It’s almost time for Supper in the Strip District.
Chef Vincent Perri is taking his Federal Galley restaurant concept from the North Side incubator across the river to 1211 Penn Ave.
The new place, Supper on Penn, is expected to open in late June or early July and will feature Perri’s casual yet refined take on New American cuisine.
“Our main focus is on the quality of the ingredients that we use,” Perri says. “Everything is 100 percent made fresh on-site.”
The menu, which includes gluten-free breads, tofu, tempeh and suckling pork, is a treat for carnivores and vegans alike.
Perri is serious about the word supper — defined as a light, informal meal that is usually taken after midday, and represented through a variety of shareable snacks, small plates and sandwiches.
The chef’s duck fat fries with rosemary salt, parmesan and harissa ketchup were a big hit at Federal Galley, where he’s been stationed since December 2017. So those will surely remain on the menu. Other popular items include rustic kielbasa served on a soft roll topped with caramelized onions, carrot-ginger sauerkraut and Dijon mustard, and the house-ground Jamison Farm lamb burger.
But you don’t need to wait ’til evening: Supper also serves brunch. Early risers can indulge in a chocolate cardamom sticky bun, buttermilk biscuits in sausage gravy or French toast with apple compote, whipped cream and Pennsylvania maple syrup.
Perri, a West Virginia native who attended the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and Le Cordon Bleu, is excited to expand his offerings in the space that most recently housed Crystal on Penn. There are about 50 seats, including the bar area, which will specialize in old-fashioned cocktails as an homage to the historic building’s past as a hotel and saloon. Other nods to the 1930s will appear in the décor and printed menus.
And in the weeks that he’s between establishments — his last day at Federal Galley was April 28 — he’ll keep his staff busy in the kitchen at Coca Café in Lawrenceville, where they’ll whip up dinners after the Butler Street eatery is done operating for breakfast and lunch.
In mid-May, Perri will also serve as guest chef at Scratch Food & Beverage in Troy Hill as a part of the restaurant’s Revival Night series, which brings back employees and popular menu items from elsewhere. Perri, former executive chef at Revel + Roost, will resurrect some favorite dishes.
As he plans events to celebrate the opening of Supper on Penn, Perri says he hopes his customer base will follow him to the Strip.
“I’m very appreciative of everybody’s support coming down to Federal Galley,” he says. “When I started this concept, I never pictured that I’d be in a building like this. It’s the perfect size to do what I do. I want to have my hands on everything. It is such a great location.”
