Opening Menus for Whetstone Tavern


Photo by Brian Leahy

Whetstone | Photo by Brian Leahy

Whetstone Tavern, the American restaurant from Brauhaus Schmitz chef Jeremy Nolen is scheduled to open this Wednesday, July 15th at 700 South 5th Street. The restaurant, saw several setbacks as it approached its opening day, including water damage, inspection woes, and even a visit from an inflatable rat. But that’s all behind Nolen and Doug Hager, the Brauhaus Schmitz owner who is a partner in Whetstone. The food veers away from the German food that has brought him notoriety at Brauhaus. Instead expect dishes as diverse as Kung Pao chicken wings and Passyunk Pork, a 12-ounce bone-in pork chop prepared, with a tip of a cap to Philadelphia’s roast pork sandwich, with sharp provolone polenta, broccoli rabe and pork cracklings.

Classics like Pepper Pot Soup, beef tenderloin and crab cakes will offer options for the adventurous and the risk averse. Sandwiches include a $10 roast beef sandwich made with 28-day dry aged strip loin and a burger than is $9 for a single, $12 for a double.

Seafood also plays an important part of the menu. Harkening back to the location’s days as Coquette (where Nolen worked), a daily selection of oysters will be available, and mussels, steamed clams and “Mom’s Clam Cakes” will all have a place on the menu.

Dessert is the province of Nolen’s wife Jessica. Look for classics like warm apple pie, chocolate-peanut butter cake and lemon meringue cheesecake.

For drinks, Whetstone will offer fifteen beers on tap, a list of cocktails and twenty-or-so wines by the glass.

Whetstone will be open seven days a week for dinner, the kitchen open till midnight. Look for brunch down the line.

Full menus for Whetstone Tavern

Whetstone Opening Menu

Whetstone Opening Menu

Whetstone Dessert and Charcuterie Menu

Whetstone Dessert and Charcuterie Menu

Whetstone [Foobooz]