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First, it was chef David Katz (Honeygrow) who took on the responsibility of running the gargantuan operation that is the kitchen at summertime hotspot Morgan's Pier. Then, it was George Sabatino (Aldine), followed by David Gilberg (Koo Zee Doo), and last year, Nick Elmi (Laurel). This year, it's Jim Burke, who, not too long ago, was a big deal around these parts. He was a Craig LaBan three-bell recipient for his Bella Vista restaurant, James. He landed on Food & Wine's 2008 edition of Best New Chefs in America. Recently, he's been in New York, cooking up a storm at Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro Moderne, and now, he's home again in Philly where he'll provide a backyard menu for the masses (putting it lightly) at Morgan's Pier, opening, officially, this Thursday, April 21.
The menus below still showcase items of Morgan's Pier past: the snack bacon, the elote corn salad, and the lobster roll are all still there. But here's what you should get excited about for 2016:
- Burke's "Chef's Menu", full of Italian goodies like gnocchi gratinata with summer truffles, a saffron-scented fisherman's stew, and the classic two-punch combo of thinly sliced ham with grilled melon.
- The 20-seat Chef's Table dinners, a somewhat-private dining experience at the Pier located in the "crow's nest" overlooking the entire venue. Simply put, it's a series of family-style dinners, from a "Seafood Jubilee" to a whole-roasted suckling pig, available for booking through the season.
That's not to say the Burkes aren't still planning on opening something of their own. "We definitely have some concepts, let's put it that way," said Kristina. "We have two menus for two different concepts. They're very different but stem from what we do best."
Peep the Morgan's Pier menus below: