Downey’s

It is always good form for a critic to return to a restaurant if a new chef has arrived and a new menu is in place.

I reviewed Downey’s during the winter of 1996. My husband Edward and I sampled owner Jack Downey’s classic Irish fare including potato soup, corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie. It was simple, delicious, stick-to-your-ribs fare fit for a cold winter’s night.

Much has changed within the past eight years. Last November, Downey, who opened the place in 1976, sold the restaurant to chef Domenico Centofanti, who hails from Rome. Centofanti previously worked at La Veranda.

I heard that Downey’s offered a ridiculously low-priced lobster dinner. I called the restaurant and learned the lobsters were priced at $8.48 a pound. I did some quick math and figured a 2-pounder would go for about $17.

Every lobster lover knows that summer is high season for these Maine beauties. Go to any upscale restaurant and you will discover lobster dinners at high prices. Some places charge $40 or more for a 2-pounder. Other places offer a skinny 1-1/4-pounder, known as a chicken lobster, for about $25. As my mother would say, "There’s nothing to eat."

I’ve been hankering for lobster all summer and so, on a hot and humid evening, Edward, my mom Berthe and I headed over to Front and South. Downey’s was packed at 5:30 p.m. Happy hour was going strong at the bar and nearly every table was taken in the large first-floor room. The bar, by the way, was imported from Ireland.

A smiling hostess showed us to a table just off the bar. Nearby, a group of six women was enjoying cocktails at a roomy booth. Several men from South Philly were enjoying a beer and talking about all the costly new construction going on in their neighborhood.

Three tips of the toque straightaway: Specials, with prices, were printed on a green card attached to the menu. Except for the $20 rack of lamb, the majority fell between $10.95 and $16.95 — for the specials. I almost fell off my chair.

Dana, our waitress, took exceptional care of us. This young woman was very professional and very busy, but never became harried or lost her smile.

Downey’s has always been known for its extensive list of beers both bottled and on tap. From the tap I selected a pint of Yuengling Lager ($1.75) and Edward went across the sea to Ireland with a pint of Smithwicks ($2.50). The prices were the lowest I have ever seen in a restaurant. We nibbled on a loaf of Italian semolina bread topped with sesame seeds and chatted over the menu.

I sampled a bowl of Downey’s famous lobster bisque ($4.99). Although it could have been hotter, the soup was packed with flavor and bits of lobster meat, all enhanced by a dash of sherry.

Edward liked the corn and crab fritters ($7.50), although he thought the sweet maple syrup served with them detracted from their flavor. He received six good-sized round balls fashioned from crabmeat, breadcrumbs and the right touch of seasonings. They were coated in crumbs, rolled in yellow corn kernels and quickly fried. We all liked the taste of the fritters. A small mound of baby greens sat in the middle of the plate.

My 2-pound lobster ($17) was perfectly steamed. Dana brought me a plastic basket filled with napkins, a nutcracker and the requisite plastic bib. Although the claws were slightly cracked, I opened them a bit more to easily reach the sweet claw meat. I always eat the tail meat first, then proceed to the body and legs. I save the claws for last.

My dinner came with a baked potato, a small ear of sweet white corn on the cob and a ramekin of drawn butter. I was as happy as a clam.

Mom thoroughly enjoyed her grilled salmon ($16.95). She received about 8 ounces of salmon fillet, which was grilled with fresh herbs. It was topped with lobster bisque sauce, which imparted a nice contrast in taste. The fish was perfectly cooked, still a bit translucent inside. A generous mound of saffron rice and mixed vegetables, including cabbage, carrots and broccoli, came with her dinner.

Baked stuffed flounder is making a comeback in restaurants. Downey’s version ($16.95) consisted of a meaty fillet of Jersey flounder over a mound of crabmeat stuffing. The fish was sweet and flaky, just as flounder must be when it is properly cooked. Saffron rice and vegetables accompanied this dish as well.

The day after our dinner, I called Downey’s because I wanted to speak with the chef. (I wanted to make sure I was spelling Domenico Centofanti correctly.) Since Centofanti is from Rome, I asked him whether he was thinking of placing some Roman dishes on the menu.

"I have added some pasta dishes," he said in his softly accented Italian voice. "We are now making more changes but you have to go slowly. You can’t take dishes off the menu right away."

When I visited the Web site, I found it had not been updated in more than two years. Centofanti told me the site also would be changed to reflect the new menu.

I’m not sure whether he will replace the Irish flag with the Italian flag or remove the Irish icons that have been a part of Downey’s for 28 years. Still, it will be interesting to see how an Italian chef influences a still-popular Irish-themed restaurant.

Two-and-a-half tips of the toque to Downey’s.

Downey’s
Front and South streets
215925-9500
Credit cards acceptable
Bathrooms down a long, narrow flight of stairs
Open daily
Reservations a good idea