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Nearly six months ago I noticed a billboard looming high above the expressway proclaiming the opening of Bootsie’s. At first Edward and I thought it was a national chain, but its Web site said the place was a gourmet fast-food restaurant. I never liked that overused term but the menu featured ostrich and Kobe beef.
Bootsie’s, 38 S. 19th St., is across from Matyson, one of the city’s finest restaurants. It has been a revolving door for many years, beginning as a midtown diner, then morphing into Olive Branch, a pseudo-Mediterranean spot. It was dark for years and then became Saboor, a high-priced Cuban/South American place.
Bootsie’s in its first incarnation lasted only four months. Just after New Year’s I saw a sign on the door: "Closed for renovations." This always turns on the red light and I figured it was shut for good. But I stopped by two weeks ago and discovered the gourmet fast-food gimmick was gone, a new menu in place and it had a license to serve beer and wine.
My cousin Carl and I were the only patrons when we went for dinner. The room had a high-tech kind of feel with its cool blues and stainless steel. Tables were covered in deep-blue linens with matching napkins and bamboo stalks sat in bud vases.
I was immediately disappointed with the menu. It was the usual run-of-the-mill-Italian, red-gravy fare with crabcakes and two steaks on offer. Except for the grape leaves appetizer, there was not one Mediterranean dish.
Wines began at $25, which is on the high side for a casual restaurant. We could not decide between a Cotes du Rhone and a Pinot Noir. Since both were available by the glass, Michael Moore, who handles the wine at Bootsie’s, gave us a taste of each. We settled on the Lindemans Pinot Noir ($28) and nibbled on warm focaccia, which had come with a small dish of olive oil mixed with a mild harissa.
Carl began with a bowl of drunken crab bisque ($4.95), which was described as "roasted vegetables and jumbo lump crab bathed in a rich beer and brandied cream sauce." A bisque is supposed to be a light creamed soup — not a sauce — and it came to the table lukewarm. The smiling server returned it to the kitchen for a reheat. The soup was tasty but much too thick; It should have been thinned with fish stock. The crabmeat, however, was of fine quality.
Mussels ($7.95) are so ubiquitous these days, but Moore recommended them. I received a big bowl with at least 18 squeaky-clean, juicy mussels sitting atop an herb-infused white-wine sauce. As I tossed the shells in the sauce, I noted they were very good, indeed. The consistency of the liquid was perfect and reminded me of a fish stock made with wine. At one point, I even enjoyed the sauce by the spoonful.
We shared the Caesar salad ($6.50), which should have been split in the kitchen. The menu described it as "hearts of fresh crisp romaine," but we received a handful of dry, limp, outer romaine leaves torn into bite-sized pieces. The tomato wedges were pathetic: anemic in color and tasting like cardboard. If a chef cannot find good, ripe tomatoes, he should not buy them. There was not much dressing and the lettuce was topped with a sprinkling of ordinary Parmesan.
There were 13 entrées and two specials. Bootsie’s was out of the fresh grilled fish of the day, which would have been my choice, so I settled on the crabcakes ($22). On a scale of one to 10, they were a seven. I received two patties fashioned from jumbo lump crabmeat mixed with the right touch of seasonings and a little filler. They were creamy inside and topped with squiggles of aioli, the famous French garlic mayonnaise. Even though they were sautéed, they should have been crispy and golden on the outside. My dinner came with boiled rice and sautéed spinach.
Carl ordered chicken Parmesan ($16) — an Italian-American dish, not Mediterranean — and very few places prepare it properly. The boneless chicken breast (which should have been pounded thin) was breaded and fried. It was smeared with a layer of ricotta cheese, topped with mozzarella and covered in marinara sauce. The menu stated it is served over pasta, but Carl requested the linguine be served on the side. The dish lacked eye appeal.
A gentleman came over to our table and he turned out to be Bootsie himself. Yair Butz arrived in Philadelphia from Israel in 1988. He is a mechanical engineer who happens to like the restaurant business. He did all the renovations himself.
I wish the menu featured more Mediterranean fare. Since Butz is Israeli, he should salute the delicious cuisines of his homeland, as well as Morocco, Greece, Tunisia and all the marvelous flavors of that sun-drenched area.
One-and-a-half tips of the toque to Bootsie’s.
Bootsie’s
38 S. 19th St.
215-988-0089
Visa and MasterCard accepted
www.Bootsiesphilly.com
