The $35 Challenge: Eat Like It’s Restaurant Week At Vernick Food & Drink


$35 for three courses sounds like a helluva deal. And that’s what Restaurant Week is built around. But say you want to go somewhere awesome without having to deal with the crowds, the restrictions and the stressed-out wait staffs that are also a part of Restaurant Week. Is that possible?

It is, even if you happen to find yourself among the high heels and yappy dogs of Rittenhouse Square. Just aim yourself toward 21st and Walnut and deliver yourself into the hands of the crew at Vernick Food & Drink. Don’t believe you can get out of there with three courses for $35? Then check out the math:

  • Peas and bacon on toast $7
  • Crispy potatoes with shishito peppers $6
  • Pork blade steak with onion marmalade and sauteed mustard greens $22

All that, and for a grand total of $35, on the nose. Granted, if you’re willing to go just a little bit higher you could opt for the fromage blanc with kumquats on toast ($7), then the mussels in Dijon broth ($14) and then the potato ravioli with braised lamb and long beans ($15) for a total of $36, but that’s just crazy talk. Why would anyone pay $36 for a three-course dinner at one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Philladelphia when they could head down to Bleu Martini on 2nd Street and get chicken fingers, Cajun salmon and a slice of cheesecake for $35?

Ugh.

All Restaurant Week Coverage [Foobooz]

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