MidAtlantic
3711 Market St; Science Center, ground flr; University City; 215.386.3711
The Dutch have given our region many things, from industrial advances in milling paper & flour, to culinary contributions like scrapple, to the most hilarious ovens ever. Paying homage to PA Dutch tradition with a modern flair, MidAtlantic, opening tomorrow.
Occupying a ground floor of University City's Science Center sprawl, MidAtlantic's a modern tap house serving PA Dutch-inspired dishes & cocktails, along with a slew of locally brewed beers in a bright, airy, 125-seat space where suspended bundles of fluorescent tubes collaborate with floor-to-almost ceiling windows to shed light throughout, from the community table of reclaimed pine to two metal-topped bars, all set amidst walls of multi-colored wood planks and large polished metal panels -- that'll offer more opinions on chromium than anyone really ever wants to hear. On the grub side, MA's slingin' old-school fare like Crab Louis w/ crab scrapple, fried clams & oysters, and Welsh rarebit fondue, as well as pots of steamed clams or lobster, four iterations of burgers/grilled chicken sandwiches (MidAtlantic w/ horseradish cheddar, homemade summer sausage; Special w/ slaw, Swiss & hot peppers), and entrées including roast pork w/ apple fritters & sauerkraut, and a casserole of broccoli steak & saffron noodles, which you will be just mad about, while it's simultaneously mad about you. For your imbibing pleasure, eight taps pour an all-local selection including PBC Walt Wit, Dock St. Rye IPA, and Flying Dog Barley Wine, while a 20-strong bottle/can list ranges from lighter options like Dale's Pale Ale and Cricket Hill East Coast Lager, to stouts like Bell's Kalamazoo, Boaks Monster Mash Russian Imperial, and Lancaster Milk -- the secret to Burt's gleaming smile and heavenly physique.
Along with daily prix fixe three-course dinners for $30 and nightly specials for half that, MA's also mixing specialty cocktails, from the Standpipe, an adult root beer float spiked with bourbon & Drambuie, to the brandy/Jamaican Rum-fueled Schuylkill Fish House Punch, which is exactly what you got last time you fired up the Dutch oven.
