Choosing Sides

BRINE CANDY: The spicy Cajun popcorn shrimp are hot, but come with rmoulade to put out the fire. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

The Tenth Street Pour House straddles the line between brunch nook and Cajun cookout.

by Patrick Rapa

How do you like your home fries? Do you prefer the soft, white mosaic of assorted potato pieces? Perhaps you want them in that curiously rice-like hash brown style? Maybe shredded and fried together a la Denny's? Or does the simple orange-slice, wedge cut suit your fancy?

There are more ways to cut a breakfast potato than there are stars in the sky, and you're not always gonna like the way your local egg-hole chooses to interpret the side dish. The Tenth Street Pour House's entry into the home fries oeuvre tends to divide a room. The potato is delivered in piles of chewy, well-done half-coins -- no piece thicker than four stacked Louisiana quarters. The texture isn't quite leathery, but there is a satisfying toughness and dryness to its outer layer of faux skin.

The home fries were thinly sliced and bite-sized, observes Helen i-lin Hwang, but a little too crispy and burnt for my taste. It's a fair criticism -- the little flat potato bits are cooked convincingly, almost to exhaustion. I think many prefer it that way, concedes Helen. She's right: As a conveyance for ketchup and salt or plain and simple, the home fries might be nothing more than glorified, thrice-baked potato chips, but some people want that sort of thing.

Although it may not be immediately apparent from the decor or ambience, the spritely Pour House is a Cajun joint, quite skilled in putting a New Orleans spin on standard lunch and brunch fare. The basket of spicy Cajun popcorn shrimp ($6.95) was a warming and flavorful appetizer. Cayenne pepper spiciness was scattered unevenly, on a shrimp-to-shrimp basis. Choosing the wrong one could set the tongue aflame. Luckily a small tin of creamy rémoulade sauce accompanies the basket like a fire extinguisher. Even the least spiced little shrimp is meaty and moist, not merely a vehicle for the fried exoskeleton.

Of course, while the importance of the side dish cannot be overstated, main dishes are aptly the center of the place setting. The restaurant pours its heart into delicate but substantial sandwiches and omelettes.

The catfish po' boy sandwich was filled with lettuce, chopped tomatoes and tender flaky fish fillets encrusted with bread crumbs, fried to perfection, says Helen. The po' boy also comes in chicken and popcorn shrimp variations ($6.95 for the fish, $5.95 for the chicken), each dripping with Thousand Island dressing. I found it clumsy to bite, since the hoagie roll was overwhelmingly packed with bits of lettuce, continues Helen. Not the traditional po', Tenth Street Pour House's version was a delectable and a tasty rendition.

Other entrees went over hit-or-miss. The Jefferson sandwich ($5.50) -- bacon, turkey, tomato and melted provolone on a croissant -- was praised for its heartiness and uncomplicated flavor. But the biscuits and gravy ($4.95) proved too bland and too cold for a late breakfast on a chilly day. The consensus among those daring to stick their forks into the creamy concoction was that the biscuits were dry and the gravy was little more than flour, water and bits of sausage.

After being rejected in her desire for one of the quiche specials -- the specials, which often include sweet, fruity pancake dishes, fill up the chalkboard on the southern wall and are very popular -- Juliet Fletcher opted for the Pour House melt with tuna ($5.50).

It was tall, she recalls. A neatly balanced tower of tuna, provolone, tomatoes and garlic, fitted inside a regular bagel. My main opinion was that it was just too big, but that's just me.

But this isn't the Fork House, so some mention must be made of the various beverages available. The standard coffee and ice teas are well-done and oft-refilled. But those with more daring stomachs are well taken care of.

Juliet walked out with a Black Forest latte ($2.75), which she describes thusly: A single tall coffee mixed with chocolate and cherry syrups. Not thick but rich, on top of a nutty coffee base. I loved it unreservedly.

Helen, too, enjoyed her Peppermint Patty ($2) -- a cup of hot chocolate with a subtle minty flavor. Very yummy!

Not beholden to the heat, The Pour House offers delicious fruit smoothies in both milk- and non-milk form. Either way, they go down easy. After a sizeable and satisfying meal, the Pour House's friendly atmosphere, staff and decor let you slump, digest and read the paper -- assuming people are not waiting for your table. Although it never has the sort of sidewalk-prowling waiting list you'll find outside the Morning Glory or Sabrina's, the weekends do bring out a steady flow of brunchers to the Pour House. Sensing this, the waitstaff serve you quickly and correctly but never hurry you out the door. The abbreviated Saturday/ Sunday menu sticks to the highlights, with a few well-selected specials chalked up for good measure.

Overall, I would be glad to go back and try some more dishes, says Helen. I definitely enjoyed my po' boy and would order it again. The ingredients were all fresh, a great sign when restaurants pay attention to that logical but oft-ignored detail. The Pour House will lure me in again, I'm sure.

THE TENTH STREET POUR HOUSE

262 S. 10th St., 215-922-5626

Appetizers, $1.95-$6.95; breakfast dishes, $2-$7.95; soups and sandwiches: $3.95-$6.95

Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.3 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8:30 a.m.3 p.m.

Not wheelchair accessible. Smoking not permitted. Cash only.