Adam Erace already shared the opening menu for the domestically inclined Stateside on Wednesday, but now we’ve got some food and interior shots of the cozy South Philly space (1536 E. Passyunk Ave.), which the owners of Green Eggs Café open to the public tomorrow at 5 p.m. after a fam/friends dry run tonight.
Set in a former dry cleaner that’s been vacant for 20-some-odd years, Stateside is a small operation, with seating split between two- and four-tops on the dining-room floor, four-person bar tables and a scattering of a dozen bar stools looking out at the Passyunk Fountain. (The restaurant, along with neighbors like Da Vinci and Izumi, will have seating out on the island when weather permits.) As you’ve probably surmised by the name, Green Eggers Stephen Slaughter and William Bonforte are focused on product created within the United States, though that doesn’t necessarily translate to hyperlocal — while the draft list is regional in nature, GM Anthony Gualtieri had a blast locating American craft spirits to bolster Jen Conley‘s straightaway cocktail list, sourcing everywhere from Wisconsin (the highly regarded Death’s Door) to Hawaii (organic Ocean Vodka, made on Maui with desalinated ocean water collected 3,000 feet below sea level).
Chef George Sabatino‘s approach to the menu has personality — the former Barbuzzo chef de cuisine has pieced together a thoughtful selection of pickles, cheeses and charcuterie from scratch (duck fat-poached duck sausage with sour cherry mustard; housemade andouille for steamed clams) ideal for another-round drinkers, plus taut rosters of plates small ($6-$12) and large ($16-$21). Here’s the whole thing. Pictured above, in order:
- House pickles — fennel/butternut squash with chili and orange zest; beets/red onion with coriander and bay leaf; carrots with ginger, cumin and honey; celery root, kohlrabi and cucumber
- Rabbit rillettes with local plum preserves (sickkkk)
- Beer-braised beef cheeks with cauliflower purée, roasted cauliflower, celery root and radish
- Charred broccolini with house-cured bacon and citrus breadcrumbs
- Fried housemade goat cheese (blend of cow and goat’s milks and half and half) over charred escarole in roasted tomato vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil and vincotto
