Cashing In

The Gold Standard Café

by David Snyder

THE ARCHAIC MONETARY system known as "the gold standard" — backing paper currency with bars of the shiny stuff — was meant to impart stability. And Roger Harman and Vincent Whittacre are using their so-named neighborhood café/BYO to do the same thing for West Philly. The duo, who sold their Abbraccio in late 2008, believe community is strengthened when neighbors have a place to interact away from work and home. "We were just looking for a hang-out place," Harman told me in an interview.

And this setting is the ideal hang. Located at the five points at 48th and Baltimore, the café's expansive outdoor area makes you feel like you’re at the hub of it all. Inside, it's casual and homey, sporting high-top tables and counter seating, with a 35-seat dining room decked out with mission-style chairs and an impressive marble fireplace.

To serve its diverse community, the Gold Standard is attempting to be all things to all eaters, serving a far-reaching array of items across breakfast, lunch and dinner. But for now, at least, such ambitious hyper-inclusion means many dishes lack identity.

Though the mayo-based spread in the Turkey Waldorf included grapes and tarragon, the flavors fell short. A watery interior made for less-than-memorable crab cakes. Lamb kebabs were overcooked and underseasoned. I wish the white wine/capers/basil sauce bathing mussels was reduced more to curb its acidity. If the kitchen had seasoned grilled tofu with something deeper than a thin lime cilantro dressing, the lentil salad would’ve made a greater impression.

The dishes that stand out are the ones with more specific personalities. The addictive, efficient waffle cup — scrambled eggs packed around torn chunks of syrup-coated waffle — was conceived by Harman's neighbor, who came up with the portable snack during her days as a California surfer. "Marguerite's" homey half-chicken with bright, fresh German-style potato salad — a specialty of Harman’s mother — was eerily similar to the Sunday lunch I ate dozens of times as a kid, the juicy roasted bird popping thanks to a simple rub of paprika, kosher salt and black pepper.

Desserts, from pastry chef Richard DeMatt, are solid. Though a tad crumbly, his flourless chocolate cake boasted the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. The rich Southern pecan pie was among the best traditional versions I've had.

It's difficult to do everything well. But focus can always be fine-tuned, meaning the Gold Standard has ample opportunity to cash in.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

The Gold Standard Café | 4800 Baltimore Ave., 215-727-8247, thegoldstandardcafe.com. Café open Mon.-Tue., 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; dinner served Wed.-Sun., 5-9 p.m. Breakfast, $1.50-$4; lunch, $4-$8.50; dinner, $8-$19. BYOB. Wheelchair accessible.