Knock Off

The Gayborhood's popular new haunt doesn't seem concerned about its food.

by Trey Popp

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Published: Nov 13, 2007

Michael T. Regan STOOLS OF THE TRADE: At Knock, the standing-room-only bar scene exists in sharp contrast to the menu, which needs some TLC. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

If I were gay, single and only mildly interested in dinner, I'd probably be milling around the bar at Knock right now instead of writing this review. The cocktail mixers are perky; the oversized fireplace exudes a sort of ski-lodge coziness; and wooden wall paneling lends an upscale aura to the restaurant's triangular bar. With a decorative scheme that runs more toward generic color-field paintings than rainbow-flag kitsch, Knock seems to be aiming for the vibe of a gay steakhouse.

And apparently, that's just what the neighborhood wanted. Two months after the restaurant's late-summer opening, weekend evenings find the tables filled and standing-room-only at the bar. What's true in real estate, evidently, holds just as strongly in the food biz: The keys to success are location, location and location. Because when it comes to actual dining, it's hard not to get the feeling that Knock isn't terribly concerned about its food.

The server who presided over my first visit certainly wasn't, that's for sure. After reading a long menu that urges customers to make dietary concerns known to the wait staff, my pregnant wife asked whether the goat cheese on a certain flatbread was made from raw or pasteurized milk. The server's answer managed to combine surliness with obvious ignorance — a rare feat if you think about it — leaving us none the wiser. Oh well. What's the fun of pregnancy if you can't roll the dice on the health of the unborn with your appetizer order?

The salad she opted for instead combined baby arugula with spiced cashews and manchego, both of which were tasty, but the greens were rather overdressed. I went ahead and tried the flatbread, which was overloaded with supermarket-grade goat cheese on top of what was nominally a fig spread. The latter actually tasted more like the innards of a Fig Newton, making the large appetizer a bit too sweet to get through. Perhaps a smaller offering with better, more subtly deployed ingredients would be a good idea.

Another good idea would be a rethinking of Knock's wine list. There are dozens of options, covering all of the major grapes and a few minor ones, but a de facto two-tiered pricing structure mars the whole thing. Mega-producers like Berenger and Fetzer occupy the $30-$45 range, and there are superstars like Opus One and Stag's Leap in the $95-$250 band, but the middle ground is all but empty. There are a few good-value wineries represented, but it doesn't make much sense to confine Syrah lovers to a desultory choice between Jacob's Creek and Toasted Head.

The entrée portion of the menu is long and aims to please by way of a shotgun-spray approach. Venison meatloaf, vegetarian gumbo, game hen, salmon ... there is something that ought to suit every whim. Australian lamb chops come with a fig-syrah reduction that was oddly flat and undersalted in the version that reached my table. A tea-smoked duck breast fared considerably better with a cherry demi-glaze, which showed off the flavor of its fruit nicely, even if it was a little on the sugary side. Unfortunately, though, both dishes were so undercooked that it would be a stretch to even call them "rare," much less the medium-rare we'd requested.

After taking them back to the kitchen for more time on the fire, our server returned to spirit away our separate side dishes of gratinéed potatoes and steamed broccoli — even though both of us were virtually in midbite. We were given no choice in this matter.

I am glad to report that service was much more attentive and friendly during the afternoon brunch hour Knock runs on Saturdays and Sundays. More sparsely attended than the dinner shift, this stretch finds the bar a peaceful and soothing place to be. High marks for La Colombe coffee and a modest but top-quality selection of teas.

Yet the food is still no better than fine. A "brick-oven" vegetable sandwich featured splendid olive bread, but the room-temp zucchini and red peppers made me scratch my head a little. Skewered shrimp and beef cubes — billed as South African sosaties — would have been more enjoyable if they hadn't been covered in a cloyingly sweet apricot chutney. Knock definitely needs to knock down the sugar levels here and there.

Then again, sometimes a spot of food criticism can be just the thing to spice up a dinner date.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Knock

225 S. 12th St.215-925-1166knockphilly.comHours: Daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5 p.m.-2 a.m.Appetizers, $4-$10; Entrées, $11-$30 Reservations recommended.Wheelchair accessible.

 

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