Petruce et al. is prepped and polished
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
STOKED: Jonathan Petruce manning the wood-fired oven at Petruce et al.
Neal Santos
Neal Santos
When we checked in with Petruce et al. back in February, the 11th and Walnut location was looking pretty bare. But a little more than a month later, the space is prepped, polished and easily one of the season’s most anticipated new restaurants. Broken down into small, medium and large plates, there are plenty of nods to early spring on Jonathan and Justin Petruce’s wood-fired opening menu. Bitter radicchio is paired with richly caramelized gjetost cheese, brown butter and grapefruit; a springy onion soup with rabbit, nettles and proveleta; and a dry-aged rib eye for two (or three) is matched with maitake mushrooms and young lettuces.
Over at the bar, general manager Tim Kweeder and beverage manager George Costa have assembled a concise drinks menu with a handful of cocktails both old school (think Benjamin Franklin’s Milk Punch) and new (Ponchos Lament with tequila, amaro Ramazzotti, agave nectar, cold-brewed coffee and mole bitters). Kweeder has hand-selected a wine list with natural red, white and sparkling (and sherry!) selections all available in 3- or 5-ounce pours or by the bottle, all comfortably priced at $60 or less, including lesser-seen bottles like Beaujolais blanc, Arneis and fizzy Lambrusco.
Petruce et al., 1121 Walnut St., 267-225-8232, petrucephilly.com.
