-Brenda Hillegas
Last week, my friend and I walked a mile and a half from Broad & South down to Old City in 90 degree heat for fun. Sure we could have jumped in an Uber or relied on SEPTA, but it seemed like a great idea with a very delicious reward waiting for us. Forsythia, a charming Philly restaurant with a French flare, recently launched their summer bar menu which is available daily- bar only- from 7pm until close.
Chef Christopher Kearse and his team created a menu that’s really hard to choose from because you’ll want it all. I highly suggest picking a few options and sharing with a friend. We ordered a few of the smaller plates first- Rohan Duck and Chicken Rillette (this comes with Wild Blueberry Moutard and I could eat that all day, just give me a bowl of the blueberries!) and Beer Batter Fried Cornichons. These are both great starter options, light enough to order much more, but good enough on their own if you only have time for a quick bite before a show.
We went in knowing we definitely had to order the Soft-Shell Crab BLT with heirloom tomato, double smoked bacon, and sauce gribiche AND the Parisian Gnocchi with blue crab, summer squash, and crab fat butter. These can definitely be split, but no judgement if you eat it all by yourself (because I ended up not sharing so much of the incredible gnocchi)! The BLT is huge and a must try!
There are three drinks on the summer bar menu too and, yes, we tried them all. La Vie En Rose (Gin, Carpano Bitter, Lime Cordial, Lillet Rose) and Third Time’s The Charm (Rival Bros’ Espresso, Vodka, Chocolate, Vanilla) are available daily. A third cocktail rotates, so definitely ask about it. The night we went was a Strawberry Alarm Clock (Mint and Green Tea Pisco, Sherry, Montenegro, Strawberry Coconut Milk). I’d like to petition to have this on the dessert menu daily- I loved it so much!
And speaking of dessert, of course we had to check out Forsythia’s dessert menu. Two of the items included coconut (my favorite), so that’s what we ordered. Coconut Financier– Cassis Caramel, Honeycomb, Coconut Cremeux and Honey Pot de Creme– Strawberry Gelee, Coconut, Chocolate Sauce.
The summer bar menu is perfect for a post-happy hour meal when you’re just not quite ready to go home. Or, if you’re like me and say yes to meeting friends for a drink at 9pm (aka bedtime), Forsythia is a great stop to fuel up first.
Though the summer bar menu is available only at the bar, you can order from the entire Forsythia menu at the bar as well. The restaurant’s happy hour (Sunday through Friday 5pm to 7pm) is also fantastic and I’ll be back for bites and cocktails before shows at the Arden next season.
Check out the full menu here and visit ASAP! Happy Summer!
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