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September 26-October 2, 2002 food Table for Brew
Manayunk Brewing Co.'s dishes are nearly a match for its beers. Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant4120 Main St., 215-482-8220 Appetizers, $5.25-$10.50; entrees, $13.50-$19.75 Lunch: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 5-10 p.m., Fri-Sat., 5-11p.m., Sun. 5-9 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Smoking section. Reservations recommended. All major credit cards. Perhaps there is still enough time before summer’s lease runs out to enjoy the outdoor deck at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant. It is surely the largest one on the Schuylkill River, and probably the most attractive. We are sitting right on the water, surrounded by large old trees that grow down to the shore. In the terraces above us there are little lights blinking, and a faux palm tree glitters beside us. Of course, there is an interior -- large, comfortable, with a view of the brew vats that have given this spot its name. The charming waitress suggests a beer-tasting -- 3-oz. samples of each of the company's five fresh draft beers for $5 -- so naturally we must have it. Krook's Mill American pale ale is award-winning, and the critics were right. It is dry but floral, and I stick with that throughout the meal. Skip the limited wine list that is state store-oriented and drink the beer that they make here -- again the concept of terroir appears, in the close relationship between the beers and the food that they serve with them. Brian Duffy, the executive chef, a graduate of The Restaurant School, has traveled to France, cooked with Jean Marie Lacroix and worked just about everywhere, most recently at McCormick & Schmick's and Downey's. "It's so much more fun here," Brian says. "Here I deal with the brewers and the music besides the kitchen." (Music is the live music that they have every night and at Sunday Brunch -- "Jimmy Buffet-style and jazz," he assures me.) On to the food, and from the appetizers I see a pattern emerging -- Duffy likes sweets. He has jumped on the maple syrup bandwagon, putting it into a whiskey dipping sauce for the crab and corn fritters. This time it works, and it is a great combo with the creamy, nutty-tasting fritters. On the other hand the KoDu salad, which includes mixed greens and shiitake mushrooms, also has caramelized cashews, sliced apples and a raspberry vinaigrette and is much too sweet for me. The panko-crusted coconut shrimp, crisp and meaty, naturally has a sweet dip but the Thai spices in it give it enough heft to rise above the sweetness with an aftertaste of heat. The vaunted baby back ribs are sweet too, but not falling-off-the-bone tender. (The chef admits they were not cooked long enough that night.) But go down the list -- smoked seafood comes with tomato applesauce, mahogany wings have a sweet and tangy teri-glaze, and calamari can be had with a sweet balsamic glaze. It all could induce a diabetic coma! We do better with the entrees. The cedar plank salmon is fine, a huge hunk of pink, slightly rare salmon with woody hints from the cedar. I sidestep the Bing cherry sauce that they assure me is a winner, and just have fresh lemon with the fish. And lemon is also all that the crab cakes need. They are all lump and claw meat, creamy and satisfying, quickly sauteed and topped with lemon and caper butter. Both dishes come with the same cookie-cutter squash, carrots, pea pods and black and white rice. Of course, duck à l'orange is expected to have a sweet sauce of orange juice, sugar and triple sec, and roasted chicken can be appealing when it's glazed with tarragon, lemon and honey, but a 12-oz. steak marinated in porter and honey? Concentrate instead on classics like the salmon or meatloaf or pastas and ahi tuna, or a spicy étouffée full of crawfish, mussels, shrimp and andouille sausage, or even the baby back ribs, if it's a good night. Look, I'm sure that Brian knows the demographic. Mine is just one little voice in the scheme of things. And he's appealing to a very mixed crowd here -- I see kids as well as seniors on the deck tonight. Desserts disappoint. Only the crème br¸lée is made in-house, and it also has not had enough fire -- the sugar topping is granular, not melted enough. I'm told that this will soon change. The Snickers pie is pretty good, as is the chocolate decadence, but basically, I've had enough sweets for the evening. Though Manayunk Brewery is the 50th largest microbrewery in the country, Brian says he wants it to be known as "a restaurant who happens to make their own beer." With his impressive background and beer-friendly menu, he should have no problems fulfilling that wish. And they do try hard -- "New England Lobsterbake Night" with 1-1 1/2-lb. lobsters on Mondays, a magician on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, and of course, live music. 
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