Through the Great Vine

Chick's Café & Wine Bar does big things with small plates.

by Trey Popp

SEEING RED: Chick's offers around 40 wines by the glass, including this Martín Códax Ergo Tempranillo from the La Rioja province of Spain. Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

There's been a fascinating archaeological discovery in Philadelphia � and it has nothing to do with the dig at Sixth and Market streets. The President's House may be soaking up all the attention, but if you want to know how far the city has come in the last three decades, walk half a dozen blocks south to Chick's Café and Wine Bar and ask for the menu. Not the small-plates and wine-by-the-glass smorgasbord that debuted two months ago � this is what you'll use to order, but hold off just a minute. A few weeks ago, bartender Tomas Oliver was poking around in the dust upstairs and came across the wine list from the restaurant's previous incarnation. This, history buffs, is what you want to look at.

Had you walked through the door in the 1970s, when the corner spot at Seventh and Kater had a whiff of Cosa Nostra about it, your best wine bet would have been a toss-up. On one hand, you could have opted for Italy by way of a thin red from the mega-producer Bolla. On the other, you could have selected from several New World vintages � as long as you didn't mind that each came from Ernest and Julio Gallo. If none of those caught your eye, perhaps you would have wandered to the menu box praising the "fine white wine" mixed with "natural fruit flavors" � by Bartles & Jaymes.

Thank God the good old days are gone.

The new Chick's retains the charm of its original pressed-tin ceiling and walls and the warmth of its classic cherry bar, but now it's got a menu to match the congenial atmosphere. Though the food and drink offerings are still evolving � there are plans to expand the operation to the second floor � the transformation has been a success so far.

Jim Piano's kitchen emphasizes conventional small-plate arrangements, turning out dishes that are up to date, if not quite adventurous. In my experience, the best ones were the simplest. There's nothing complicated about a pear salad with soft goat cheese and sliced almonds, but it certainly helps to have butterhead lettuce as fresh and unblemished as what was plated on a recent visit. The shoestring fries fall into the same category. Fried along with garlic and rosemary to a perfect crisp and served with a lemony aioli, they could easily be among Philadelphia's best, even without the brittle leaves and garlic nuggets that collect in the bottom of the basket as a final treat.

Some dishes need a little tweaking. A flatbread with figs, blue cheese and sautéed red onions makes for a can't-miss flavor profile, but the crust didn't quite work. The edges had a satisfying crunch, but the middle area beneath the cheese was too bendy between the teeth � not quite soggy, but getting there. The meat in a braised shortrib dish was tender as could be, but its flavor was diluted by the soft polenta that it rode on top of. That cornmeal substrate might have been more successful with lamb shoulder or another more distinct-tasting meat.

One plate that was a delight from the first glance to the last bite was an almond-crusted soft-shell crab. It came on a bed of al dente corn kernels seeded with fresh fava beans and mellow chanterelles and a hint of balsamic vinegar that brightened it all. This dish was also a demonstration of the attention paid by the kitchen staff to anything fresh and green. I would have been happy with the pretty fava beans alone, but the delicate clusters of lamb's lettuce that crowned the crab were more impeccable still.

While the kitchen mainly sticks to the emerging standards of the local small-plates renaissance, the wine list bucks a trend or two. For one thing, if there did happen to be any of that old Gallo in basement, it would be the only American stuff in the joint. For another, Chick's euro-dominated selection isn't concerned with aping Robert Parker's palette. There's sure to be a few highly extracted fruit bombs among the 40-odd vintages available by the glass, but judging from the seven I sipped, you're more likely to encounter subtlety and restraint.

You may also come across a few small surprises. I've seen a few of these labels in other restaurants around town, but not many. When glass prices hover in the $8-to-$12 range, with none representing much of a bargain due to the strictures of the state monopoly, it's critical to offer customers the chance to try something new. Chick's does a pretty good job. I rarely think to order a Garnacha Blanca, but the Spanish one they keep on hand is an excellent choice for someone who wants a layered, full-bodied white without settling for yet another buttery chardonnay.

Nevertheless, when any restaurant serves 40 wines by the glass, some bottles are bound to sit around for a few days after they get opened. A layer of argon gas deposited in each open bottle at the end of the night will buy a little time, but I had a couple of glasses that oxygen had gotten the better of. (The problem was quickly remedied by the uncorking of a new bottle.) Don't be afraid to ask for a taste before you splurge on a full glass. The servers are happy to oblige.

Just don't ask for an iced-down bottle of Bartles & Jaymes.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Chick's Café & Wine Bar

614 S. Seventh St.215-625-3700Small plates, $5-$16Cheese, $6-$26