Grace Tavern

For the past four years or so, several diverse restaurant trends have been heating up in Philly. First, the BYOBs started popping up in every neighborhood from South Philly to Northern Liberties, and throughout Center City. The featured cuisine included French, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and New American bistro.

Restaurant/lounge/nightclubs are all over Old City and some serve pretty good food. Most people go for a few drinks and dance until 2 a.m.

Pubs and taverns, once known for inexpensive American beer and a hot roast beef on a Kaiser roll, have morphed into neighborhood meeting places where the food is fine and the brew list reads like the membership of the United Nations.

One of the men responsible for the pub trend is Tom Peters, who practically introduced Belgian beer to Philadelphians when he opened Monk’s Caf� on South 16th Street, on the site of the original Frog, more than eight years ago.

Peters took over the brewery built over the Sansom Street Oyster House a while back and turned it into the Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant.

The restaurateur keys in on specific foods. Monk’s is famous for its big pots of Prince Edward Island mussels steamed in Belgian beer, served with authentic crisp french fries and bourbon mayonnaise dipping sauce. Peters took a risk when he featured vegetarian dishes at Nodding Head.

In May, he opened Grace Tavern at 23rd and South. The building has been around since the days of the Great Depression, when it was known as Kelly’s. Grace Tavern and is one of the latest restaurants to open in the up-and-coming neighborhood.

Edward and I arrived early and struck up a conversation with Abigail, the friendly bartender. She mixed my husband a big, icy martini ($6.50) and I sipped a pint of Yuengling Lager ($4). Several men at the bar were sipping pints as well. Peters has instructed his barkeeps to offer samples of unusual beers, which is a nice practice.

If Monk’s means mussels and Nodding Head is the place for vegetarian dishes, Grace Tavern will be known for its sausages.

"We get them from Martin’s," said Abigail, as she scooted around the bar, her waist-length blond braids flapping around her.

Martin’s is a stall in the Reading Terminal Market where I always purchase my sausages. But I am getting ahead of myself. First, I want to tell you about the lobster roll.

Every region in America is famous for something. Think New England and think lobster roll. It was one of the late Julia Child’s favorite sandwiches. Grace Tavern’s version ($11) consisted of sweet, perfectly cooked lobster meat that had been cooled, shredded and mixed with the right touch of mayonnaise. It was then piled into a soft hot-dog roll. The sandwich came in a red plastic basket lined with waxed paper and was served with Monk’s famous french fries and dipping sauce.

The lobster meat for New England lobster rolls is diced, and the good folks up North manufacture a specific soft roll for the sandwich. No matter, we enjoyed the reasonable facsimile. The sandwich was cool and yummy, and the fries among the best in town.

As we munched, we noticed a young man with a tray of pretty votive candles. He was heading for the back dining room, which is set with simple tables and chairs.

Next up was chicken Waldorf salad ($6.25). This cool classic was created in the 1890s at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. I haven’t seen it on a restaurant menu in decades. Another red basket arrived, filled with roasted, shredded organic free-range chicken, tossed with tiny chunks of apples, raisins and walnuts. The mayonnaise was enhanced by a squeeze of refreshing lime juice, which imparted a tangy flavor I particularly liked. The chicken was served over a bed of mixed organic greens.

On to the sausages. Six are on offer here and I hope a few more of Martin’s famous meats will be added to the list. You can choose from duck, spinach and feta cheese, chicken and apple, boudin blanc, lamb and classic hot Italian.

Duck sausage ($6.50) is made from fresh duck breast and legs, mixed with the right touch of spices. The sausage was grilled and retained a slightly crunchy exterior. It was served on an Italian roll lined with a fresh, crisp romaine lettuce leaf and a slightly sweet cherry sauce.

Chicken and apple sausage ($6.50) is made with Granny Smith apples, a tart fruit that added flavor to the chicken. Herbs and spices were added to the mix before it was fashioned into sausages. The meat was served on an Italian roll with the aforementioned romaine lettuce leaf, but the condiment was a spicy raspberry mustard.

Because we are big fans of Monk’s burgers, we had to try one at Grace Tavern. The Grace burger ($7.50) consisted of 6 to 8 ounces of fresh ground beef, grilled rare, topped with Swiss cheese and served with a slice of ripe tomato and red onion. The juicy burger was served on a classic Le Bus roll, as is the practice at Monk’s. A heaping order of hot fries came with the burger.

Abigail told us that several dishes, such as New Orleans oyster Po’Boys and jambalaya, soon will be added to the menu. I love both these dishes, but the pub already has impressed with its choice of fresh, unique sausages.

The Depression-era tavern called Kelly’s is no more. Now it is known as Grace, in honor of one of Philadelphia’s most famous native daughters.

Two-and-a-half tips of the toque to Grace Tavern.

Grace Tavern
2229 Grays Ferry Ave. (23rd and South)
215-893-9580
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
Open daily, 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m.