Highlights and Missteps at Pickled Heron

Leah Blewett does experience some excellent dishes at Fishtown’s BYOB, Pickled Heron. Unfortunately there are also some stumbles.

Seared scallops are tender clouds drifting on sunchoke puree and a scattering of toothsome fava beans, the entire dish brightened by a judicious squeeze of lemon: early spring on a plate. The house-cured charcuterie includes mortadella with pistachios that is subtly sweetened with a hint of clove and brings life to the otherwise dry house-baked bread.

But for these highlights, there are twice as many missteps. The spring garlic soup, creamy and light, lacks salt despite a handful of duck prosciutto lurking beneath the surface. Veal breast is prepared porchetta-style, but the delicate flavor of the meat is lost, no match for the heavily breaded, fried white-bean cake served alongside; it’s essentially a refried bean croquette.

Pickled Heron in Fishtown Needs to Figure Out Where It’s Going [Philadelphia Weekly]
Pickled Heron [Official Site]