South Philly Review

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Hoof & Fin, which recently replaced Gayle restaurant at 617 S. Third St., is a BYOB that features samples of cuisine from Italy and South America.

Photo by Rob Torney

I sometimes wonder how chefs come up with a name for a new restaurant. A few weeks ago, someone on Twitter wrote Hoof & Fin is now open. It sounds like a disease. My insatiable curiosity was tweaked.

I invited my friend Dan, who has a delicious sense of humor and a deep appreciation for fine food and wine, to join me for dinner. The BYOB is housed in the former Gayle. The bare-bones interior features simple wood tables and chairs, hanging lights and artwork of sailboats and horses.

The menu is a mix of Italian/South-American dishes. Our server told us the owners are from Argentina. Dan brought a 2005 Trinitas Cellars Old Vine Cuvee from California — a rich blend of several grapes including Zinfandel — one of my favorites.

Hamachi ($10) was a glistening slice of immaculately raw fish bathed in a lime vinaigrette and enhanced by a touch of jalapeno pepper and creamy avocado. Dan and I do not like truly hot, spicy food, but the right touch of heat worked well in this appetizer.

Sweetbreads ($12) have been popping up on restaurant menus since last fall. These were nicely seasoned and simply grilled. A mound of baby greens were tossed in a light dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and fragrant thyme. Our server saw we were sharing each dish, so she kept the side dishes coming to our table. We also nibbled on slim, homemade crunchy breadsticks, which we dipped into a garlic mayonnaise concoction.

Pastas and risotto are made at Hoof & Fin. The small plate is $11 and the entrée portion is $18. We opted for two small plates. The gnocchi were prepared with fresh ricotta. The sauce was an absolute culinary bliss. It was made with truffle brown butter, sage, slightly salty capers and topped with shards of Grana Padano. These little pillows were light and exceptional. They melted in my mouth.

Warm weather may arrive in a month, so it’s a good idea to feast on short ribs before the heat waves hit us. Short ribs are a cold weather comfort food. The sauce for pappardelle, or ribbon pasta, was prepared with short ribs which were braised in Malbac. The wine added a rich flavor which Dan and I especially liked. The base for the sauce was putanesca, which was created by Italian “ladies of the evening” when they craved a light meal. It is made with tomatoes, capers, olives and anchovies. Although the sauce had capers and anchovies, it was not a bit salty.

From the entrées we selected short ribs with polenta ($18) and grilled scallops ($21). Both dishes were winners. Dan said the polenta was light — almost fluffy. The menu described it as creamy and spicy, which was accurate. The meaty short ribs were braised in the same Malbac and served in a pomodoro sauce. Not-at-all bitter broccoli rabe came with the entrée. The portion was so generous that much of Dan’s dinner was boxed to go.

The scallops were a triumph of flavor and texture. They were grilled and retained a bit of translucency, which means they were done to perfection. Items from the grill portion of the menu come with a choice of two sides. I selected the parsnip puree because they will soon go out of season and roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with almonds. I do not usually like pureed vegetables because it reminds me of baby food. But this one’s silken texture put a smile on my face. Since they were roasted, the Brussels sprouts had a slightly smoky flavor.

We shared a light, thin crepe ($6) filled with tre leche and juicy, ripe strawberries.

Service was just about as fine as it could be. Two servers kept Dan and I quite content.

Although Hoof & Fin’s dining room is long and narrow, the decibel level was fine. Dan and I enjoyed the fine fare, good conversation and a succession of tunes by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones playing softly through the sound system.

Three tips of the toque to Hoof & Fin.

Hoof & Fin
617 S. Third St. (just off South Street)
215-925-3070
BYOB