It's silly to cross the Schuylkill when there are great BYOs like Rx right in Penn's backyard.
Rx, located at 4443 Spruce Street, is just a brisk walk from campus. It's truly a neighborhood restaurant; our waitress hugged a patron goodbye with a warm "see you next week." The building formerly housed a pharmacy, and colored-glass bottles and antique books line the shelves, creating a charming and unpretentious ambiance.
This attitude carries over to the food, which can be characterized by its local ingredients - a long list of nearby suppliers trails down the menu - and simple-but-elegant presentation. In all the dishes we sampled, the natural flavors of the food shone through.
To start, the heirloom tomato salad ($9), and the fried day-boat calamari ($9) are both excellent choices. The tomatoes in my salad were huge and crisp, drizzled with a warm olive oil and complemented by basil leaves and soft balls of mozzarella. The dish epitomized Rx's dishes: traditional, but carefully and thoughtfully created, and executed to near perfection.
The calamari was, according to my friend, "amazing." Coupled with a Vietnamese dipping sauce and soy-scented greens, it was flavorful and balanced. The traditional deterrents to similar dishes - too tangy, too chewy or too salty - weren't there; instead it was aromatic, light and spicy.
Choosing an entree was agonizing. Finally I settled on a whole grilled branzino with chickpeas, green olives, Bulgarian feta and melted fennel ($25), while my friend chose the Bell & Evans chicken, yellow rice and local amanth with a coconut-green curry-lemongrass glaze ($18). My fish was flaky, warm and perfectly seasoned. The other elements formed a bed beneath the fish and were soft and flavorful. My friend loved her chicken, which was moist and dressed with a delicious cream sauce. Don't get too attached to one particular entree though - the menu changes accordingly as ingredients come in and out of season.
The desserts were an excellent cap on an enjoyable evening. Again, however, they are subject to the availability of the ingredients. Still, the triple-chocolate bread pudding ($6) became is my new favorite dessert. Served in a bowl with brioche and espresso dulce de leche, it was rich to the point of decadence. My friend ordered a slice of apple pie made with fresh-picked apples and could not have been happier with her selection: It was melt-in-your-mouth warm, and sweet and spicy at the same time We both paired our desserts with lattes, which were prepared exactly like everything else on the menu: simply and organically, with the best ingredients and care, to perfection.
