Atlantic City truly lost a gem of a restaurant — a real original — when Rhythm & Spirits closed its doors a couple of years ago on Tennessee Avenue.
But what is Atlantic City’s loss is Philadelphia’s gain as a stunning, cool, hip and delicious sequel of Rhythm & Spirits recently opened in The City of Brotherly Love, and for all of those Atlantic City devotees, let me make one thing absolutely clear: It’s absolutely worth the drive to discover another Lee Sanchez culinary creation that even succeeds greater than the original.
The contemporary Italian-American-Spanish-American fusion restaurant known for its creative cocktails, inventive and modern plays on Italian classic cuisine and a social experiment where everyone feels like family may be missed in Atlantic City, but it feels perfect in its new home I the heart of Center City next to Love Park, City Hall and above the train station at Suburban Station at One Penn Center on JFK Boulevard in Philadelphia.
R&S is the eye-popping, mouth-watering handiwork of Sanchez, a food and beverage expert and founder of STW Hospitality and partner Barry Kratchman, owner of Classic Cake, a fantastic company and scratch bakery that services restaurants nationwide. Together, the distinguished entrepreneurs and visionaries duplicated the elegantly eclectic vibe that was Rhythm & Spirits Atlantic City to Philadelphia, establishing a new upscale yet approachable restaurant and bar destination.
“Even when I was in Atlantic City, it was always a dream of mine to have a second one in Philadelphia,” Sanchez said. “Many of the Atlantic City customers have homes in the Philadelphia area and always asked if we’d open a Center City location. So, we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring our ‘A.C. Famous’ Rhythm & Spirits to this city’s world-class culinary scene.”
The new R&S may be twice the size, but it still has the intimate feel and friendly customer service the original became famous for. And while much of the food will look the same, so will the décor, as the quirky atmosphere is nearly identical, including featuring some artwork and trippy, tropical decor that was transplanted to their new home along with a photo wall memorializing the fine people who made the original happen who couldn’t make the journey to Philadelphia, where a new family is building daily.
All residents and visitors of Philadelphia can look forward to enjoying award-winning cocktails, exquisite Italian-Spanish-American dishes with a modern spin, and an oasis of trippy, tropical décor all in the heart of the city.
“There isn’t anything like it in Philadelphia,” said Kratchman, who was born and raised in the city. “Rhythm & Spirits is more than a restaurant and bar. It’s an experience.”
Welcome to Rhythm & Spirits Philly
When you walk into R&S, you will certainly see some familiar faces from Atlantic City, including Sanchez, Director of Service and Brand Antoine Holt, some of the service staff and even some of the entertainment, including DJ Skyline.
There are also some new faces, including General Manager Anthony Franco, a culinary veteran of Philly and South Jersey who fits right in.
“We’re growing and preparing for spring and summer in Philadelphia,” said Sanchez about the restaurant’s first warm season. “Our café season started already with our patio right on JFK to do some great people watching. With the weather breaking, we are starting to see the business grow a lot.
With lunch and dinner and brunch on weekends, R&S covers all of the bases.
“We say Rhythm is Italian American without the rules because we kind of throw everything in to win,” Sanchez said. “Anybody that knows me knows I loosely adhere to rules. But I bring a lot of the Spanish culture, which was my father’s side of the family and my grandmother, who immigrated here from Spain, and my grandfather. The Italian side being my mother’s side, that’s where the starting point of it comes together. And then we had a lot of interesting tweaks as my travels come into play and different chefs have come into play, and we’ve kind of carried that through. But I think the birthplace of Rhythm and Spirits started in my grandmother’s basement around large tables where friends and family gather and eventually friends become family. And it all started with shared food and drink and went from there. So, it’s the same recipes that happen in those basements, whether it’s meatballs and Sunday Gravy or paella, or just sandwiches and pizza on a Sunday.”
Pizza, pizza
Oh, that pizza by the way, rocks! It’s one of the best thin-crust pizzas you will find in Philly.
“It’s a different level now,” Sanchez said. “So, we started with the dough. We’re making our own dough now. Rando’s Bakery was great to us in Atlantic City, but having full control is great for us because there’s changes that happen atmospherically with pizza dough that plays a major effect. It’s just like bread. So, being able to really tailor that and then having the right team in place, people that understand Philadelphia water really pays off at the end of the day.”
Start with the Trevi Spicy Pepperoni made with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni cups, pickled Serrano peppers and whipped ricotta with a hot honey drizzle. It’s heaven.
“The Trevi Spicy Pepperoni is by far our No. 1 seller,” Sanchez said. “People just go absolutely crazy over that pizza. It’s unbelievable. It’s just such a good pizza.”
Other standouts include the SF Chicken Pie with white sauce, mozzarella, crispy chicken cutlets, beef bacon bits and a hot sauce Fibonacci; and the Philly Roast Pork with San Marzano tomato sauce, slow-roasted pork shoulder, sharp provolone and mozzarella, broccoli rabe and long hots
Eclectic menu
The word eclectic gets thrown around way too much to describe restaurants, but it’s a perfect word for R&S … because Sanchez is an eclectic guy.
But at his heart is making people feel good, whether he wants to craft you the best craft cocktail or jump behind the line and cook himself, which he often does. And his culture and world travels really come out on the menu, challenging diners to break out of habits, let go of pretensions, explore and — most importantly — have fun.
“The one thing we hear back from people over and over again is, ‘This is not your cookie-cutter Italian-American restaurant,” Sanchez said. “The vibe is electric as an upscale tiki bar with a bit of a European café style to it. It’s on a whole other level from Atlantic City. But the goal was to create a bistro-like environment where you don’t have to worry about getting dressed up. You don’t have to worry about necessarily having reservations. But if you go in there with a suit, you don’t feel out of place either.”
Start with Sanchez’ signature Mama’s Meatballs sliders with honey-whipped ricotta that are some of the best meatballs on the planet; the eggplant stack with crispy eggplant, buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomato, arugula, EVOO and balsamic; definitely get his crispy paella that shows his Spanish origins in a fun arancini style; the chicken Savoy wings with garlic, red vinegar, herbs and Reggiano; and a roast pork taco that will knock your sombrero off thanks to its roasted garlic cherry pepper aioli. Pray that they put their braised beef taco that won them Best Taco at Atlantic City Mexican Madness last week on a future menu. It was that good.
There’s a slew of salads, including the Ricci’s Legendary Chop, which is a glorified antipasti; and a wide array of awesome sandwiches including Mom’s Cutlets — a choice of chicken or eggplant in a variety of styles served on Sarcone’s Bread, which I think is the best bread in the city.
Get the Cuzzie’s Special with honey whipped ricotta, arugula, balsamic and EVOO with the chicken cutlet. It’s a death row meal.
Of course there are some bigger, more heartier plates including a macaroni section with everything from spaghetti and meatballs to spicy rigatoni to cacio e pepe to harissa cashew Nafaldine, as well as entrees like the best-selling Southern Fried Chicken Parm with buttermilk-brined chicken cutlets deep fried and traditionally topped; a Heritage Pork Chop with black cherry Madeira glaze, crispy smashed potatoes and broccoli rabe; salmon with arugula pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes and lemon zest; and a butcher’s cut selection of the day for a steak choice.
Speaking of salads and that harissa cashew Mafaldine, which is a long, ribbon-like pasta that is 100 percent vegan, there are some healthy choices.
“We have a lot of vegan dishes that made an appearance,” Sanchez said. “We have zucchini fritters that are 100 percent vegan. Our fungi pizza really steps outside the box. It’s a vegetarian dish, but it’s got that thin golden-brown crust, a house-made bechamel sauce on the bottom, fresh mozzarella, a gremolata on top and wild mushrooms … absolutely really great pizza. And then you see a lot of dishes that come in on the dinner menu that change like the pork chop. It’s a Madeira demi that is phenomenal. The pork chop has always been a great dish, but it’s always been a straight-up dish. This really gives it a whole different level.”
While there are familiar dishes, Rhythm & Spirits likes to turn things on their head … but not too much.
“We push Philly out of its comfort zone, which I love to do,” Sanchez said. “Which is hard to do. It’s very hard to do. In Philadelphia, everybody wants to push everything to the extreme, and it’s too much for people. There’s a reason people come to a restaurant and eat chicken parm. There’s a reason I tell all my staff members chicken parm pays the bills. Because chicken parm pays the bills. But you make the best chicken parm you can make. I don’t want to be No, 1. And I’ve never said I wanted a James Beard award. I’ve never said I wanted a Michelin Star. I don’t. I don’t want the drama. I don’t want the aggravation. I don’t want the stress. But what I want is people to come in and smile, and I want to make money.”
Brunch it
My favorite time to eat at Rhythm & Spirits is brunch time, because you get the best of everything R&S has to offer along with some bonuses.
Served every day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. except Sunday, when they are closed, brunch-specific plates include a fried chicken Bene with a Belgian sugar pearl waffle ad a fried crispy chicken cutlet smothered in hot sauce Hollandaise, topped with a sunny egg and drizzled with a honey infused with Calabrian chili; and the Hammonton waffle is topped with honey whipped ricotta, fresh blueberries and a chamomile raspberry sauce.
“The Italian-American waffle features our house-made cannoli cream with orange marmalade over a Belgian sugar pearl waffle and shaved chocolate,” Sanchez added. “And then we’ve got some really cool dishes like crepes with mortadella on it and poached eggs. And our Ivan Drago oysters are baked with parmesan garlic butter and breadcrumbs made from Sarcone’s bread. Then there’s the Spaghetti Western which is awesome. It’s basically a Western omelet with Italian sausage. My favorite omelet is where we blend the spinach directly into the eggs, so it looks like green eggs and ham.”
The cocktails
Rhythm & Spirits wouldn’t be Rhythm & Spirits without a complete cocktail experience, and they really knock it out of the park with one of the best cocktail menus in Philadelphia.
Classics include plays on daiquiris, old fashioneds — get the Jalapeno Grapefruit one — Manhattans and gimlets.
Twisted cocktails include a killer fruit punch, the Pina Colada-inspired Endless Summer, the A.C. Famous T, which is like a Long Island Iced Tea but way better with no hangover, a great gin drink like the Local 215 with house-made rosemary lemon syrup and Miss Megan’s La Pina Margarita, a wrecking ball of a margarita worth the trip alone.
There’s also a nice bee menu featuring some Philly and domestic craft breweries, a great wine list and PBR Pounders if you’re slumming it.
“Yeah, it’s a fun place, and it’s a great place,” Sanchez said. “Brittany Lynn, who is of Atlantic City fame, is a former Miss’d America, does her thing occasionally as Philadelphia’s premier drag queen. Sometimes, we bring in people to sing tableside, like Paul Dempsey. So, we do a lot of different things.”
Also, check out their awesome happy hour 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays with $5 cicchetti like Boardwalk fries, Mama’s Meatball Sliders, empanadas, South Philly roast pork sliders and shrimp tacos, along with $9 wine glasses and $7 specialty drinks.
Looking ahead
R&S is still in its infancy stages, and that is a challenge Holt loves.
“My main goal is to make sure that we’re ensuring service standards; that’s the first thing,” Holt said. “That we’re doing everything the right way as it should be based on the brand. Are we doing everything the right way? Is the food coming out the right way? And, most importantly, are people coming back? We have to be out in the community and get their attention.”
Sanchez celebrates 30 years in the restaurant industry this year, and R&S has made him realize why he doesn’t love it, he lives it.
“It’s insane to think I have done this for 30 years and 20 in Atlantic City,” Sanchez said. “This is restaurant number 39 for me as far as openings go. And there will be more. I don’t know if there will be any other Rhythm & Spirits because I feel we found our home in Philadelphia. We are unapologetically who we are. Philadelphia provides the perfect melting pot for us. Philadelphia gives Rhythm the vibe and the energy it needs. We’ve always been a place where everyone can go and gather. But the fact of the matter is we’re a place you come to have fun with your friends and your family where you can get loud while having an amazing meal. We’re a place you come to make memories. And we are finally where we should be.”
(Rhythm & Spirits is located at 1417 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, above Suburban Station at One Penn Center. Go to RhythmAndSpirits.com)
