Burnt Umbrage

POMME DâOR: You canât go wrong with the fries at The Abbaye. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

The likeable Abbaye disappoints.

by Howard Altman

There are certain restaurants, in certain neighborhoods, run by certain people, that you just want to like.

The Abbaye, in Northern Liberties, is one of those places.

Marc Sonnstein -- who used to run the Griffin Cafe in Old City -- is a warm, affable restaurateur who has created a warm, affable vibe in this NoLib Belgianesque eatery with exposed brick walls and an extensive menu and beer selection. With large windows looking onto North Third Street, in one of the city's most artistically vibrant neighborhoods, The Abbaye's energy adds to the ambiance.

Too bad, however, the same cannot be said for its kitchen. Considering all the factors that make this restaurant a place that deserves tremendous success, the kitchen's seeming inability to manage cooking temperatures on a recent visit was a huge letdown.

Our meal actually started off quite pleasantly.

The lamb stew ($7) was a thick, flavorful mélange of succulent lamb chunks and tender vegetables stewed in a rich, tasty broth. The wings with smoky Chimay sauce ($7) were also quite good, bathed in a sauce "heavy on the wine-y accents of its Chimay base," noted City Paper ad rep Chris Jahnke, a former cook. The herbed goat cheese plate with apples, pears and spicy sausage ($10) rated highly, as well. And the pomme frites ($3) were spectacular, a heaping mound of thin, house-cut potatoes that rival anyone's.

The Caesar salad with skirt steak ($8), however, was an omen of things to come. While the dressing had a magnificent garlicy tang, the skirt steak -- perhaps the most underappreciated cut of meat -- was way overcooked and chewy. The Abbaye salad with walnuts, blue cheese and bacon ($7) suffered from bland dressing and wilted greens. It was redeemed a bit by plenty of blue cheese and walnuts.

The mussels ($7) were oversteamed and came in a bland broth. The Belgian beer chili ($7) was fine, with more than a hint of Belgian beer as flavoring. The crab spring rolls with plum sauce ($7) had almost no crab filling or flavor, though the sauce had a nice sweet-and-tangy balance.

Even after this decidedly mixed round of appetizers, this Lunch Bunch was still rooting for The Abbaye, and not just because Sonnstein joined us for a breezy chat about life in the restaurant business. Looking around, we could see that guests were enjoying themselves despite the rainy day. And there is something very special about that which no criticism can completely outweigh.

Alas, the chef's inattentiveness would continue, challenging our goodwill.

The Belgian beer-battered fish and chips ($9) was so overcooked that it bordered on burnt while the fish inside bordered on undercooked, a pretty good indication that the oil was way too hot.

But it wasn't just the oil. The chipotle burger with asiago cheese ($8), ordered medium rare, came out medium well, rendering the patty devoid of both taste and juice. The grilled oolong smoked bluefish ($10) had taste, but was also severely overcooked, leaving it with the texture of soggy cardboard.

The hickory-smoked grilled lamb loin chops ($14) were also overcooked and surprisingly tasteless. The crab cake sandwich ($8) had too much filler and not enough crab.

The whole trout, cornmeal encrusted and pan fried ($12), was a large portion that, though not as devoid of flavor as the other entrees, would have benefited from less crust and more reliance on the delicate natural taste of the fish.

Even after all this, we were hoping that dessert would redeem the kitchen. Our server was extremely pleasant and helpful and, as we would later learn, she even made the whipped cream.

Amazingly, even the pecan pie was burnt, though that didn't really affect the taste, which was very good -- thick, rich yet not too cloyingly sweet. The strawberry clafouti was equally delicious, with a good custard flavor and texture infusing the thinly cut fruit. The bread pudding also worked well, with good texture and toasted almonds. But the cantaloupe ice cream was, in the words of Jahnke, more like cantaloupe ice, with only a barely perceptible trace of fruity sweetness.

Jahnke summed up our visit to The Abbaye quite well.

"I very much wanted to like The Abbaye and have a wonderful time there, if only to increase the likelihood of a trip to NoLib," he said. Unfortunately if this was the only restaurant the neighborhood had to offer, I wouldn't step beyond Spring Garden very often. With a penchant for poor temperature control, whether burned fish or pie, hot oil or freezer-burned ice cream, The Abbaye does not live up to its better neighbors."

THE ABBAYE

637 N. Third St., 215-627-6711

Appetizers, $7; sandwiches, $8; entrees, $9-$14

Noon to 1 a.m. daily

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is permitted in the bar area. Reservations accepted for parties of six and larger. All major credit cards except Discover.