South Philly Review

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North 3rd's mastermind Mark Bee brought his know-how - and chef Peter Dunmire - to work a bit of magic at the renovated and reopened Silk City.

By Phyllis Stein-Novack

Restaurant Reviewer

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I first met chef Peter Dunmire in 1999 at The Blue Angel, Stephen Starr's beautifully executed French brasserie on Chestnut Street. The place was drop-dead gorgeous and looked as if Starr went to Paris, dismantled a restaurant and brought it back to Philly. It was so authentic, he installed a bar of zinc since Parisian bars are, more often than not, fashioned from zinc. To this day, I do not know why the restaurant closed.

I was impressed by Dunmire's care in planning the menu and his brilliant use of fresh ingredients. I dined at Blue Angel on a number of occasions and named it the best new restaurant that year.

Dunmire re-surfaced at North 3rd, a new-American bistro in Northern Liberties. He left two months ago when Mark Bee, who worked with Dunmire at the spot, reopened the defunct Silk City, a once popular diner on Spring Garden Street.

Silk City was renovated and looks just like a diner should. There's a long Formica bar with shiny chrome stools and black leather seats. Booths are black and red leather -- red being "the" color for diner interiors.

Mom, Edward and I settled into a roomy booth. There's something for everyone on the menu with specials on a separate sheet of paper, meaning no droning recitation from the waitstaff. Bravo!

We began dinner with a cheese quesadilla ($8), duck and mushroom spring rolls ($7) and a salad of heirloom tomatoes ($9), a special since these delicious beauties are in season.

The quesadilla arrived piping hot, filled with melted cheese, kernels of roasted sweet corn and black beans. We liked the contrast of tastes and textures in the filling. A large side plate was filled with bits of fresh, chopped ripe red tomato, sour cream and homemade guacamole. Mom tasted a quesadilla a few years ago and she has been hooked ever since She says it's Mexican pizza.

The spring rolls were grease-free and crisp. Filling them with duck instead of the usual chicken, shrimp or beef was inspired. Duck and mushrooms are a heady marriage, indeed. Two sauces arrived with the spring rolls -- one a spicy Asian mustard, the other a sweet chili sauce. If mixed together, you get quite a sensation.

Branch Creek Farm supplied the red and deep yellow tomatoes that comprised the special (it supplies many of the local restaurants). Dunmire sliced them thick, topped them with fresh mozzarella, a bit of sweet red onion, chopped fresh fragrant basil and drizzled the salad with a reduction of balsamic vinegar and deep green extra-virgin olive oil. The appetizer, enjoyed with slices of grilled bread, was so satisfying it was a meal in itself.

We sipped mid-size martinis ($7) with our appetizer, which were fairly priced.

For our entr�es, Mom went straight to the daily menu and ordered meatloaf ($10). Edward and I looked to the specials and decided on pork loin ($18) and seared tuna ($18).