It’s hard to the improve upon the killer dining options around 20th and Sansom Streets – Melograno, Capogiro Gelato, Tinto and the upcoming pub from Jose Garces, Village Whiskey – but Noble plans to pump up the pedigree with a neighborhood restaurant serving seasonally-inspired American fare that aims to be both sophisticated and accessible.
Owners Bruno Pouget, Todd Rodgers and James Beard Award-nominated chef Steven Cameron, who are also partners in acclaimed Shore restaurant Blue, decided the time was right to bring their concept to the big city and undertook a gut renovation of the Sansom Street space, adding brilliant skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows that open out onto the street. Reclaimed wide-plank hickory floors and a a 20-foot bar topped with a 400-year-old Bubinga tree trunk paired with spare whitewashed brick walls and custom-made banquettes give it a rustic-modern look.
So what does sophisticated, accessible, seasonally-inspired fare look like? Cameron’s opening menu includes batter-fried wild Atlantic squid with hearts of palm and grapefruit, grilled free-range veal flank, and lemon-braised short ribs with fava relish, for starters. Expect to see the menu change as the weather does.
