The Jewel of Rittenhouse by Joe Kern

Joe Kern is a 37 year old part time student, full time New Jersey National Guardsman who is trying to finally finish his BA after 10 years. He enjoys spending time with his ever growing family, hitting the gym so he can drink and eat more and is a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies fan. Interestingly, his wife and he got married on home plate at Citizen’s Bank Park. He has been championing the restaurant scene in Philadelphia for years, despite being from Jersey. And his review of a local café, Tria, shows that love.


This past weekend, my wife and I headed out to Tria Café in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia.  Located on the corner of 18th and Samson Street, this was one of two locations in Philadelphia. Tria specializes in the pairings of delightful wines, delicious food, cheeses and craft beers. They have received numerous awards plus several accommodations including six Best of Philly Awards from Philadelphia Magazine.

In addition, on-line resources such as Ratebeer.com, Imbibe and Draft Magazines have called them one of the best places to get a beer in the city. Oh, did I mention the three James Beard Nominations for Best Wine Service, as well? Quite an accomplishment for a café that is smaller than most corner bars.

Tria does not accept reservation; having to wait for a table for a large party is not uncommon. There was a small area for street-side dining; maybe when it gets warmer. While very small, Tria does have some standing room only space, but it may be too close for comfort for some.

If it was too busy, we could of opted for the number of other dining options in close proximity that offered a range of cuisines, such as The Dandelion, a newly opened Stephan Star gastro pub that would of looked at home in downtown London. However, it is not that busy tonight and the friendly hostess seated us in a comfortable booth, which was appreciated by my very pregnant wife.

Tria’s décor was very modern; complete with wood floors and funky light fixtures. The window-lined walls allowed us to people-watch while dining. The music was modern with a speaker system that kept the music flowing but not to the point that we could not enjoy a casual conversation. The “kitchen” was in full view, albeit, not a traditional one.  In Tria, the “kitchen”, is a minimalistic prep and cooking area that is based upon convenience and simplicity.

The kitchen was a voyeuristic setting containing an expansive cheese station, salad station, two Panini presses, a toaster oven, and everything was organized to perfection. Then there was the bread station, where loaves of wholesome goods and crostinis were meticulously inspected and hand selected for each item being prepped. The entire restaurant looked like one big galley kitchen with tables and padded benches near the front and high top tables closer to the back of the restaurant where the food prep was also part of the experience.

Aside from the voyeuristic vibe, the atmosphere is what the restaurant calls, “blue jeans casual,” with a really diverse crowd unlike most spots in Philadelphia; it definitely does not have the stuffy feel we have experienced at typical wine bars. The crowd ranged from cozy couples in there twenties, to local hipsters dining with their parents, to an older refined crowd that clearly resided in the affluent Rittenhouse neighborhood.

Given the mixed crowd, the servers were well equipped with both friendly personalities and knowledge about the specialty beers, wines, and cheeses. They were happy to help us make the perfect selection but were also are not pushy in their salesmanship. The beers were available both on draught and in bottles or cans ranging from local breweries such as Victory (Downingtown, PA), Dog Fish Head (Milton, DE), Yards (Philadelphia, PA), and Trӧegs (Hershey, PA) to imports from Gӧthenburg, Sweden and Berkel-Enschot, The Netherlands, to name a few (Tria Cafe ). Be sure to check often as the selection changes depending on the season.

Sarah is not much of a beer drinker, so the wine selection is where her attention would be, if not pregnant. It had no less than 36 different varietals from all over the world and the West Coast of the United States. One of my wife’s now favorite white wines is a 2010 A to Z Pinot Gris from Dundee, Oregon, which was first discovered at Tria. I prefer the full-bodied reds and they have a 2009 Syrah from Truchard Vineyards in Caneros, CA that does the trick.

Tria’s menu was Italian themed but reminiscence of Tapas style portions that go perfectly with the varied beer and wine choices. The menu was not broken down by the usual appetizer, entrée, and dessert categories but instead was organized based upon the food type.  It lists an assortment of delicious snack, bruschetta, salads, sandwiches, and sweets, all of which were encouraged to be shared dining and perfect for us to experiment with new flavors without a huge commitment. They encourage an order-as-we-go-feel, which was perfect for us as who have a tendency to fall prey to the old “eyes are bigger than our stomachs” trap.

We start off with several of our favorites, the Warm Tuscan White Bean spread with Paprika Toast, the Truffled Egg Toast with Fontina and, for the wife, Rosemary and Fennel Marinated Olives. These were priced at $5, $6.50 and $4 respectively and portioned to share. I order the Allagash White Ale while Sarah, being pregnant, gets a seltzer and cranberry.

The Tuscan Bean spread, served in a ramekin dish, had a creamy hummus texture but was neither too salty nor oily. The paprika on the perfectly crunchy toast added a bit a kick to the combination. We waste no time polishing them off and the server was quick to bring us extra crustini without even a formal request.

The waitress, who was very attentive, next brought us the Fontina Egg Toast. This was easily my favorite item on the menu. The Texas style toast was blanketed in a thick layer of melted Fontina cheese with a perfect egg. The whole thing was drizzled with truffle oil. I used the fork to cut through the toast making sure to get all the ingredients in one shot. The thick toast soaked up the egg perfectly while the fontina cheese added a bit of sharpness. It too, goes quickly leading us to contemplate what we should order next.

I finish my Allagash White and order an Anderson valley Winter Solstice. At 6.9% ABV, it definitely warmed me up on this particularly cold evening. For Sarah, another seltzer and cranberry while she stared longingly at the wine selection. Our waitress brought out the Olives and I must say, I am not a huge fan of olives unless Grey Goose accompanies them in a martini glass.  However, I’ll try anything for research and I was pleasantly surprised. The olives were a combination of Spanish-style olives; perfectly ripe and dense. The rosemary and fennel added the perfect amount of spice to the saltiness of the olives and complemented by beer perfectly.

As I considered another beverage, the Smoked Chicken with Arugala, Roasted Grapes, Candied Walnuts, Asiago with Balsamic dressing salad arrived. The chicken was drizzled in the dressing and sprinkled liberally with the candied walnuts and grapes, which added sweetness and texture to the salad.  The chicken was cooked perfectly and complimented the saltiness of the dressing. The arugula, with its peppery taste, brought it all together as we devoured it like it was our last meal. One more beer was in the books and I was feeling like a million bucks.

Next up was a Victory Red Thunder, a Baltic porter aged in a once used red-wine barrel. Luckily, they offered a 10 oz version of this 8.5 % ABV as the 25.4oz would have made the walk to the PATCO train station a staggering debacle. For dessert, Sarah ordered a decaf-cappuccino and I nursed my beer reflecting on the meal. I like this place, really like this place. We stop here before baseball games, for date night and whenever we are visiting Sarah’s old stomping ground. The music had a melodic mixture of hipster and alternative classics, all sourced from an iMac near the end of the bar.

Tria takes the wine, cheese and beer business seriously. They offer classes on fermentation and wine and cheese pairings. The website has a calendar of all upcoming events but sign up fast as the classes fill up quickly, as an FYI. It was getting to be time to head home.

As we stroll back to the PATCO station, en route to our house in suburban South Jersey, we realized how different our world could be with just a $6.00 round-trip ticket. Rittenhouse Square has so much to offer and is easily accessible by public transportation. It was worth it to spend the $6 to indulge and explore one of the last truly excellent areas of Philadelphia and to visit one of my favorite places to eat, Tria Café.