South Philly Review

Restaurant Review

By Phyllis Stein-Novack

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Last month, a fellow member of Les Dames d'Escoffier -- a nonprofit organization for women in the food, wine and hospitality industries -- told me about a new restaurant called 707 Restaurant & Bar. It's next door to the fine Asian eatery Aqua, two doors down from the fabulous Jewish deli Kibitz and across the street from Jones, my favorite Steven Starr spot.

Mom, Edward and I arrived at about 5:30 p.m. and decided to eat in the front room because the back was too dark. The restaurant is kitted out in earthy tones of cream and brown and the front has banquettes and small round tables.

The menu features typical American fare with a few Jewish-deli twists. I have never seen pigs in a blanket on a menu and the Reuben spring rolls piqued my curiosity.

One of the best things about 707 was our waiter, an articulate man with a degree in literature who took good care of us. Edward and I had good-sized Bombay Sapphire martinis ($10) and listened about the cheese of the day. A cheese course has become popular in upscale restaurants, but I felt it was out of place at 707. A basket of ordinary rolls arrived with triangles of soft, salted butter.

We began with pigs in the blanket ($5), Reuben spring rolls ($7.50) and chicken drumsticks with honey ($5). Baked bite-sized hot dogs wrapped in flaky pastry are among my favorite treats from childhood; They were always served at Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs. Since our appetizers were plucked from the "bites" portion of the menu, I asked how many piggies we would get. Our server told us it was one hot dog cut into three pieces. Although they were OK and the pastry was nice, who would pay five bucks for a hot dog?

The Reubens fared better, with about five rolls made of corned beef, pastrami, Swiss and sauerkraut -- the classic ingredients. The wrappers were crispy and flaky and a small ramekin of good Russian dressing for dipping came with them.

Edward is not a fan of chicken wings, but 707's meaty drumsticks coated in a honey sauce were tender and delicious. Unfortunately, when I went to the ladies room to wash my hands of the stickiness, it had no light. There are restrooms downstairs, as well, but since the stairway was so dark, I nixed the idea.

Our dinner was downhill from the moment our entrées arrived. All three were too salty, but there were other problems to consider.

The smoked turkey salad ($14) was supposed to contain pine nuts and shaved Parmesan, but someone forgot to toss them in. A microscope was needed to detect the bits of smoked turkey. Still, the baby arugula with homemade beet dressing was fresh.

The grilled meatloaf ($15) consisted of a dried-out slab of overcooked beef that tasted like sawdust. There was a dollop of thyme gravy on the plate about the size of a 50-cent piece. The broccoli was cold, but the potatoes were OK.

My crab cakes ($19) were dry and dusty, as well. I liked the crunchy tops, but the crabmeat should have been creamy. The french fries were freshly made but the run-of-the-mill cole slaw was warm and the watery mayonnaise ran all over the plate.