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Small Tables, Big Flavors, and Seriously Thoughtful Wine Service
In December, we dined at Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia. JoAnn and I were there on SaratogaWine.com business, and took advantage of the opportunity to eat at a rising (about to get a Michelin Star) restaurant.
On entry, it has that below street level aesthetic. Ceilings are low (not ideal for my 6’4″, but very trendy), and the restaurant is subdivided into a warren of small and separate rooms. Overall, a cool vibe unless you are claustrophobic.
Our table was concerningly small as the menu is clearly aimed at “shares” in a Mediterranean style. I was not sure how that was going to work on a table that was somewhere around 4sqft, but the exceptional staff made it work flawlessly. This was my first moment of “aha, this is why Michelin noted them”.
Our server was a seasoned pro, and after we placed an early order for cocktails and dishes of flame beets and hiramasa the wine director visited our table. Michael Brakebill was the exact level of modern sommelier that I would have expected of this level of restaurant. He was a total wine nerd, and as an unapologetic wine nerd myself… that is a complement.
The wine list at Vernick is loaded with eclectic choices, and god bless them for it. We ordered a relatively expensive, and older single-vineyard Muscadet which Michael totally approved of. 5 minutes later he reappeared completely crestfallen as the 2020 we ordered was sold out and they only had the 2021. He was chilling down that vintage for us to try and in the meantime he poured us each a glass of a “mystery” white as an apology and as we had mentioned that we were both wine professionals he turned this into a guessing game. We put our heads together and decided it was a high quality white Burgundy, fairly young, probably from the south. It turned out to be a 2023 Marsannay Blanc, so we felt like we “won” that, and Michael got as much of a kick out of it as we did. Really smart move from a service standpoint. Oh, the Beets dish was amazing and JoAnn is now a Hiramasa super-fan. Both were an A.
The toasted chestnut tagliatelle with ragu was very good, but maybe more than we needed. The Mahi Mahi ceviche with chilis and mint was superb. The last dish, not in order, was a chilled duck and spaghetti squash that was made in the style of a Thai papaya salad… heavenly. Each dish was such a clever use of unexpected ingredients, we were delightfully overwhelmed! The chef has a flare for bringing 3-5 dramatic flavors together on the plate at the same time and conducting them like a maestro.
Michael brought us another treat during dessert, glasses of an early 1980’s Rivesaltes (I believe it was 1985). Liquid walnuts and brown sugar, excellent.
Overall, we left unable to eat another bite. The ragu was good, and the other 4 dishes were truly noteworthy. The service was excellent, and the wine service was exceptional. If they don’t earn a Michelin star next year, something has gone terribly wrong. Book a table, ask for Michael, you will not regret it.
