photo Alex Damevski

We were recently in Philadelphia to view the new Barnes Foundation.

Afterwards we drove home through Northern Liberties to eat at Bar Ferdinand. I've written about BF before, but it seems fair to keep extolling the virtues of this grand place because it never disappoints. 

The chef is now David Ansill, who looks like he should be sitting around in Jamaica doing all things Jamaican. Instead he is here in bone chilling Philadelphia cooking for the lucky diners at BF. 

We started with a Cava Rose and the traditional duo of Toasted Marcona Almonds and Olives, marinated with the summer essence of rosemary. That alone would have been enough to transport us to a warmer, sweeter place. 

We tried the Mushroom Croquetas with herb aioli. Three puffs of earthy mushroom delight, crispy on the outside and oozing with goodness on the inside were set atop a garlicky sauce. 

We moved on to the Baked, Stuffed Oysters, again served in a set of three, the third of which we nearly fought over. 

The Frisee, Poached Egg, and Pork Belly was a wonderful followup for the crispy dishes, the egg poached to perfection and the pork belly...is pork belly ever bad?

Our bartender recommended the Roasted Mushroom Flatbread with goat cheese and truffles. When he put that in front of us we both dove in like Dominos had just delivered to a college dorm party. 

New York Strip Steak with truffles was paired with by the glass red wines recommended by our bartender.

Sitting at the bar is great fun at Bar Ferdinand. If you sit by the oven and prep station you can watch some of the dishes being created. The bartenders are very knowledgable and if they suspect that you are a food geek they will recommend specials and pairings that are superb. 

Throw in the flamenco music and dancing and you have a really festive night in store.