The Gist: http://www.monsurestaurant.com/
The Why: From Peter McAndrews and the folks behind Modo Mio and Paesano’s with a great location in the Italian Market and Brunch/Lunch Hours Wednesday to Sunday this one was a no brainer for me when planning the trip to Philadelphia. Borrowing from traditions and techniques far and wide with a menu both sweet, savory, familiar, and obscure the only question on making a reservation was what I would order since more than 75% of the menu looked divine.
The Reservation: A Cash Only BYO on a Wednesday at 1:00pm – I did not need a reservation, but I made one anyhow. During the course of my meal only two other tables were occupied, and between their seatings I was the only patron in the restaurant.
The Space: Small and cramped with hard-wood floors, hard wood chairs, and multi-colored plates with blue tablecloths and rustic drapes plus homey wall decorations and knick-knacks the best way I can describe Monsu is like dining at a friend’s house – or perhaps that of your Italian Grandparents.
Service: As you might imagine, being the only guest dining at the restaurant for the majority of the afternoon I was well attended to. Seated across from the coffee area with a direct view of the kitchen the skeleton crew of two chefs and one hostess/server/busser was friendly, efficient, and fun – everyone smiling, chatting, and stopping by at one point or another to see how I was enjoying the food.
The Food: Water, Bread Service, One Appetizer, One Main, One Dessert.
Focaccia with Eggplant Olive Caponatta: Much like at Modo Mio and Paesano’s, the team at Mosu bakes some superb bread and loaded with olive oil and notes of rosemary this bread would have been fine on its own, but it was far better with the briny caponatta featuring fibrous eggplant, at least three types of olives, and pine nuts dredge in olive oil.
Gnocchi: Technically not an appetizer but ordered as one none the less, these dense little ricotta dumplings were a bit heavier than their traditional potato or semolina counterparts, but paired with picked jumbo lump crab, sliced pecorino cheese, crumbled pistachios, and tomato cream sauce it would have actually been difficult for a less hearty pasta to stand up to such heft. Smooth and creamy paired with crunchy and briny the crab unfortunately got a little lost in the mix, only showing its characteristic sweetness when a particularly large piece was present in a bite, but all things being equal this was still a really good plate of hearty pasta.
B’stilla: Game meat stuffed in crispy phyllo; McAndrews and team had me at hello. Rich and nutty, lean but certainly not dry this dish was essentially a rabbit hand pie buried beneath a mountain of sour green apple salad and pickled mushrooms resting atop light pistachio pesto – each flavor bright and bold, the acid and sweet acting as a foil to the heft of the protein while the pesto lingered on the finish.
Parfait: With no specific dessert menu aside from the chef’s whim, Monsu’s daily dessert that day was a glass of Angel food cake, caramelized bananas, and nutella whipped with ricotta topped off with crumbled house made biscotti. More or less a dish that could not fail I will note that all-in-all the angel food cake could have stood to be a bit more moist, but perhaps that was a result of my palate having shifted a bit after experiencing the pound cake from Stock’s earlier that morning.
The Verdict: Another winner from Chef McAndrews and a great chance to experience a truly unique French-slanted take on Italian Cuisine at a bargain basement price I only hope that the empty dining room during my visit was an anomaly; it would be a shame if more people weren’t experiencing such excellent cuisine an area where there are far too many spots slinging sub-par checkered tablecloth red-sauce Italian at tourists. Perhaps not as refined as the Vetri quartet I still contest that McAndrews’ spots are every bit as important to the Philadelphia culinary landscape and I’d gladly revisit any of them anytime.