Philadelphia: Sbraga (December 2012)

My spouse and I dined at Sbraga for dinner in late December 2012 on New Year's Eve. On holidays, we tend to look for a restaurant that serves its regular menu, rather than an overpriced set menu, so Sbraga fit the bill in that respect (although they did offer a holiday menu in addition to their regular menu, in which each course was accompanied by a different champagne). We requested to sit at one of the six seats at the chef's counter, which was quite enjoyable because we were able to watch the chefs creating and plating every course in the restaurant on an extremely busy night. Sbraga is located on the Academy of the Arts, and serves dinner only Monday through Saturday. You can reserve through Open Table, although we e-mailed instead because we had a question about the availability of the regular menu on NY’s Eve and the potential of sitting at the chef’s counter. The manager, Ben, was quick to respond, and quite pleasant and helpful in arranging our spot.

The bar area is cozy, and was crowded on the festive night that we dined. Parties seemed to be lingering longer than usual, so the wait times seemed extensive, and people had nowhere to wait because the small bar area and entryway were full.

The food was fantastic - great presentation, unique ingredients, and creative flavor combinations. The 4-course menu is $49, and there are four to six choices in the appetizer, entree, and dessert categories. Two dishes that stood out as particularly fantastic are the foie gras soup and the pasta with a squid ink fettuccine topped with a 60-degree egg, which we broke and mixed into the piping hot pasta to lightly cook it. We had hoped to try the special chef's 6-course $75 tasting menu (only available on weeknights, because NY’s Eve was a Monday), but even though we dined on a weeknight, it was a holiday, and therefore, the chef's menu was not available. 

 Service was good, delivered by waiters and waitresses from the main room, not simply passed over the counter. The chef/owner, Kevin Sbraga, a Top Chef winner, was cooking that night, but he seemed a bit overwhelmed with the crowds and did not interact with us in any way. Some of the other chefs were personable, though.

We loved the food and the chic atmosphere, and thought that it was a tremendous value for the money. We will return, particularly if we can sit at the chef’s counter on a weeknight and try the 6-course tasting menu.