Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant

The neighborhood around Graduate Hospital began to come alive about 20 years ago. Townhomes were built on the 2000 block of South Street and Linoleum — one of my favorite restaurants — opened, closed and then reopened several years ago as L2. Students started renting apartments and brownstones, and small shops dotted the streets.

I knew a young man from Eugene, Ore., a fine cellist who lived in a small apartment over a bar at the corner of 21st and South. Actually, the bar was more of a dive. Young people hung out to smoke cigarettes and toss back a Rolling Rock or two.

Several months ago, while driving over to Graduate Hospital to visit a friend on the mend, I noticed the dive at 21st and South had disappeared. It is now called Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant. The place had been totally gutted and transformed into a pub/restaurant along the lines of Standard Tap and Good Dog.

Attractive outdoor window boxes were filled with flowers in a riot of colors. The windows were thrown open, but ceiling fans kept the air nice and cool. The walls are sponged in Tuscan-like colors of saffron and deep melon. Artwork and several collections of antique ladles provide more color.

Few seats were available at the bar, where patrons were sipping beer from the attractive international list. Many selections are available on tap. Wooden banquettes line the dining area. The seats have long, comfortable cushions. Tables are fashioned from highly polished wood and are close together, which afforded me an up-close view of numerous dishes.

I sipped a pint of Yuengling Lager ($3.75), while Edward enjoyed a pint of Boddington ($4.75). The menu is best described as pub fare with an appealing twist. Edward, my mom Berthe and I had fun trying to decide what to eat.

The menu features appetizers, a soup of the day and the quiche of the day. Entreé s take the form of huge, well-prepared fresh salads and a dazzling array of sandwiches.

Two women took good care of us, even though Ten Stone was very busy. We began dinner with quesadillas ($6.95) and an order of hot wings ($6.95). The quesadilla was the finest I’ve sampled in a long time. It was made with a large tomato-flavored tortilla that was filled with grilled chicken, homemade roasted red peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions and shredded cheese. The large tortilla was grilled and served with sweet mango salsa, dreamy guacamole and sour cream. It came to the table piping hot. Mom had her first taste of this Mexican treat and pronounced it "delicious." We cut it into wedges and polished it off.

We received a large pile of crispy, piping-hot chicken wings that were roasted to perfection and totally free of grease. The meat was tender, juicy and succulent. The sauce was indeed very hot, so I’m glad our server brought it on the side, as requested. The blue-cheese dressing contained chunks of cheese. Mom absolutely loved the wings even though she ate them unadorned. Crisp celery sticks came with the order.

Quiche of the day ($6.25) was spinach and mushroom. Mom loves my spinach quiche, so she ordered Ten Stone’s version. She received a good-sized wedge of this savory French pie, brimming with mushrooms, cheese and fresh spinach. A side salad of fresh mesclun came with the quiche. Ten Stone was out of Italian dressing. Our server brought Mom a bottle of top-quality extra-virgin olive oil and one of balsamic vinegar, both from Italy. She sprinkled some on and went to town on her dinner.

My burger ($6.95) was a hefty half-pound of free-range ground beef that arrived rare as ordered. It was topped with melted cheddar, which I like. The platter came with sliced sweet Vidalia onion, a slice of ripe tomato and a kosher dill pickle. Unfortunately for me, the French fries were not hot. Still, I liked the burger, which was served on a fresh ciabatta roll, made of soft Italian sourdough.

Edward loves Reubens. Ten Stone’s version ($6.95) was presented with an interesting twist. Called a spicy turkey Reuben, it consisted of roasted turkey breast smothered in tangy sauerkraut and a bit of jalapeños to give a good kick, topped with Russian dressing. It, too, was served on a ciabatta roll. Although Edward enjoyed the sandwich, he prefers the corned-beef variety, but this is a matter of personal taste. His fries were also on the cool side.

Because the tables are close together, I could not help but see what people were eating. Four young men dove into tricolor nachos ($5.95) that were topped with shredded cheese, fat, gorgeous, homemade roasted red peppers; fresh tomatoes and jalapeño peppers. The guys offered me a bite, but I was stuffed.

Meanwhile a young man seated on the banquette next to me finished off one of the most attractive and huge Cobb salads ($7.95) I’ve ever seen.

Ten Stone serves Sunday brunch, which runs the gamut from bagels and lox to pancakes to an array of omelettes. Our server told us the place is open seven days, including Christmas.

The pub is a British tradition, which helps explain the name of this delightful addition to the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. A stone is a British unit of weight and one stone equals 14 pounds. The takeout menu states "superior spirits & draughts; fine light fare; billiards & darts." Just what a British pub should be, right here in Philly.

Two-and-a-half tips of the toque to Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant.

Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant
21st and South streets
215-735-9939
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
New twist to international pub fare