Back in the day when I lived in the Fairmount neighborhood at 26th and Brown Streets, shops as good as Rybread didn't yet exist, and we walked to the local corner taverns for suds and a meal. Now, this neighborhood has experienced a modest renaissance and has a good variety of kitchen alternatives within a few blocks radius. Makes me think about what it would be like to live here again in the shadow of the Museum of Art and take advantage of all the improvements.
We were showing out of town guests the beauty and grace of Philadelphia from the steps of the museum (so nice that on the weekend we could stop for a while right in front of the PMA and let our friends run up the stairs and enjoy the view without hassle). When we agreed we were hungry, I searched Yelp for local restaurants, and saw Rybread in my bookmarks. We drove there in about 3 minutes. Plenty of street parking.
There were no other customers when we arrived and we settled into the three small tables in the front of the shop. One of the friendly servers explained that we should order at the cashier and we would be called when our lunches were ready. Simple enough. There were five of us, and we wanted to sample everything that was selected. They agreed to cut the sandwiches in quarters to accommodate.
There were good looking scones in the display, and we impulsively asked for a blueberry and cranberry. Baked in house, both were excellent; slightly moist and mildly sweet. Nothing wrong with starting with dessert. We then went with the Savannah (turkey, brie, cranberry sauce and mayo on multi-grain bread), Lake Tahoe (tuna salad, cheddar, tomato on ciabatta-panini style), Napa (fresh mozza, roma tomatoes, pesto, balsamic glaze on grilled baguette), and Tucson (oven roasted turkey, swiss, red onion, chipotle mayo and tomato; ciabatta panini style). A large size soup of the day (sweet potato, chicken) was thrown in for good measure.
Each of the sandwiches was very good to excellent. The bread fresh and brought to life through the panini press or just out of the bag. The ingredients were fresh and ample. No skimping on these works of art. The soup was wholesome, hot and tasty. We congratulated ourselves on our wise choices, and the good fortune of finding this charming, yet cramped, restaurant converted out of this block of row houses.
People came and went as we sat and ate. Some came in, saw the indoor tables were occupied and walked out again. On this rainy day, the outdoor seating both front and rear was not a real option. Still others, got their meals to go.
The bill for the indulgent five of us was less than $50, with a few shared Joe's Iced Teas. At that cost, the priceless chalkboard atmosphere was free.
Would love to return for breakfast, which is available before noon. read more