Stateside offers European-inspired food made with local products and American cocktails in a relaxing environment.
Within the past 50 years, many people have influenced the way Americans dine out and cook at home. James Beard and Julia Child had strong hands in championing what we now call American cuisine.
Both would have approved of every mouthful in each dish I sampled at Stateside, a two-month-old new American gastropub on East Passyunk Avenue. Under the direction of chef George Sabatino, the kitchen prepares an array of splendid fare sourced from local farms and purveyors.
Stateside is so all-American, you will not find Scotch whiskey or British gin. The staff is dedicated to serving cocktails prepared with small artisan batches of Bourbon and rye or a martini made with Bluecoat gin.
I like a Rob Roy, but since Stateside does not stock Scotch, the barkeep made me a perfect Manhattan made with Bullett Rye ($12), which I fell in love with on the first sip and nursed throughout dinner.
The manager advised Edward, Sandy and me there would be a 30-minute wait. The place was packed, so we found seats at the bar.
The atmosphere was a tad too dark for me to adequately describe the decor. However, I liked the exposed brick behind the bar and the hanging lights. It could have been a whitewashed room because the food is the star at Stateside.
The menu is mostly little plates, but has three entrées. We shared rabbit rillettes ($8), pork liver terrine ($11) and salt-roasted beets ($7).
I have eaten pork and duck rillettes in France and at The Four Seasons Hotel. Sabatino cooked the juicy rabbit in fat, seasoned it, pounded it into a rough paste, topped it with a slightly sweet, homemade pear conserve and scooped it into a cute small glass wide-mouthed jar. He topped the rillette with a sprig of microgreens and buttery croutons. Edward and I were into the rabbit.
I don’t think I have ever tasted pork liver. The terrine imparted a rich, nicely seasoned flavor and texture that Edward and I found most agreeable. Baguette and pickled vegetable slices were served with the pate. Sandy likes chicken liver pate but nixed a taste of this marvelous appetizer.
Red and yellow beets were rubbed with salt and roasted before they were cooled and diced. Sabatino trimmed the salad with microgreens and drizzled on a light dressing made with pomegranate seeds. Sandy adored it and so did I.
Our server told us happy hour runs until 7 p.m. if we wanted an order of buck-a-shuck oysters. We should have ordered two dozen of the tiny, salty glistening oysters harvested from the Pacific Northwest.
The bartender recommended a Montoya Zinfandel from California to pair with Edward's steak dinner. The three of us pronounced it rich and fruity — the perfect go-with for a rare steak.
Cap steak ($23) is akin to hanger steak but much more tender. Sabatino seared it perfectly rare, sliced it and topped it with a light creamy sauce made with in-house-smoked bone marrow. He surrounded the beef with a wine-infused pan juice reduction and placed a mound of Swiss chard on the plate. Even Sandy who does not care for rare beef inhaled her slice.
Sandy and I shared a bowl of tiny, steamed Manila clams ($16) with house-made Andouille sausage in a sauce so fine, I used spoon and polished it off. The clams married beautifully with the spiciness of the sausage. We also enjoyed Brussels sprouts with heady mushrooms ($7) with our entrées.
Service was as fine as you would get in an upscale, white-tablecloth restaurant. Two barkeeps gave us cloth napkins, changed our flatware for each course and kept an experienced eye on the entire bar, which was filled to capacity.
Stateside was a pleasant surprise. Where can you find an all-American list of spirits and a chef, who smokes his own ingredients and has assembled a menu that although European in inspiration, is made with local products?
Three extraordinary tips of the toque to Stateside. SPR
Stateside
1536 E. Passyunk Ave.
215-551-2500
statesidephilly.com
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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1. Marty Medals said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 10:09AM
“So lets look at Stateside.
AT this All American eatery they serve:
" rabbit rillettes, pork liver terrine, Baguette bread, chicken liver pate, Swiss chard, steamed Manila clams, Brussels sprouts and entrées, "
Yep, all American stuff!
Also, did Edward take that photo as he was falling down after drinking for 30 minutes at the bar?
I'll be at the Broad Street Diner eating all American French Fries with brown gravy!”
2. Anonymous said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 10:15AM
“The choices of food that were featured do not sound that appetizing. I guess it's in the eye of the eater, but rabbit & pork liver do not sound that appetizing for most people.”
3. Phyllis Stein-Novack said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 10:34AM
“James Beard and Julia Child spent time in Europe before they settled in America and helped to define what is American fare. American gastropub food is a new mix of French, Italian, Irish, English, German - just about every cuisine worldwide which makes up the tasty stew that is American cooking. Beard and Child would applaud the fact that Stateside uses LOCAL AMERCAIN ingredients. That's the point of this splendid place.”
4. Anonymous said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 11:10AM
“And what would Passyunk Ave be without some dick riding his bike on the sidewalk?”
5. Anonymous said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 11:26AM
“The comments made just prove that most readers of the South Philly Review are so ignorant. They have no ability or hunger to broaden their horizons and try something new and exciting. That's all good...they can walk right down the street to Stogie's, since that's probably more their speed.”
6. Neighbor said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 01:04PM
“"Sandy likes chicken liver pate but nixed a taste of this marvelous appetizer."
Larely Sandy seems to be an integral part of the tasting and therefore the review. How can she now turn down a "taste" of something, which would help contribute to a more credible review? I'm sure she loves getting mentioned every week; well we, who patronize your advertisers, would love her opinion in return.
BTW, thank you Phyllis for reviewing a South Philly place. Keep it up. I live close by this restaurant and remember the fast food stand that stood where the fountain now does. The irony of all these new expensive gourmet places is that now there is nowhere to go for a good old-fashioned hot dog or hoagie. People still live in the East Passyunk neighborhood and those who can't cook certainly can't be spending $23 for a steak every night.”
7. Sharon33 said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 01:23PM
“Three extraordinary tips of the toque to Stateside. SPR...
Aw, c'mon. The restaurants don't pay for your meal. The newspaper doesn't force you to give three toques to everybody. This is like giving an "A" to every student in class.
Change the system to five toques and make the good restaurants 3 out of 5. For example Melrose Diner = 2, Adobe Cafe = 3, Stateside = 4. Five toques is for extraordinary places, like the ones Craig LeBan is featuring this Sunday in the Inquirer.
Otherwise remove the ratings. They are currently not helpful.”
8. Anonymous said... on Feb 2, 2012 at 09:25PM
“neighbor, if you can't cook an old-fashioned hot dog something is definitely wrong. and also, the best hoagie on the east coast is a few blocks away, 10th and federal, chickies deli.
this place is something that south philadelphia has lacked for some time, its finally an elevation in the dining experience while still remaining cool and casual.
marty,”
9. Tim C. said... on Feb 3, 2012 at 06:28PM
“A really cool place. Haven't eaten here yet but looking forward to it soon. I have had drinks there several times and its a great place to grab a cocktail after dinner. They have a lot of intresting drinks choices as Stein alluded to. I had never had Rye, pretty solid substitute for Scotch and also had some killer Hawaiian vodka. Def check it out if you are in the neighborhood.”
10. Anonymous said... on Feb 3, 2012 at 07:49PM
“Tim, your input is appreciated. The content of your post really raises some red flags, though. To put it bluntly, you are well on your way to an alcohol dependence and a lower quality of life for you and your loved ones.
”
11. Marty Medals said... on Feb 4, 2012 at 11:53AM
“Chickies has the best hogies in South Philly.
Naturally Phyliss would not dare to review the place.
No liver hogies, no pate hogies, no duck confit hogies.
Also Edward would have to be on the wagon to eat there. No wine or booze!
I like the place. Three tips of the torque!
It is not as worn out as the Broad Street Diner but then again, what is?”
12. bobbiedobbs said... on Feb 4, 2012 at 07:14PM
“Ho hum, another top (three toque) rating.
Let's see
Craig Laban - gives a handful of places his top rating.
SN: EVERY place gets her "top" rating.
So who has credibility?
Calling out this non-critic.
Folks (Sharon's post above) are starting to notice.
BTW, I'd go to Broad St. dinner any day of the week, cleanliness of urinals nonewithstanding (thanks, Marty) over gentripukes like Stateside.”
13. South Philly girl said... on Feb 6, 2012 at 02:54PM
“This place was just okay. I just don't see myself spending much time there for a menu that was different but pricy for the neighborhood.
Love the comment someone made about the annoying bike rider on the sidewalk.”
14. Business Editor said... on Feb 6, 2012 at 10:26PM
“This place will die quicker than you can say disastropub. The neighborhood yuppies can't afford it. The neighborhood Old Italians can't adapt to it. The suburbanites can't find parking. The health nuts can only tolerate so much pork liver and brussel sprouts.”
15. Neighbor said... on Feb 8, 2012 at 10:21PM
“Ok. Now I get it. Sandy nixed the pork liver because it's PORK. Doh. Sometimes we non-Jews don't understand the assumptions being made.
Well, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs about life (and food). Here's mine: calling certain foods or processes "kosher" is akin to believing in the bogeyman. In the end, humans all over the world eat all sorts of food (monkey, rattlesnake, whatever) and live to tell about it. Modifying your behavior to follow an ill-informed tradition is just being superstitious.
Whatever floats your boat, Sandy.”
16. Marty Medals said... on Feb 9, 2012 at 09:04AM
“Dear Neighbor,
Your comments about Kosher food are very close to being anti-semetic.
Every belief system in the world has areas that could be considered "superstitious". Perhaps the review could start a religion column like this resturant column where each week a reviewer could visit a religious place and then make comments about it.
The fact is that sometimes we Americans do not understand how desperate people in other parts of the world are in trying to get enought to eat to survive.”
17. Anonymous said... on Feb 9, 2012 at 11:53AM
“I think I enjoy the comments on Phyllis's articles as much as the articles.”
18. Dickinson said... on Feb 9, 2012 at 05:55PM
“Nice photo, Bezanis. Couldn't even bother getting out of your car to take the shot?”