Wm. Mulherin’s Sons – Philadelphia – USA

Wm. Mulherin’s Sons

What a crazy few weeks its been, what with the current climate I’ve been too sad to photograph any food for a few days believe it or not. So many important questions unanswered such as ‘is the price of pasta & Italian food going to go up?’. The unknown was getting me down. However, I was lucky enough to get out of the U.K for a few days and head to Philadelphia on a work trip.

I wasn’t too sure anything was going to get me in the mood to share food pics. However, that all changed with my second visit to Wm. Mulherin’s sons. They are a phenomenal Italian restaurant in Fishtown, Philly. A fellow foodie friend recommended it a few months ago. I fell in love with it then, and when I returned last week it was even better than I had remembered. These are rare, special moments in a foodie’s life. All you have to do is embrace it – which can only be a good thing right?

Wm. Mulherin’s sons has a great vibe, it’s the sort of place that makes you feel ‘cool’ just by walking into the establishment. A stunning Art Deco bar is the centre piece of the front dining room, where bartenders knock up beautiful cocktails from an extensive liqueur collection. Bronze pendant lights hang from the tall ceilings, dark  leather seats invite you to get comfortable and beautiful, sexy photographs hang on the exposed brick walks.

The menu is one of those where you literally get the “I need to try everything on the menu or you might cry!!!” syndrome. As well as salivating starters, pizza & pasta, they also offer up meat and fish for main courses. There is a definite sense of traditional Italian cuisine at the heart of the menu. Nevertheless, some dishes have been given a creative fearless twist. A sense of confidence from the chefs that I truly respect.

The Meal

For dinner we had an award winning wine from Puglia called Susumanielo (2013). I’m no wine connoisseur and chose it as it came from my native Puglia, I chose well though – a sophisticated light red to compliment all the different flavours without overpowering the taste buds.

We started with a pizza topped with tomato, mortadella, pistachios, capers, garlic and red onion. All traditional Italian ingredients but a combination never seen on pizza before (not by me, anyway). It was fab-u-lous! The sour dough base was so moorish and just slightly over done which I love. The combinations of the flavours were perfect!

Up next! I chose a pasta which was a little bit special. Home made tagliolin with morel mushrooms, broad beans, white truffle butter sauce and Parmesan. A real light creamy texture made this a totally sexual experience.

By this point I was getting kind of full, but I couldn’t resist the Pork Rib eye steak served with white asparagus, fig, almond and chantarelle mushroom. The pork was so tender and seasoned perfectly which was beautifully paired up with the sweetness of fig and almond glaze server with it.

In a (pistachio) nutshell – I love this place! The food, the wine, the service (these guys really knew their stuff) and sexy lighting made this an unforgettable meal. If you ever get to go to Philadelphia it would be an atrocity if you did not come to visit. The restaurant is opening a hotel above it, so rest assured I’ll be paying another visit when I am back out here – and sleeping off all that amazing food upstairs after!