Twenty Manning, part II

It's surprising how quickly business school gets so insanely busy that you don't see people you want to see for days or even weeks on end, despite best intentions. Since school began, I'd only gotten to spend a couple of minutes here and there with MA, so we rectified that last weekend with another dinner at Twenty Manning.

This time was even more successful than the first. The same lovely warm bread and butter emerged to tide us over until our entrees came out. After I reported good things about the tuna burger, MA concentrated on the burger section; being a fan of the bison, he got the bison burger. This was well-received, and the fries-- hoo boy, the fries-- were as insanely addictive as ever.

Not as many fries this time, but still delicious as ever

My choice this time around was the chop chop salad, with "four lettuces," cucumber, green peas, apples, tomatoes, and herb-citrus vinaigrette. I requested it without cheddar cheese, because cheddar in salads always seems like a waste to me (the flavor always gets lost in the mix, and it's so bad for you it's kind of not worth it). It was seriously tasty even so, with a hefty portion of vibrant veggies and a tangy and bright vinaigrette. I particularly noted that the peas were really, really sweet and clearly garden-fresh--gotta love summer. I would definitely go back for the chop chop salad rather than the beets.

Filling and healthy and summery

Based on two visits, Twenty Manning is a solid neighborhood contender, great for a laid-back catch-up dinner or a cocktail or two. It earns its three Offset Spatulas handily.

Twenty Manning
261 S. 20th Street, at Manning
215-731-0900

Twenty Manning, part I

Upon the recommendation of AB, I made it a priority to check out Twenty Manning, a seemingly casual-but-upscale neighborhood spot on Twentieth Street just north of Spruce. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in for a quick weeknight meal with AP for my first go-round.

I really like the vibe of the restaurant. It's got an appealing aesthetic, with lots of wood and white paint, straight out of a Restoration Hardware catalogue. And the menu covers all the new-American comfort food bases, from a small list of "snacks" (olives, fries) to complement the well-edited list of wines, cocktails, and beers to a range of burger options.

The meal started with some slightly unusual bread, warm (just out of the oven?) mini-baguettes tinged with caraway seeds. The bread is truly high quality, and though I'm not a rabid lover of the flavor of caraway, these were good enough to convince me to keep nibbling.

Best with some of their sweet butter

With the help of AP, we dove into the burgers head-on. He ordered the tuna burger, which comes with ginger-soy marinade and avocado-wasabi mayo. He enjoyed the burger, although he noted it could have used a bit more flavor from the marinade. The fries, however, which came in a portion bordering on "metric ton," were a huge hit-- crisp and thin and insanely, ridiculously addictive. Bring a fry-loving friend if you tackle the burger, because it's hard to eat that many fries on your own. (Note: Not impossible, but challenging.)

Burger dwarfed by mound of fries

My choice was the farmer's market beets with goat cheese, lavender honey, and aged balsamic. I was really looking forward to this dish (also on the recommendation of AB), and I was actually a bit disappointed that I didn't like it more. The beets were huge chunks of the red and yellow varieties, tender and flavorful, but their sheer quantity overwhelmed the other elements. After a while, eating a whole lot of beets just gets a little old... and even with the funk of the goat cheese and the tang of the balsamic, the dish was a little tiresome by the end. I'm also not the hugest fan of lavender in my food, and though this was surely not overpowering, I'd prefer non-lavender honey.

So many beets...

Based on first impressions, Twenty Manning was a solid three Offset Spatula joint-- casual, with friendly, accommodating service and decent, well-priced food. Would my second visit corroborate those impressions? Stay tuned...

Twenty Manning
261 S. 20th Street, at Manning
215-731-0900