Jen T.
Yelp
Wow, so the first reviewer who left a one star review? That was really not necessary. Opening night for a very hyped place is bound to have hiccups, and my group of five had a similar experience (came at 5pm, waited in line, were told to come back another time or put our names down for later), so we opted to put our names down and idled away the time at nearby Martha and Philadelphia Brewing Co. Yes, we ended up waiting 3.5 hours for a table (we were seated at around 8:30 and ended our meal at around 10:30), but again--super hyped place on opening night, and it's the night before the 4th of July so lots of people can leave work a little early, yeah? The employees managing the line were very apologetic but they had to do what they had to do, and ultimately, we had a great time, thanks to the gorgeous ambiance and very attentive service (shout out to our server Jacob!).
The food exceeded expectations. My group has all eaten at Beddia, Suraya, and Kalaya, the predecessors of this place, and I dare say we like picnic equally or possibly even better, thanks to its casual atmosphere, reasonable prices, and friendly service. Plus, there's actually parking in East Kensington, unlike in Fishtown.
We snagged a bottle of chilled red from the wine area on the way in and were given a bucket of ice to keep it cool. Seemed from first glance that most bottles were around $50-70, but I didn't go looking to see if there were cheaper or pricier bottles (I'm sure there were). They also had a bar with cocktails and non-alcoholic options, including a $10 or $12 glass of N/A pinot noir that I thoroughly enjoyed. I once had a N/A chardonnay and it tasted like grape juice. This N/A pinot straight up had the right mouth feel, with tannins and all!
The prices are reasonable, given the very high quality of the food. We ordered a half baguette with cultured butter and anchovies, charred summer beans, a whole rotisserie chicken, smoked salmon sandwich, grilled oysters, and an Italian sausage with raclette that I am just now realizing never came--hopefully we weren't charged for it. The bread came first with a generous cup of butter. The bread was crusty and soft, with delicious subtle flavors that blended wonderfully with the creamy butter and salty anchovies. Next came the grilled oysters, which were so tender and covered in a tangy, spicy sauce. No picture of those because they were devoured. The charred summer beans were wonderfully smokey and citrusy, the perfect summer garden dish, and while I could not eat the smoked salmon sandwich, I'm told by my group that it was delicious, and it looked very good.
The biggest snafu was that the chicken took an extremely long time to come out, but we were lucky to be one of the last tables to snag one because they eventually ran out! And they ended up giving us free dessert because of the wait. But the chicken was well worth it. Crisp outside yet impossibly juicy and tender on the inside, with four delightful sauces that we all dipped in equally (though I was partial to the chili oil and my husband loved the peruvian salsa verde). My husband declared it some of the best chicken he's ever had. I thought it was a bit too salty but otherwise would agree. And the desserts--the chocolate cake with candied pecans and caramel, and yogurt soft serve with olive oil--were not too sweet, rich yet not too decadent, complex and oh so pleasing. The perfect way to end the meal.
So yes, the wait to get in was long, they might've forgotten our Italian sausage, and the chicken took forever to come to our table, but we had a lovely time and would definitely come back. I'm sure they'll have learned a lot from opening night and will iron things out as they go.