Schwein dining: City Tavern's DIY ham sandwich ist sehr gut.

Kraut of This World

City Tavern might be a tourist trap, but the food could be a lot wurst.

by Kirsten Henri

The thought of eating in a restaurant that recreates a Colonial dining experience—from the menu to the table settings to the costumed waiters—makes me cringe. I like history, but I don’t like historical reenactments. They have the creepy stink of RenFair about them. Plus I feel weird when people are in costume. Unless they’re drag queens.

Also, do you know anyone who lives in Philly and has eaten at City Tavern? It belongs to the fanny-packed hordes. It’s part of the background white noise of tourist Philly that residents don’t even notice anymore.

Here’s the unexpected thing: Much of the food at City Tavern is quite good. Chef/owner Walter Staib, a German native, is no slouch, and has been diligent in researching his recipes. He’s written cookbooks (including one on Black Forest cuisine), opened hundreds of restaurants through his consulting company and has a laundry list of honors—although anyone who can make a turkey potpie as good as City Tavern’s could get by on that alone.

If you’re unaware of Staib’s accomplishments, you won’t be by the time you leave. The restaurant leaves no achievement unboasted. And it looks like every accolade Chef Staib has ever received, from the impressive (The New York Times) to the faintly ridiculous (Zoobilee Culinary Award of Excellence 1999) has been framed and hung.

Then there’s the onslaught of merchandising: the table tents (okay), the menu inserts (plentiful), the promotional postcard highlighting Chef Staib’s cookbook collection on top of the place settings (sheesh!), and the piles of brochures on the entryway table (please make it stop).

Brush this aside and concentrate on the food (and the beer—from Yards, which brews special beers from historic recipes including a rich, molasses-deep Washington porter). And the servers, who despite their frilly caps and knickers are very competent.

You hear a lot about the mythical pepperpot soup in Philly, but it’s never actually good like City Tavern’s version (a dark, spicy and beefy broth roiling with a potent quantity of black pepper, bitter greens and slices of taro). Also likable, the creamy duck and pork sausage has an almost pudding-like texture that’s a perfect foil for a tangy mound of sweet and sour cabbage.

A deconstructed ham sandwich involves thin slices of Black Forest ham, asparagus and cornichons that you can arrange on slices of pumpernickle. It’s perfectly pleasant, but better suited to lunch than dinner. Mammoth cornmeal-breaded oysters nestling in a crock are soft and silky inside with a fine crunchy exterior meant for dipping in herb remoulade.

If there’s one reason you should visit City Tavern, it’s the outstanding Martha Washington-style turkey potpie. From the buttery, flaky pastry crust to the sherry-spiked cream sauce, it’s a star you’ll spoon uncontrollably from its pewter pot into your pie hole.

Roasted duckling slathered with very sweet chutney is moist with a crisp honeyed skin, and I especially like the barley it’s served over. Wiener schnitzel, a crunchy breaded veal cutlet, is lighter and lovelier than its name and reputation might suggest. Unfortunately, the french fries served with it are mealy and disappointing.

A traditional Oktoberfest schlatte platte is a hilarious mound of pink meats, smoked pork and sausages huddled around sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and mustard. The sausages are reminiscent of hot dogs, but the hunks of smoked ham and mashed potatoes are delicious.

It’s hard to want dessert after a meal like this, weighed down as it is by fried foods, heavy meats and rich sauces. But a lush fruit cobbler served warm with vanilla ice cream is a nice fit. Another of Martha Washington’s dishes, a chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce, isn’t remarkable. She should’ve stuck with the potpie.

Despite having enjoyed the food, I’m not sure I’d go back to City Tavern. It might be in the middle of Philadelphia, but it doesn’t feel like it’s in my hometown.

City Tavern
138 S. Second St. 215.413.1443. www.citytavern.com
Cuisine: Colonial, German.
Hours: 11:30am-
10pm.
Prices: $5.50-$29.95.
Sound advice: Old-folk friendly.
Atmosphere: Ye olde Philadelphia (full of non-Philadelphians).
Service: Very good.
Food: Better than you think.