Amish Mash

MidAtlantic's chaotically organized regional menu is akin to culinary rumspringa.

by David Snyder

Neal Santos WIENER'S CIRCLE: Our critic's favorite dish at MidAtlantic was the painstakingly crafted hot dogs, served on rolls made from unsweetened doughnut batter. It's available as a special on Wednesday nights.

[ review ]

Given the still-tough economic landscape, it comes as no surprise that people are seeking comfort anywhere they can find it, including on a dinner plate. That's why a moderately priced restaurant focusing on rustic regional fare — one backed by Daniel Stern, to boot — reads like a winner. But despite all it has going for it, MidAtlantic is not the sure thing it could and should be.

The "modern taproom," which opened roughly a month after Stern closed his acclaimed BYOB Gayle, is the first of the chef's two latest ventures. (The second is the in-the-works R2L, an upscale destination on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place.) Situated in University City's Science Center, MidAtlantic's a long enough haul from Center City that it may as well have been called FarPacific. Still, the vibe at this fashionable 130-seater is a real draw. Wood paneling reclaimed from local barns is tastefully integrated with modern elements like a 37-seat steel bar area and an open kitchen. Recycled fluorescent tube lights bundled into cylindrical fixtures serve as shades for the soft incandescent bulbs tucked inside.

The concept here food-wise is cuisine native to the Mid-Atlantic, aka the states that lie between New England and the American South. You can find Pennsylvania Dutch and coastal items here — soft pretzels, scrapple, seafood. The beer program, too, is largely local. But take away the lip service, and the menu itself is begging for a more distinct focus.

Part of the problem is that certain staples you might expect to see are simply missing. (Where's the shoofly pie? What about chow-chow? Or authentic Maryland crab cakes?) But what really prevents the hyper-regional food from striking a solid chord is its cumbersome organization. The menu comprises eight hard-to-navigate sections, including "Chilled Seafood Selections" (a raw bar and platters), "Seafood Pots" and "Mixed Grills" (meat and seafood platters). Other entrées are spread across "Every Night Dinners" (a prix-fixe menu), "Nightly Specials," "Sustenance" (six large plates) and "Sandwiches" (some setups can be ordered as burgers or grilled chicken; others cannot).

Simple food should not be this complicated.

Thanks to a kitchen helmed by chef de cuisine Steve Lamborn (former sous chef at Gayle), there are some winners here, mostly in the starters-ish section clumsily dubbed "Snacks, Salads, Pickings and Tap House Food." Croutons made from fried cubes of savory angel food cake have a wonderfully dense, chewy crunch that sets a beet and local goat cheese salad apart. The MA Fries — perfect crunchy potato cubes with a remarkably creamy center — bolster a bean and potato salad that also features green and yellow wax beans and a bacon vinaigrette. Considering its starchtastic potato and salsify base, I was pleasantly surprised by the creaminess of the fried clam and oyster stew. Flavors of rye and caraway crept through the rich, beer-infused Welsh rarebit fondue. Although the intense local cheddars and Jasper Hills blue overwhelmed the cheese board, a house-cured trio of summer sausage, wine-rubbed bresaola and jagerwurst was an absolute smash.

My favorite dish was Wednesday's "Nightly Special," a duo of hot dogs, for which the kitchen grinds beef neck, brisket and short rib together with a special spice blend to fill inch-and-a-half-thick hog casings. After being grilled off, the dogs are cradled in pillowy unsweetened doughnut rolls and served with house-made chips and thick country sauerkraut. Pickles and house-made horseradish mustard may overwhelm those looking for a more subtle bite, but the dog's brilliant flavor and texture (and that wonderful bun) scream signature.

MidAtlantic really does use scraps to make its talked-about scrapple (e.g., leftover fermented mushrooms from house-made mushroom ketchup go into a vegetarian version), but they take a few too many liberties with the texture of this local specialty. It's a stretch to even call the crab version scrapple (more like a flattened crab cake), but the addition of kasha and Irish oatmeal grant a pleasant depth. The same grains, however, rendered the veggie scrapple coarse and dry. Liver and trotters provided the pig version I ate in a sandwich some nice flavor. But after it became a soggy cake on the bun, I missed the crunchy exterior and creamy pâté-like center that makes traditional scrapple what it is.

That's basically where the highlights end. The molasses hot sauce made chewy cubes of pork shoulder in the pig "wings" taste like burnt Cracker Jacks. The saffron noodle casserole was overwhelmingly cheesy. Roast chicken was juicy, but the accompanying lima bean polenta had little flavor. A roasted pork chop tasted uninspired, though the accompanying sauerkraut and savory apple fritters were bright and fun. A corned beef sandwich, made with meat brined and cured in-house, was intensely salty. Baked haddock came swimming in butter. MidAtlantic's signature burger — the meat's ground and mixed in-house and slathered with horseradish-cheddar spread — was tasty, but the summer-sausage topper and undersized doughnut roll did not contribute the dimensions I expected. A Philly-style butterscotch bread pudding dessert was such a sugar bomb it made Tastykake's Krimpet seem like health food.

MidAtlantic's potential is as broad as Pennsylvania — they're cooking in a niche, and offering food at reasonable prices. If it can sharpen the focus of its menu and lighten up its offerings, I'll be comfortable with all of its comfort food.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

MidAtlantic | The Science Center, 3711 Market St., 215-386-3711, midatlanticrestaurant.com. Lunch Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Mon.-Sat., 5-11 p.m. (snacks menu till midnight); closed Sun. Snacks, $6-$18 (excluding $38 sampler platter); mixed grills (for two to four), $55-$95; seafood pots, $18-$40; sandwiches and entrées, $9-$18 (except MP lobster). Wheelchair accessible.