I admit it. I had preferential good feelings about Bar Ferdinand before I even set foot in the place, so this review might be a little biased. You see, my astrological sign is Taurus and, as a kid, “The Story of Ferdinand,” a beautiful book about a bull who wasn’t like the others, was one of my favorites. While the other young bulls would butt heads and jab each other with their horns, Ferdinand just wanted to be left alone in a patch of flowers.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be bullish to appreciate Bar Ferdinand, 1030 N. Second St. It’s a lovely spot in Northern Liberties that evokes memories of Spain. Owner Owen Kamihira is a noted artist and the visionary behind many of the city’s most memorable culinary landmarks, including his own El Camino Real and the iconic Buddakan buddha and Continental martini olive.
He really pulled out the stops for his own place, with hand-tiled mosaics and a variety of seating arrangements to choose from depending on your mood. There’s a large communal table in the center of the main room, etched with roses, as well as tall tables lining the windows and seating along the marble-topped bar. There is also plenty of seating outside along Liberties Walk and a second dining room that opens onto the walk and has a European feel. The rose theme is carried throughout the restaurant, with hundreds of roses suspended from the ceiling around the bar. And to my great joy, mosaics depicting bulls are subtly scattered around the restaurant.
We chose a large, comfortable booth near the front door. My dining companions were Tawana Grayson, owner of the Philadelphia Firebirds, and her partner (we need a better word), Sherry McCoy. The food at Bar Ferdinand is served tapas-style, small plates that give everyone a chance to try a multitude of dishes. We started with the filete a la parilla ($9), grilled marinated filet mignon served on skewers in a pistachio pesto. Generally, I like a hint of pink on the meat, and although these were grilled through, they managed to be incredibly tender.
Next up was the sandia quemada ($5), four cubes of watermelon charred and topped with a slice of Serrano ham and a sprig of tarragon. I enjoyed the sweet-salty combination more than my companions did.
Fortunately, Sherry was a more adventurous eater and game for anything. In fact, her choice was the codorinz crujiente con meil ($7), crispy quail served on a bed of arugula and spinach with cabrales cheese and honey vinaigrette. I actually passed on this one, but she assured me it was delicately crunchy and delectably seasoned.
Our next tapas order was the table favorite of the evening. Recommended by our server, we ordered the manchego frito ($5), a membrillo-stuffed cube of fried manchego cheese in a walnut purée topped with frozen green-apple foam. Aside from being delicious, the contrast of the hot cheese and cold foam was a pleasure for the senses. Speaking of a pleasure for the senses, I should make note that our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive, as was all the staff.
From the empanadas section of the menu, we ordered the pollo y patata ($7), roasted organic chicken with potato, olives, capers and piquillo peppers in a spicy paprika aioli. These were good, though they were eclipsed by the datiles con tricho ($4), also from the empanadas section. The datiles were puff pastries filled with dates, bacon and cream cheese. Surprisingly, they were not as sweet as expected but had a rich and hearty filling. We liked these enough to go for two orders (I took some home).
Ever adventurous, Sherry ordered the calamares rellenos ($8), a hollow of squid seared and stuffed with shrimp and leeks, in a sauce of sage brown butter. It was a thick cut yet tender, and the brown butter sauce was a perfect complement.
Also in the seafood vein, we had a taste of the chorizo del pulpo ($14), octopus treated like a sausage. It was encased like a sausage, poached, sliced and then seared a la plancha to create small medallions, served atop a warm salad.
It must have been the Mediterranean vibe in the room that caused us to stick with seafood for the rest of the meal. The next dish was from the croquetas portion of the menu: the salmons ahumados ($5), a fried croquette of smoked salmon with fried capers and a cucumber-yogurt salad. This was one of the heavier dishes on the menu and the small portion was very filling.
Another table favorite was the gambas y cangrejo ($9), a marinated dish of fresh shrimp and lumps of crabmeat intertwined with strips of spinach, red and green bell peppers, shallots and orange segments. The salad was accompanied by a lemon vinaigrette. This was one of the first things we ordered and we kept going back to it throughout the meal. Thankfully, Bar Ferdinand seems to have the Spanish tradition of letting you savor your meal: We didn’t have to worry about dishes being whisked off the table when we weren’t looking. Love that!
If you have difficulty with such a large menu to choose from, you might want to start with chef Thomas’ Thursday-night tasting events. For $35 per person, you get a 13-plate feast that changes weekly depending on available ingredients.
Before we left, Thomas gave us a sneak preview of the tasting menu: a dessert of fresh mission figs soaked in port and sherry, dipped in chocolate and swimming in a sangria reduction with pomegranate molasses. Decadent and delicious.