The other night I stepped foot in one of Philly’s long standing restaurants; The White Dog Cafe. This well-known landmark, when it opened in January of 1983, was way ahead of it’s time in terms of concept. It was the first restaurant in the area to embrace the sustainable, organic and local way of buying food to serve to customers, a concept now practiced widely by many of our city’s restaurants. It had been years since I had been to The White Dog in the University area of Philadelphia. As I walked up Sansom Street, I remembered the last time I was here. I was in my late teens, and with my Mother. The street immediately felt familiar although I noticed some additional restaurants on the block- The Bubble Lounge was not there on my last visit. This quaint part of Sansom Street seemed lively with a few folks at outdoor tables dining on this fair weathered November evening.
As I entered the large Victorian building, things looked almost the same ( looks like a new door was put in place) or at least as how I remembered it.
New Front Door
The warm glow of the place, the bar to the left…although I don’t recall the TVs being there. All the stools were taken like the night I went with Mom – that’s always a good sign. The bustle of diners hummed through each of the rooms and smells of fresh ingredients came wafting through the noise. I remembered sitting in the porch-like extension of the restaurant with my mother. I was vegetarian then, so I’m sure I ordered a fresh salad of some sort. Yes, I was vegetarian for 5 years believe it or not. My Mother ordered Salmon- it was all the rage then. Although some restaurants act like it is still the “in thing” today. My Mother and I chatted about mother and daughter things, disagreed on my future plans, and then after dinner, left with our organically filled bellies to take a peak in the neighboring store The Black Cat (owned by same owners as The White Dog Cafe at the time) to see what interesting items were for sale. It was cool and crisp that night. I remembered it clearly.
So now, about ten years later, here I was back in The White Dog. After being greeted by the young lovely hostesses (students I’m sure) and introduced to the new General Manager, Andrew Welch, I met up with a few friends in the back room, the Piano Parlor. There is another bar in this tiny room and a piano of course. I love that in this connection of brownstones there are so many rooms to sit in, that it seems like you could come here over and over again, and still not sit in the same space twice. But how perfect it was that I found myself being seated for dinner in that Porch room, although it looked different from how I remembered it. The wood looked bright, glossy and new, the windows looked recently replaced. I imagine, with a restaurant that is more than 25 years old, replacements are a must. Speaking of replacements or rather I should say changes, there has been quite a few here; in ownership, management, and in the kitchen.
Long time owner Judy Wicks who started the restaurant sold The White Dog Cafe to Restaurateur Marty Grims (owner of Moshulu, Du Jour, the newly opened Chew Man Chu as well as many other restaurants surrounding the Center City area). He since has installed General Manager Andrew Welch (who was recently at The Inn at Little Washington) to run the front of the house, and Executive Chef Mark Andelbradt to helm the basement Kitchen. Andelbradt believe it or not comes to Philly via his last gig in Las Vegas- and no, not as a competitor on Top Chef. For the last two years he was the Sous Chef/Executive Chef of Tao- the multi-level, multi-room, combo of a destination restaurant/exclusive dance club set in the Venetian Hotel and Casino. What a big change for Andelbradt no longer pumping out meals for 3000 people a night and working for a 70 Million dollar company. In fact he said the draw of coming to Philly to run The White Dog kitchen was to “cook clean, and simple, good food” and he wanted to really cook again not just oversee the food operations. “Sometimes it feels good to get all sweaty and dirty with the rest of the guys in the kitchen” he remarked. After watching episodes of The Next Iron Chef, it seems like sweat on a chef is a sure indication of fabulous food to come!
Through a four course tasting at the good ol’ barker, I found myself transported to the days of eating with my Mother. She was big into organics before the organic movement, before Whole Foods was even around. She shopped at Essene Market. She planted a garden in our backyard where she grew organic veggies and fruits. Yep, the White Dog was her kind of place. It’s been incredible to see how this restaurant has passed the test of time. It still has its charm, its commitment to environmental sustainability, and now a rich history as one of Philly’s local favorites.
Chef Mark has his new menu in place for the Fall. You’ll notice many comforts that belong on a restaurant menu when the weather begins to brush our checks with the slight sting of chilly air. I tasted the Chicken and Ricotta Ravioli which looked like a St. Patty’s Day treat with its airy sauce made of parsley and scallion. The earthy notes of wild mushrooms, and chopped black truffle pulled me deep into the Fall season. Maine Diver Scallops, usually a lighter dish which I almost never pair with chardonnay as it usually brings out an unpleasant fishiness, had a deep flavor profile from a brown butter caper sauce. It was this sauce and the saffron-cauliflower puree that created a lovely richness along with my first pleasant pairing of chardonnay and scallops! The chardonnay was produced by Parducci whose claim to fame is “America’s Greenest Winery” Located in Mendocino County CA, it is also the first U.S. carbon neutral winery. Speaking of carbon footprint reduction, The White Dog just recently implemented a high-tech water purification system that filters the water and can even carbonate it right on the premises. This new system thus eliminates the need to import and transport bottled water to the restaurant. This environmentally friendly water is of course, served in reusable bottles designed with the cute dog logo on the front. Just another way that The White Dog shows it’s commitment to the community to be conscience of Mother Earth.
Entrée selections offered thick and hearty choices. Braised Natural Beef Short Rib, cloaked in brussels sprout leaves sitting upon a silky smooth puree of celery root. Although I didn’t order the Short Rib, I kept eyeing my neighboring table’s plate, wishing I had. Instead I ordered the grilled Duroc Pork Chop. As beautifully presented as it was, the fun was taken out of it as it was pre-sliced. For me, since I don’t order meat often, I love taking a stab at big hunk of it and slicing off a perfect piece especially when there is a bone involved. It’s just pure simple fun. Not to mention if meat is sliced before the juices are reabsorbed back into the meat after cooking, the meat will be dry. And although there was plenty of tasty sticky cider jus to sop up, there was a dryness that detracted from the dish as a whole. The mini poached cider apples on this dish were the best part. I have to figure out how to make these at home. Pork and apples, although predictable, are always a wining combination. I’d highly recommend the Parducci Petit Sirah with the pork dish. I just loved the rich juiciness of this wine.
For some reason I’ve found desserts to be the weakest part of my restaurant experiences lately. Perhaps the abundance of gelato, ice cream and yogurt shops have left restaurants feeling there is no need to pay attention to the finale, but there are times when I get the craving to go out just for dessert. That’s right, not a whole meal, just dessert, and few places come to mind recently for sweet tooth satisfaction except Capogiro or Franklin Fountain. Well the sweets are not to be missed here, and if I lived in the area, I would definitely hit up The Dog for just dessert on one of my craving nights. I still can’t get that airy Pumpkin Cheesecake out of my mind. Paired with ginger ice cream, and our server Josh’s recommendation of the house made apple cider hot toddy, I found my self fully immersed in Fall flavors.
As I left that evening I noticed a feeling of sadness come over me. As I looked to my left I noticed that The Black Cat was no longer there, it had closed in the beginning of the summer. And Mom too, is no longer here, but she is with me in my many memories. One of which is fondly planted at this very historic restaurant. I’m sure The White Dog Café has created many memories for numerous people over the years. Memories never change, and all the things I loved about The White Dog haven’t either.
I’m looking forward to getting back to try the Apple Cider Pumpkin Bisque with lump crabmeat, sun-dried cranberries and toasted pumpkin seeds. I also want to give that Braised Short Rib a whirl. And while I’m at it, the side of Artichoke Bacon Risotto- yummy! To finish, deciding between pastry chef Jennifer Weckerle’s Key Lime Pie and Warm Cinnamon Spiced Donuts will be tough. Either way I know I’m having the Apple Cider Hot Toddy again. I’ll hopefully be sipping on it to the sound of live music which they schedule for Thursday and Friday nights.
Oh and did I mention the bar has a hotdog menu? Yeah, choose from 7 different kinds, all cleverly named after different dog breeds. This place still makes me smile.
The White Dog Cafe is located at 3420 Sansom St. Philadelphia PA 19104 215-386-9224
Filed under: Bites, Restaurant Reviews, Sips Tagged: | Andrew Welch Mark Andelbradt, Judy Wicks, Marty Grims, Philly Food, The White Dog, The White Dog Cafe Philadelphia, University area Philadelphia
It’s great that you took the time to write this post; it’s great to hear another’s point of view. I appreciate your work on this page, and I’ll revisit for more info.