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.

For a Special Occasion: The Fountain at The Four Seasons

The trend among Philadelphia restaurant openings today leans heavily toward gourmet pizza shops, food trucks and high-quality-yet-affordable eateries where jeans are always acceptable. Jacket-required, $$$$ restaurants may be on the way out, but recent experience tells us that there is still a time and place for the white tablecloth.

Case In Point

A few weeks ago we took our sister- and new brother-in-law to The Fountain at The Four Seasons as their wedding present. When it comes to family, spending time together over an outstanding meal beats out stainless steel cookware and fluffy towels any day. 

Sauteed jumbo sea scallop

We will disclose upfront that a good friend of ours is a veteran server at The Fountain so he'd been begging us to come for a long time. He provided generous pours of wine and ensured our service was A+ but we paid full price for our meal.

Also keep in mind that chef William DiStefano's five-course weekend tasting menu at The Fountain is $100 per person, plus $60 each for wine pairings, so we're talking about a big night out. 

This was an exquisite meal paired perfectly with wines that we would probably never have otherwise and service that really does make you feel like a million bucks. For the right and rare occasion, it's worth considering.