Messy and Picky

We were invited to a fall menu tasting media dinner for the new Liberties Walk eatery Sonata, a two-month-old venture by Philly-local Chef Mark Tropea. Walking into Sonata, we immediately saw Tropea's attention to detail and love of music. There were elevated votives, flatware with gentle curves, elegant straight lines decorating the tables and wide-plank wood floors. Splashes of color popped from a quintet of paintings on the far wall. A single table for eight was set up on this dreary Monday night— an intimate candlelight dinner for food lovers.

A flute of champagne was poured for each guest to celebrate the new menu and to compliment the amuse bouche: oyster / passion fruit gelée / champagne cream. Neither of us do bicuspids so we were along for the visual feast indicating what was to come, while our lucky neighbors got double the bouche. They liked it. We had to look up amouse bouche: a single, bite-sized hors d'œuvre. Amuse-bouche are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are according to the chef's selection alone. These, often accompanied by a complementing wine, are served as an excitement of taste buds to both prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to cooking. This was a creative, modern take on the classic half shell and it seemed to be a crowd-pleaser.

The soup: rabbit andouille gumbo / polenta crouton was a hearty introduction to the crisp autumn in store for Philadelphia. Nothing staves off the cold like a hearty soup and the gumbo did not disappoint. Shredded rabbit provided the deep savory while the chive-topped crème fraîse provided the clean calming cooling. Unfortunately, the polenta crouton was a little mushy. Perhaps it sat at the bottom of the gumbo too long. Moving it atop the dish with the dollop of crème fraîse would do the trick.

Our second course of fish: potato-wrapped black cod / nappa cabbage / chicken of the woods mushrooms / sweet onion cream was regally presented. The crispy potato wrapper gave way to flaky cod which soaked up a sweet onion cream that could stand alone as a soup. The meaty mushrooms ( if you've ever taken a walk through the woods, you've seen them!) gave the dish added body. Everyone at the dinner loved the sauce so much we asked Tropea for the ingredients/process and he obliged: sweet onions cooked down in butter reduced with heavy cream and then pureed. There ya go – go forth and make your own, but be sure to invite us over to sop up your plate with some bread.

The second entree was a meat dish: stuffed pork chop / savory apple bread pudding / golden raisin purée / calvados reduction. The prettiest of the dishes which were all gorgeously plated – other eateries in town could learn a thing or two from the simple with a touch of flair presentation we took in. We love brussels sprouts. Love them, love them, love them. We were not let down. They were the first of the season for us and it was Picky's favorite part of the meal. The finely diced bacon didn't hurt and the golden raisin purée provided a different sweet touch. The pork, which Tropea told us was sous-vide, was unfortunately dry. Picky had his own and Messy's serving and only a single corner of the four pieces of chops were tender and juicy.

The cheese / salad course menu placement after the entrées was a nice touch. The Shellbark Hollows Farm goat cheese tart / grilled pears / frisée salad / spiced pecans with dashes of balsamic vinegar was a nice mix of traditional and deconstructed. The "crust" was fantastically flaky and easily absorbed into the sharp chèvre. This dish was so delicious, we could have easily eaten a larger quantity as an entree. As this was the single course which Messy could fully enjoy, Picky remained oblivious and greedily munched down his portion; he apologizes after the fact.

Our final course was a trio of desserts: mocha cappuccino mousse cake / chocolate profiteroles with chocolate hazelnut ice cream / warm chocolate beignet. We were warned that the beignets were filled with a warm chocolate by a whiz of a Sous/Pastry Chef Krystal Weaver, but Picky still bit into it as chocolate squirted out. The second beignet was tucked securely into his mouth before chomping down. It was the most inventive baked dessert we've had in a good long while.

The profiteroles were a tad hard as was the ice cream, but the flavoring of the homemade and not too sweet hazelnut came out well. The mousse cake was light in contrast to the decadent beignet. A final half dome of milk chocolate filled with caramel and sea salt came out as a nouveau after dinner sweet. Messy, who did not partake in the meat dishes, was surprisingly full and satisfied on the goat cheese tart, wine, dessert and cappuccino. But those are four of her favorite things, so other non-meat eaters might feel differently. We're told Sonata had a vegetarian entree on their summer menu but we forgot to ask if one was coming up for fall as well.

Sonata's wonderfully appointed dining room, with seating for 40, is inviting and cozy while allowing for enough space between tables to not feel the crunch of a typical 30-or-so seat restaurant. It's a young restaurant with room to grow, but on solid footing. The forced overall feel of Liberties Walk and the Piazza might push you away, but trust us, Sonata is as welcoming as a warm hearth come wintertime. Thanks to Chef Mark and the rest of his gracious crew in giving us a wonderful evening.

Sonata
1030 N. American St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 238.1240
Hours:
Tu – Th: 5pm – 10.30pm
F – Sa: 5pm – 11pm
Su: 5pm – 10.30p
M: closed
Fall 2009 menu