Square Peg may be the perfect name for a restaurant featuring Matt Levin, a chef who's long been one of our most exciting cooks — but one who has also never quite fit in. From his debut splash at Moonlight, where his contemporary brilliance was a stark contrast against New Hope's touristy scene, to the luxury stratosphere of Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, where his cuisine soared but his edgy personality was at odds with the haute hotel (and its bureaucracy), Levin is a unique talent who always has sought to straddle the worlds of "fine" and "fun" dining, but struggled to find the right venue. His turn at Adsum gave a glimpse of his preferred more populist side — a vision for bar food at once sophisticated, playful, and indulgent that won critical acclaim. But it turned out not to be the sustainable neighborhood concept Queen Village really craved, as Tapestry, Adsum's less ambitious but thriving successor, can attest.
»Read story: Craig LaBan review: Square Peg
»Read story: Craig LaBan review: Square Peg
Comments (15)
Stunt cuisine. A good chef veering past clever into annoying.— richojr- Below average chef actually, Adsum sucked. His crazy dishes (which he steals from other people) are pitiful attempts to hide his lack of fine craftsmanship.— illsmith
- Cheesesteak pot pie sounds good.
— Ralph 1 - Am I the only one that finds it discouraging that Craig LaBan obviously has no idea what a Kandy Kake is?— tjinphilly
Comment removed.- Too bad that Marathon had to be kicked out to make way for SP.
Marathon is always reliable go-to place.
--— markie205 - I forget if it was only Craig LaBan or if other professional food writers/critics also raved about the fried chicken at Adsum.
Whatever, I went with a friend who hails from the Gulf Coast and was brought up eating food the quality of which was judged by New Orleans standards - particularly fried food.
The seemingly endless wait for service allowed us to observe more than one order of the acclaimed fried chicken being served to surrounding tables - the dish's appearance was ominous.
As a result I changed my mind and ordered something else but my friend gave it a try.
He couldn't get past the first few bites.— He Visto Todo - at this point it's almost impossible to know who Craig is, so I wouldn't be surprised if the wait staff wasn't trying too hard. might have even been the manager, pushing them to do so...In this new revolution of food in Philly, the competition is ten times more intense then it was just 5 years ago, and the staffing of all these places, just as tough. personally, I've lamented the lack of poutine on the city.— bingo
- In the print edition (It's been corrected here), poutine is referred to not once but twice in the text of the review as "pontine," although it is spelled correctly in the sidebar under the bells rating. I cannot believe Craig Laban would make such an error. It must be the result of a spell-checker with a dictionary that does not contain the word for the French Canadian artery-clogger and substituted an adjective meaning bridge-like or of the brain stem. Such mistakes will happen when newspapers lay off most of their copy desk.— Joseph Busler
- Thanks for the heads up. If that disgusting looking "Frito taco" is one of the best things on the menu, I know to steer clear of Square Peg. It looks like "kid food," as in food a little kid would prepare and then probably not eat because it's so gross. It's not as if Philly lacks restaurants that offer honest and tasty food, ffs.— eekeekeek
- I've eaten at Square Peg several times and have yet to have a bad dish. Granted, the service isn't the best in the city, but I've never had experiences like Leban pointed out. There are certain dishes I think are overpriced (like the taco in a bag), but most of the menu is in line with the city's comparable restaurants. I also think the beer list could be better. If "hit or miss" is where it lands I think the hits are definitely worth going back for...that's for sure. If I keep going, maybe one day I'll find a miss.— kreskin55
- at least the ingredients are locally sourced...from the wawa next door to SP— pauly1420
- The liberals with love it. So "progressive."— hotelguy
La primera ley de la contabilidad de los negocios rentables podría ser: “Mínima inversión, máxima rentabilidad”.
http://encuestaspagadasporinternet.org/negocios-rentables/
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners: