Also this issue: firstlook -A.D. Amorosi

November 14-20, 2002

food

Jolly's? Roger

Rib? Aye!: Jollyâs pork baby back ribs with beer-battered fries and homemade cole slaw. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Jolly's American Bar is many things, but not your typical hotel bar.

by Maxine Keyser

Hotel dining rooms have always appealed to me. Sitting in the cocktail lounge and watching the people go by before dinner is an opportunity for me to weave endless tales in my head about their comings and goings. Still, when I went to Jolly’s, the bar and grill in the Latham Hotel, I realized that the restaurant is set away from the lobby, so I had to content myself with weaving stories about the denizens of the small bar at the front of the restaurant.

We take seats at the far end of the room, so the smoke from the lounge will not waft back to us. The rear wall is mirrored, the other walls, all dark red, are hung with attractive French posters. Red votives help to lighten the area, and I note that there is tiger-striped carpeting. It all certainly creates a mood, and I think that as hotel dining rooms go, this is the bottom of the heap. But the manager, Alexander Bartlett, sets me straight. Jolly's is not associated with the hotel, it only happens to be in that space. So if you don't think of it as a hotel dining room, expecting perhaps the Ritz or Four Seasons, but accept it for what it is -- a neighborhood watering hole with casual, decent food that can be had at nearly any time of day -- then you're OK.

The happy hour, they tell me, is booming, with spill-overs from the other bars in the neighborhood. While we are eating, the room fills up and we begin to feel quite merry. Perhaps it's the size of the signature "dirty" martini (Ketel One dry vermouth and Old South tomolives) that we start out with, or the terrific black T-shirted waiter, but we enjoy everything that we order from the small, no-nonsense menu. A crab and artichoke dip, that old bar standard, comes with crisp wafers for dipping, and is distinguished by the amount of crab in its creamy depths. The peppered tuna is truly rare and delicious, and goes perfectly with the salad of radicchio and fennel on which the slices are perched. The licorice flavor of the fennel is a true match for the sprightly tuna. They have all the usual bar fare -- calamari, spring rolls, beer battered fries, chili, pulled pork sandwiches -- but one thing jumps out at me: buffalo shrimp. They are made just like wings, deep fried and drenched in Tabasco and butter, but are even better, for the crunchy shrimp has just the right texture.

Aside from the signature martinis, Jolly's has a wine list of 11 choices, by the bottle or the glass and all very reasonable. Burgers and sandwiches are available all day, as are a number of salads. We spot "Reds Milan Salad" and immediately go for it. It seems that a friend of owner Jolly Weldon's got the original recipe for him, so we have the real thing -- with gulf shrimp, bacon, chopped egg, tomatoes, lettuce and the famed Milan dressing. There are so many memories in every bite. The Caesar salad is disappointing, however, for the dressing is too vinegary, and there are too many croutons.

We then move on to the dinner entrees. The selection is not exciting -- barbecue chicken, salmon, seared tuna, crab cakes -- so it's best, I think, to stick to basics. I'm told that the ribs really do fall off the bone, so we try them and it's absolutely true. The meat is as tender, sweet and smoky as any I've had, and the fries and cole slaw are done well too. This is a gloriously huge portion, and more than we can finish. The 12-ounce prime strip sirloin is done as requested and is quite tender and tasty, with hearty mashed potatoes (skins on) and fresh green beans. Glasses of Sterling Merlot have done very well with the red meats, even blending well with the sweetness of the ribs.

I cannot seem to find anything that I'm really dying for until, on the bar and brunch menu, I see roast beef hash with two poached eggs, a dish that I have always adored but never seem to find anymore. I love the old-fashioned flavor of the bright yolks running over the chopped beef and potatoes. It's an unexpected treat. The chef, Salvatore Iannitto, was formerly with Dock Street, so he learned from a master (Olivier de Saint Martin) about things like judicious spicing and handling of meats. Now if they could just get some desserts made in-house, and not commercial cheesecake and chocolate cake, we'd really be in business.

Center City-ites, pay attention. If you should want breakfast at 2 p.m., or a quick, very good burger, or have a hankering for ribs, Jolly's is the place. All right, it's not the hotel dining room I'd envisioned, but it should find a firm spot in the neighborhood for reasonable, simple dining and good martinis.

Note: There have been a few anniversaries celebrated this month, to prove that restaurants have a great deal more staying power than we realize. Bruce Cooper honored 15 years of Jake's in Manayunk with a dinner offering three courses for $15. So we had spring rolls or crab and cream cheese with orange and mustard dipping sauces, a trio of tuna, as tartare with mango, seared with coriander, and sashimi with shiitakes. We topped that with tender braised short ribs and a trio of Jake's famous desserts, like his cookie taco, chocolate bread pudding and pecan tart. We'll never pay so little for his glorious food again.

On Nov. 4, Ellen Yin and Roberto Sella offered tastings of chef Thien Ngo's new creations, to celebrate Fork's fifth anniversary. They should celebrate -- for five years they have been consistently named one of the best restaurants in town, and their appeal lies in that very consistency, and their dedication to using the best products and finding the best wines.