go back especially considering the location. It is isolated, hard to get a cab and not much else to do. I would certainly go more if it was in the neighborhood like Pub & Kitchen (a comparable place). MidAtlantic is certainly not Gayle, but it is a different type of place.

I'd go for the apps, beer, atmosphere and a quality tap room meal. And tell Stern to serve the Breakfast dessert!

Gayle

Phew! sorry for the major delay in our posts! Trying to get back at this cause I enjoy it, and I want to be able to Twitter about it :-)

HAVE to write about our experience at Gayle a few months ago. In two and a half years of living in Philly, it was, hands down, the best meal we have ever had. It's a tiny spot run by Daniel Stern off South Street on 3rd. I'd recommend getting reservations. One of my favorite things during our visit was that Daniel Stern actually came out of the kitchen and talked to us for a while. It wasn't crowded that night but still, a nice gesture, and he seemed like a nice guy.

On to the food... the menu changes often and is posted on the website, but don't let it fool you. When we went, I got Shepard's Pie and Bradd got "Pork n' Beans." Well, erase all thoughts that come to mind when you hear these dishes. Mine was an absolutely perfect small filet, with a thing on the side that was a hunk of mashed potato, vegetables, and beef wrapped in a perfectly crispy round of bacon. It's hard to do it justice but it was great. Bradd's Pork n' Beans was a dish of 4-5 different types/styles of pork and the greatest green beans I have ever tasted. So, moral is, call the waitress over and ask her to describe anything on the menu you are curious about cause THAT will determine what you get. Don't assume anything.

They are known for the Risotto Fingers appetizer, which was great. The mac n' cheese side was excellent too. And then for dessert, trust me - GET THE "BREAKFAST". It's like french toast and ice cream and complete heaven. Sounds weird but its sooooooooooo good.

That's my summary. Its hard to explain really what all the dishes were so just ask. I have faith that everything there must be great and I can't wait to go back!