Hinging on the 'Hood

Hinge Cafe in Port Richmond

by Trey Popp

When M.L. Simone opened Hinge Café in Port Richmond four years ago, the place had two electric burners and a cookie convection oven. Stationed on an unlikely corner in a neighborhood that didn't know what to make of a coffee shop — much less one that doubled as an art house and yoga studio — the aspiring community hub had to work hard to coax people beyond the most basic fare.

But patience paid off. New people came into the neighborhood and started ordering spinach and goat cheese omelettes; two burners turned into four. This August, Hinge closed for two weeks for a total kitchen overhaul, after which chef Kenneth Therrien took over the dinner menu. Now he's cooking with gas — 10 burners' worth.

On a recent evening, the cozy main dining room was filled with the warm sounds of a gentleman playing laidback standards on an electric keyboard. Menus came to my wife and me, followed soon by a couple of toys for our junior food critic. This is probably the last time the burgeoning tyrant will be coming along with us, but Hinge's vibe is so friendly and comfortable that it almost made me forget the reasons why.

I wish that had carried over to the cooking. "We have to have the hometown favorites, and have them every week," Simone told me later, "but we also have to have some sort-of dazzlers for people who want to have something different every time they come." We went for the dazzlers but found them drowning in a little too much cream.

Plump scallops were properly cooked, and I liked the shredded brussels sprouts and bacon that topped them off, but the bed of squash risotto suffered from a dairy overload. Same went for a sweet potato and chorizo soup, where a heavy hand with the béchamel resulted in a semi-congealed texture. A tender piece of steak was better, albeit in a multiple-personality sort of way. It came in a nori crust touched with a lime-soy-Tamari sauce, sandwiched between Napa cabbage and breakfast-style potatoes.

Next time I'll go the down-home route, especially if the housemade pierogies are available. And there will definitely be a next time: I've got to have another piece of Simone's mom's oatmeal cake. Topped with walnuts and coconut, it was the best dessert surprise I've had in ages. I guess I have my own hometown favorite to look forward to now.

(t_popp@citypaper.net

Hinge Café | 2562 E. Somerset St., 215-425-6614, hingecafe.com

Hours: Mon.-Tue., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wed.-Sat., 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.Appetizers, $4-$13; Entrées, $13-$24

BYOB

Wheelchair accessible (call in advance)