Mystic Piazza

The Plaza at Table 31

by Trey Popp

Novelty sells newspapers, but it doesn't visit the food section as often as it might seem. Sure, a chef will occasionally break truly unbroken ground. But for the most part, food is food. The question is whether a restaurant can breathe some fresh air into a balloon whose essential shape doesn't change.

The good news about the Plaza, Chris Scarduzio and Georges Perrier's informal complement to their high-rolling Table 31 steakhouse, is that a seat here is unlike any other in town. The Comcast Center has its fans and its critics, but the Plaza's perch on the building's spacious pedestal gives the lunch crowd a slice of high-urban love that is without parallel in Philadelphia.

A modern glass-and-steel trellis floats above the two-toned granite plinth, whose broad sweep resonates with gurgling water. When the fountain jets sink, diners risk being mesmerized by the giant, crystal-clear video screen behind the glass wall of the building's lobby. A glance in any other direction — from street level to sky — furnishes proof that when it's shaped with this level of care, the urban outdoors can uplift and inspire. The Olin Partnership, which designed the deceptively simple plaza, has given Philadelphia one of its best new public spaces in a decade — one that should only get better when the block is built out.

So from the moment I sat down till the moment I left, I thoroughly enjoyed being at the Plaza. Yet the restaurant is strangely off-kilter, from the awkward service to a menu that runs up against the limitations of a very small kitchen.

The best thing I had was a richly flavored mushroom pizza on a wonderfully delicate crust, but when I asked for some pepper flakes to impart a little heat, all my server could offer was a bowl of Sriracha. It was disappointing to have to choose between only four cocktails and three "craft beers" — although I don't know that Amstel Light really merits that label.

A mediocre turkey burger won't be winning any prizes, and the shellfish and navy bean salad played more like picnic fare than a $14 appetizer should. The menu also features a few sushi rolls.

Perhaps instead of trying to cover so many bases with limited resources, the Plaza should narrow its focus. That pizza wasn't exactly cheap, but it was done well. And I can think of few better places to enjoy a good beer or a glass of wine — but how about some semblance of a selection?

Then again, perhaps any awkward note is bound to be over-amplified when it occurs in a setting this graceful.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

The Plaza | The Comcast Center, 1701 JFK Blvd., 215-567-7111

Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed Sat.-Sun.

Salads, sandwiches, pizza, sushi, $8-$16