Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange

If any lessons have been learned over the last few years of updated pickle boards, heritage grits, and back-to-roots Americana flavors, it is that anything in a skillet or mason jar will likely be a hot seller.

Splash the diners with whiskey cocktails and a list of obscure local brews. Serve them in a casual, kid-friendly space clad in the barn wood and steel of rustic-industrial chic. And there's the formula for a neighborhood mainstay, Philadelphia circa 2014.

My beet-resistant wife might even be persuaded to like the root: "They make it so easy to eat vegetables here," she said of the new Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange, dipping a carrot into a glass jar parfait of pureed white beans and pink beets.

Miracles can happen! In retrospect, all the elements that Marvin and Jessica Graaf have assembled for this replacement for the Wine Thief make so much sense for Mount Airy, including a B-side menu with vegetarian renditions of meat items from the front, it's amazing no one has already done it here.

The evolution of dining along Germantown Avenue has been a slow-moving, sometimes bumpy process. But Marvin is a Mount Airy resident who was mindful of the avenue's best existing assets, and deliberately created a concept with little overlap to the pizza-brewpub offerings at Earth Bread + Brewery or the more classic tavern fare at pubby McMenamin's.

With Jessica overseeing a solid bourbon-driven cocktail list (a prime focus here), friendly and outgoing young servers like Tim Davis, and chef Trevor Elliott crafting a menu of appealingly updated regional American comfort foods, CVGE hits a slightly more refined niche lacking on the avenue without overpricing the local crowd. Most every dish is under $20 a plate.

For $18, a slice of sustainably raised Verlasso salmon, nicely seared over buttery barley risotto studded with diced sweet potatoes, is one of the best fish bargains I've tasted in a while. A handsomely roasted acorn squash, brimming with flavorful red quinoa sparked by hazelnuts and cranberries, was one of several hearty seasonal salads that anchor the menu's starters. A hot skillet of Anson Mills grits came topped with tender shrimp, pickled cherry tomatoes, and house-made sausage, a satisfying $17 meal of Southern comfort.

There were a few off-skillets, like the par-fried chicken that arrived fully cooked but still cool in the center. A re-fired bird was hot enough, but the crust was bland, a flaw that should be remedied for a potential signature dish. The sides of mashed potatoes and kale, though, were well-liked.

The Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange, despite a few misses, is a solid step up in ambition for Germantown Avenue, as well as for Marvin. His Falls Taproom replaced the unfortunately named Buckets in East Falls with serious craft beers and house-made pub food, but is essentially still a bar. The Grain Exchange is cast more as a restaurant with a serious bar.

The handful of commercial wines are not inspiring. But the still-growing bourbon and rye list is substantial enough. With the exception of a completely botched Sazerac, the cocktails were mostly spot-on, from the house barrel-aged Manhattan with Woodford Reserve and Carpano Antica to the dusky sage notes and the Elijah Craig bourbon in the Honey Bear. CVGE's beer list, with nods to small locals (Other Farm, Doylestown, Pizza Boy, Neshaminy Creek) and national stars (Saint Somewhere, Nebraska, New Holland), more than holds its own.

As with any restaurant, though, long-term success depends on the kitchen. And Elliott, 33, an alum of Dettera, Cooper's, Zavino, and, coincidentally, Wine Thief that CVGE replaced, has started well.

Much of the menu is built on small-plate grazing, from the big sharing boards of pickled cauliflower, Tennessee country ham, and cheese to the fried pickles and mason jars packed with tart cherry tomatoes or a layered dip of pureed fennel, eggplant, and carrot.

There is a flip-side menu with vegetarian (but not always vegan) versions of meat dishes. But cooking seitan (buttermilk-fried with kale on a bun, or as buffalo wings) is not Elliott's strength.

There is already enough seasonal produce incorporated into the A-side - like a beautiful kale salad with almonds, dates, quinoa, and goat cheese in citrus vinaigrette - that there are options beyond mock meats.

Then again, that skillet of smoked Gouda mac-'n'-cheese hits another level with the rustic crunch of smoked bacon. So do the deep-fried brussels sprouts with bacon piled over a smear of irresistible pimento cheese spread. CVGE's burger, topped with tomato jam, bacon, and Cooper's sharp cheese, is also excellent - though I don't like the squishy, potato bun.

I would have preferred a better oyster than the Delaware Bay mollusks with the otherwise clever vodka ice shavings of a Bloody Mary granita. I had no issues, though, with the excellent scallops, seared over acorn squash puree with sweet-tart apple gastrique and smoky nuggets of Benton's bacon.

Homemade renditions of American classics serve smartly as dessert. My favorite: the huge, lusciously moist chocolate cake with raspberry lambic preserves, followed by a mason jar of butterscotch pudding, then a bubbling-hot crock of apple dumplings. They would have been splendid had they not been baked in Sprite, rendering them tooth-numbingly sweet.

When you already have a whiskey-splashed hit of cast-iron comfort on the table, a little sugar goes a long way.

CRESHEIM VALLEY GRAIN EXCHANGE

7152 Germantown Ave., 267-766-2502; on Facebook.

The owners of the Falls Taproom have stepped up to Germantown Avenue for this ambitious yet accessible addition to the Mount Airy dining scene. The whiskey-centric cocktails, strong bourbon list, and craft beers are a draw. But so are the outgoing service, rustic-industrial decor, and chef Trevor Elliott's appealing menu of regional American foods updated with a strong focus on vegetables and the inherent comfort of anything served in a mason jar or skillet.

MENU HIGHLIGHTS White bean and beet dip; pickled cherry tomatoes; layered roasted vegetable dip; acorn squash-quinoa salad; kale and grain salad; chicken and barley soup; farmhouse tasting board; fried pickles; charred brussels sprouts; smoked Gouda and bacon macaroni and cheese; farmhouse burger; turkey sandwich; pressed short rib sandwich; shrimp and grits; seared scallops; salmon; chocolate cake.

DRINKS An extensive whiskey list and cocktails are a primary focus here, with some nice originals (Honey Bear) and barrel-aged classics (a tasty Manhattan) to balance one seriously botched Sazerac. There are affordable wines, too, but a strong list of craft beers, with an emphasis on the smallest local producers (Neshaminy Creek, Pizza Boy, the Other Farm) is where to sip the best flavor values.

WEEKEND NOISE A buzzy 87 decibels, but somehow communication is still possible. (Ideal is 75 decibels or less.)

IF YOU GO Entire menu served Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, until 11 p.m.

Entrees, $11 to $22.

All major cards.

Reservations not accepted, but call-ahead list available within an hour of arrival.

Wheelchair accessible.

Public parking only, with large municipal lot located directly behind restaurant.EndText

claban@phillynews.com

@CraigLaBan

www.philly.com/craiglaban.