Vernick Food & Drink — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Vernick is everything everyone says it is and more. When you make reservations (months in advance) for one of the top restaurant in a major city, you have expectations. Vernick exceeded those.

First of all, the service is stellar - we honestly spent 1/3 of our dinner commenting on how on point everyone was. It was honestly like watching a well-orchestrated ballet. Everyone was right where they needed to be, exactly when they needed to be there.

When we walked in the door and "checked in" with the hostess, she immediately let us know our table wasn't ready just yet but that they had two seats available for us at the bar if we'd like to sit and enjoy a drink while we waited. When our table was ready, a bit earlier than expected, they carried our drinks up for us and transferred our tab. Impressive from the first second.

Then there is the food - we are self-proclaimed foodies and almost every bite wow'ed us. We honestly wished we had friends there just to share how good it all was!

We started off with the beef tartare and the striped jack. The striped jack was easily one of our favorite dishes of the night. The way the avocado and grapes played off of the jalapeno oil was perfection, sheer perfection. In fact, I may make my guac with grapes and jalapeno oil from now on (if I can figure it out). All of the flavors complimented the perfectly sliced striped jack in the most wonderful way. On the other hand, the beef tartare (one of their toasts) was average. I'm not sure if this is because we've had beef tartare plently of times before or if the striped jack just stole the show. I didn't not like it, it just wasn't as memorable as the other plate that came in that course.

Our next course was the highly recommended sea urchin with warm scrambled eggs. I had never heard of anything like this and the flavor profile was intense. This dish was very rich and decadent - I definitely recommend sharing - but everything layered so well. The combination of the scrambled eggs (which were light and fluffy with the most wonderful flavor from the shrimp butter they were cooked in) with the yogurt and sea urchin made every bite a sensation.

After our starters we moved to a small plate - the safe fazzoletti with duck prosciutto (+ apples and walnut pesto). Why has no one ever made me duck prosciutto before? The saltiness paired with the tart apples and nutty walnuts...More, please! The pasta, housemade, was perfectly light and balanced out the other flavors in the dish with its basil and sage filling.

Lastly, the wagyu beef ribs with hen of the woods. Wow. I tried the two sauces alone first and thought okay...then I tried the beef. It had a gorgeous, salty crust on it. It was borderline too salty, but not quite there (my husband, a somewhat salt fiend, thought it was perfect). The seasoning and cook on the beef was amazing. Then then you add the hen of the woods. Why haven't I been eating these everyday?! The mushrooms were the best I have ever had. THEN, it gets better, you combine a bit of everything and the sauces make so much more sense. They complimented the meat and 'shrooms like it was their job.

After our meal, the waitress surprised us with complimentary sparkling wine sine we were celebrating our 5th Anniversary - a lovely touch. And we finished with dessert, the chocolate birch panna cotta. This has aftertones of root beer in the most amazing way possible. I'm not a root beer drinker, not really a root beer fan, but this. This was chocolate birch perfection.

If you can get a reservation, go. It's well worth it. The service is sublime and the food is a true conversation...

Vernick is probably the most conflicted 4-star review I've ever given. There is absolutely no doubt that they serve great food with impeccable service in a wonderful space. However, for a special occasion dinner where we spent a lot of money, there were many small details in nearly every course that added up over the evening that frustrated us, especially considering that most dishes were on the verge of greatness. Despite some incredible moments that we loved, it did fall a bit short.

Our cocktails were fine, I enjoyed the "iris" as a walnut forward manhattan riff, though my wife's "jade tiger" tasted like a daquiri I could have easily made at home. We are also treated to an amuse-bouche of a tiny shot of butternut squash soup and a gougere. It was actually very baffling, as the soup was unremarkable and the gougere was dry and hollow/empty. It was fine, but we both agreed the meal would have been better if they simply had omitted it.

Fortunately things picked up nicely for the appetizers. Nearly every toast on the menu sounded amazing, and we ended up going with the foie gras which was beautifully rich and the grapes complemented the dish well. It was a bit clunky in its presentation as there was too much of each component overflowing and constantly falling off when trying to take a bite, but it was elevated and pleasant. The king salmon was solid with pear, lime crema, and basil, though again came across clunky with awkwardly torn herbs and odd cube chunks of pear.

The best, and simultaneously most frustrating app was the octopus. It was magnificently charred, and when you had a bite of the octopus with the pickled lemon and olive it was a perfect dish. Unfortunately, there not even remotely enough of the pickled component on the plate, meaning that two out of three bites were just lacked any acid and was just the octopus, which wasn't great on its own. It was somewhat emblematic of the entire experience - so close to being great if there had been just 15% more care and thought taken.

For the mains, I had the smoked duck breast, which was absolutely perfect in every way and is one of the top entrees I've had in the entire city. The duck was beautifully tender and the incredible rich pear mostarda was tangy and zesty. Underneath some nicely pickled cabbage were charred tropea onions that tied everything so well together. I strongly recommend this dish! Unfortunately, my wife's entree was a completely different story. The grilled sea bass's skin was so excessively charred that it completely overpowered any other flavor. Despite the fish itself being tender and flavorful, it was close to ruined and difficult to enjoy. We also ordered the roasted beets with ham and fig which my wife enjoyed.

Service was excellent and helpful, making recommendations and being attentive throughout the evening. Though we didn't end up ordering dessert beyond a glass of port, they were kind enough to bring over a tiny jelly candy with a candle on the plate to mark our special occasion which was thoughtful and appreciated.

In summary we certainly enjoyed our meal and I have no doubts that others may have had a "best in the city" type experience. The duck dish in particular made it worth it! But for the premium we paid, it would be difficult to justify returning soon when there are other similar-quality experiences with a smaller price and lower...

I have been to Vernick's on many occasions, and I have to say that after my most recent visits, I left extremely dissatisfied. Last Saturday, I sat at the bar and was really looking forward to the Bison Strip Loin. The Beef Tenderloin Tartare and Arctic Char came out together in a timely fashion, both excellent. After an hour and 30 minutes, I asked the bartender if the Spaghetti with Lump Crab and Bison was still coming, he responded that he had no control over the kitchen, but the orders had been entered. To pass the time, I asked if they had any desserts, they had several appetizing options on the menu. I requested black pepper, the other bartender said he didnt have any behind the bar, but would go back to the kitchen to get it. He returned 10 minutes later without anything. At an hour and 45 minutes, I asked how much longer it would be for the pepper and Bison. The bartender said he didn't have pepper and was waiting for us to finish our pasta. He asked if I would like him to fire up the main course. I asked what he meant the first time and he could not give an answer. I can understand if they were busy for Easter weekend, however it seems like instead of offering clarity or solutions, they were offering excuses. I wasn't sure how much longer it would take, and so I asked for the check to finish dinner elsewhere. I spoke to the manager, James Smith, and after explaining the situation, he said, "you're good". I asked what he meant, and he said he would take care of the check, but I had already paid. He searched around the host stand, handed me a crumpled business card, and said that if I came back, he would take care of it. I returned this evening, and while the food was good, James only solution was to take two drinks off the $300 check. The first check was $150. While I would love to support a fellow native from Cherry Hill, NJ, and the food never disappoints, their service leaves much to be desired and I'm not sure if I...