Fitler Dining Room Opens, Bringing American Bistro Fare To Philadelphia

Fitler Dining Room brings comforting American bistro fare to its namesake Philadelphia neighborhood on the charming corner of Spruce and 22nd Street.

Executive Chef Robert Marzinsky helms the kitchen at Fitler, fresh off his stint at Stateside restaurant in South Philadelphia. Prior to Stateside, Marzinsky served as Chef de Cuisine at both Pub & Kitchen in Philadelphia, and The Diving Horse down the shore in Avalon, NJ.

The menu at Fitler is inspired by traditional American cuisine and ingredients, with inflections of classic French bistro fare. Guests can expect appetizers such as Potato Gnocchi with Burgundy snails, butternut squash, hazelnuts and chartreuse butter; and Butter-Poached Caraquette Oysters with brioche crouton, parsley puree and chowder of fennel and celery. Entrees include Rhode Island Fluke with broccolini and cauliflower, winter citrus, chive emulsion, and tonnato sauce; and Ozark Mountain Berkshire Pork, tenderloin and belly with boudin blanc, braised coco beans en cocotte and mustard jus. For dessert, indulgences include Warm Chocolate Cake with peanut butter mousse, grape and port wine sauce; Winter Spice Carrot Cake with cr�me fraiche icing, Riesling-poached raisins, and cinnamon ice cream; and more.

To complement the menu, an extensive beer list features more than 20 craft beers by the bottle and two on draft; as well as 40 wines by the bottle and 10 by the glass.

The intimate dining room, designed by Ian Chapin, is evocative of the 1920s/1930s bygone era. Salvaged and reclaimed materials are apparent throughout the 32-seat space: a marble countertop sourced from Philadelphia's Liberty Mall courtyard, beer taps crafted from repurposed billiard balls, a lighting box which frames the open kitchen is made from old Rondelle glass, while the tabletops feature galvanized silver that's been treated to portray a gilded-antique look. Additional design details include white subway tile throughout the space, handmade leatherwork featured on the restaurant's channel-stitched, natural rawhide banquette and menus from Pennsylvania-based company Norman Porter, who also designed the servers' and chefs' aprons.

Fitler Dining Room is located at 2201 Spruce Street in Philadelphia. The restaurant serves dinner Wednesday through Thursday from 5PM to 10PM, Friday through Saturday from 5PM to 11PM, Sunday from 5PM to 10PM and will be closed on Monday. Brunch service to come. For reservations call 215-732-3331 or visit www.fitlerdiningroom.com.