27016477
New Wave Café
Third and Catharine streets
215-922-8484
Credit cards accepted
Restaurant too narrow for a wheelchair
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Dedicated Philadelphia foodies are always seeking out new places to dine and will follow a celebrated chef from restaurant to restaurant. This was exactly my intention when Edward and I enjoyed a recent meal at New Wave Café, at the corner of Third and Catharine right across from Dmitri’s.
Before I tell you about our delightful dinner, a bit of history is in order. New Wave opened in 1985. Before that time, it was a charming, forward-thinking French restaurant called Catharine’s Paris Bistro. New Wave Café was not known for its fare by the time Dmitri’s opened. Dmitri Chimes offers top-quality seafood at reasonable prices in his shoebox-sized BYOB. People went to New Wave for a drink while they waited for a table.
This all changed about four years ago when South Philadelphia chef Ben McNamara came to New Wave and totally revamped the menu. His food was delicious. I described it as New American bistro fare with French flair.
McNamara recently moved over to Dark Horse in Head House Square, where he is revamping the basic bar fare into something more interesting. I made a note to return to Dark Horse to see what the talented McNamara is up to.
Chef Jason Seraydarian’s New Wave Café menu has a French touch here and there. He also makes interesting use of classic French and Spanish sauces, which turn up in any number of dishes. For the most part, the menu lists creative dishes with fresh ingredients at moderate prices.
New Wave was busy on a recently balmy evening. Edward and I took a table by the open French doors and enjoyed a drink. Top-shelf martinis are only $6.25. A glass of drinkable house wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, is $5. These are truly neighborhood prices.
New Wave still has a dart board and several televisions that are always tuned to local sports. Wait staff and bartenders are friendly and well informed about the menu. Even though New Wave is very casual, you get a linen napkin.
Many of the patrons were diving into large salads or two-fisted burgers with fries ($9). The aroma wafting over to our table made my mouth water. Still, we wanted to select items that reflected Seraydarian’s creativity. The most creative-sounding selections were found on the ample tastings and appetizer lists. We sampled four of these dishes.
Roasted Prince Edward Island mussels ($8) consisted of a bowl of immaculately clean, glistening beauties, not a bit overcooked, nestled on a pool of Romesco sauce. Romesco is a classic sauce from Catalonia, Spain. It is made with finely ground tomatoes, red bell peppers, garlic, almonds and olive oil. Because Romesco is classic with fish, it enhanced the mussels quite nicely. I thought the mussels and sauce could have been hotter, however.
Potato cake Suzie ($7) was one of the most intriguing items on the menu. Seraydarian made a potato pancake with mashed potatoes and seared it. He grilled a handful of fresh asparagus and placed them on the plate. The potato cake sat on top. He then topped the cake with a sunny-side-up egg and scattered some grilled pancetta and shaved Parmesan around the plate. The contrast of tastes and textures was delicious, but I think the dish would be even better if the potato cake were crispy like a latke.
Fried oysters are among my favorite treats. New Wave’s version ($8) consisted of about five freshly shucked, good-sized oysters that were dipped into a slightly thick batter and crisp-fried to a light golden brown. They were so freshly prepared and hot that I had to wait a bit before sampling one. All sorts of sauces go well here, including tartar, but these fried oysters arrived with squiggles of homemade remoulade, a classic French sauce made with mayonnaise, mustard, herbs and a hint of anchovies. Like the Romesco with the mussels, this sauce was tasty with fried oysters.
Because we were intrigued by a number of good-sized starters, Edward and I decided to go on to a salad and share an entrée. (As our delightful waiter, who took good care of us and others in the busy dining area and outside, put it, "What’s next on your journey?")
Spring sprout salad ($7) consisted of large sprouted mung beans, sliced jicama — which added a nice crunch — and toasted spiced pecans and grape tomatoes, which were under-ripe. Still, this salad was pleasing and dressed with the right touch of heady aioli with fresh basil. Aioli is the garlic mayonnaise of Provence and is often served with crisp croutons and any number of fish dishes. I never thought to use it as a salad dressing, and it was an inspired idea.
Tilapia is a very mild-tasting white-flesh fish that adapts to all sorts of cooking techniques, sauces, herbs and spices. New Wave’s version ($19) contained two good-sized filets that were pan-seared and could have been more crispy. The fish was overcooked and lacked flavor. Roasted sliced Yukon gold potatoes and crisp green beans came with the fish.
In its new incarnation, New Wave remains quite popular. I can see why. Prices are just right for a casual neighborhood café. Appetizers run $6-$10, sandwiches are $7-$11, entrées $14-$21. Even the recited specials were not too overpriced, as is the norm these days.
By the time we left, the dining room was filled, the bar was doing business and nearly every outdoor table was taken. I took a glimpse into Dmitri’s, which was filled to capacity, with several people sitting on the bench outside. Suffice it to say, New Wave, with a new chef, is a good example of what a neighborhood restaurant should be.
To view the menu, with prices, visit the Web site at www.newwavecafe.com.
Two tips of the toque to New Wave Café.
