I never did get to experience the old Twenty Manning. However, after a complete interior redesign and the introduction of an almost-entirely new, affordable, American bistro menu and a variety of burgers, I had to go. I met with Chef Kiong Banh, who has spent 10 years within these walls, and is excited for some change.

Taking feedback from over the past year, Banh and owner Audrey Claire Taichman re-invented the concept of Twenty Manning from the ground up. Banh invested a lot of time in receiving feedback to create a selection of dishes at a price that would keep customers coming back, adding a bistro feel and a slight modification to the name. Though his background is a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese, Banh’s culinary focus is primarily French and Italian. He’s truly excited about the breath of fresh air that has been introduced to the restaurant and looks forward to serving the neighborhood as a destination with a focus on local, fresh and organic ingredients.

As we’re celebrating National Hamburger Month here at Unbreaded, I decided to go with the flagship (namesake) TMG Burger. Featuring a generously sized half-pound organic patty made from a combination of sirloin, tenderloin and beef chuck cuts, it’s no small sandwich, but a bit sized down from the 9.5oz Bison burger (Twenty Manning’s only burger in its past life). Although the Bison burger did have a good run, it was just a little too big, said Banh. And with the nature of it being sourced from Colorado, it simply doesn’t have a natural fit with the new local flavor of TMG. The TMG Burger is formed from grass-fed and pasture raised local beef. The produce is sourced locally as well: iceberg lettuce, juicy garden tomato and raw purple onion. Naturally, I opted to add the optional Kentucky bacon and Vermont cheddar to my TMG, which sits atop a fluffy bun, designed by Banh and baked at George Perrier’s commissary in Wayne. The accompanying shoestring fries and pure kosher dill pickle round off the experience.

Though the menu is very new, TMG has already set a record of selling an excess of over seventy burgers. Though half of these are the TMG Burger, the remaining Turkey Burger (half-pound patty sourced from pineland farms free range gobblers, goes well with pepperjack cheese), Ahi Tuna Burger (thick slab of tuna with ginger-soy marinade and avocado-wasabi mayo), Veggie Burger (whole lot of local market veggies: onion, mushroom, roasted peppers and even avocado all held together by a white bean puree and some oil) are all strong performers as well.

So, head over to the Rittenhouse Square area and check out the brand new Twenty Manning Grill. Be sure not to miss it; a new bright white facade shines as a beacon, in stark contrast to its old one.

Twenty Manning Grill
59 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Chef / owner Brendan Smith opened Smiths Restaurant in 2007 after serving two years as Executive Chef at Rittenhouse Square’s Smith & Wollensky steakhouse.  His concept: a high-end sports bar with fresh, unique, legitimate food.  No gallon-jugs of mayo; his sauces and spreads are made fresh daily and the sandwiches have a kind of sophistication that is uncommon in a typical beer-and-a-ballgame environment.  Chef Smith likes the interplay of different textures on his sandwiches, like warm meat on crusty bread and melted cheese with crispy bacon.  A small business owner himself, Chef Smith proudly supports local farms in South Jersey and Pennsylvania, sourcing his meats and produce as locally as possible.

50% of customers order sandwiches at lunch at the 90+ seat Smiths.  During the day, white collar professionals from the local office towers fill the restaurant; at night, locals from the neighborhood come in to watch a Phillies game and hang out.  Each month there are specials (June offers a Salmon BLT; July will be BBQ) but the regulars keep coming back for their favorites, like the Kennett Square burger.  Named for the mushroom capital of the United States, the Kennett Square serves up 8 ounces of 80/20 chuck on grilled brioche with lots of wild mushrooms and creamy manchego cheese.

The Black Angus Roast Beef sandwich offers melt-in-your-mouth meat with a creamy horseradish zing.  The soft and crusty house baked roll is the perfect accompaniment to the house roasted and thinly sliced beef with aged Vermont cheddar that is sharp enough to stand up on its own, but does not overpower the sandwich.

The carved turkey sandwich embraces Philadelphia’s love of pretzels with a pretzel roll designed specifically for Smiths by the Philadelphia Pretzel Factory.  The bread is more roll than pretzel; soft and pillowy with just a hint of pretzel flavor – not the salty, crusty affair we typically find at carts and shops around the city.  The turkey is thin sliced, warm and moist, with melted provolone and smoky applewood bacon.  A spread of sweet and creamy red pepper aioli gives the sandwich a clean finish.

The Ahi Tuna BLT is messy, for sure, but the creamy avocado and medium-rare tuna are a delicious pair.  Avocado shows up twice on this sandwich: sliced on top of the fish and as a spread on the seeded brioche bun.  Crunchy bacon accents the tuna, offering a bite that is creamy, crisp, hearty and tender.

For Chef Smith, sandwiches are quick, easy, and everybody likes them.  And in today’s sandwich culture, he sees that sandwiches have to have spreads – “chipotle aioli is standard.”  Tomato-jalapeno relish and marmalades are condiments now, one the exclusive domain of fancy restaurants.  At home, Chef Smith makes Chicken Milanese sandwiches with his kids, lined up to pound and bread the chicken breasts like an assembly line in their own aprons.  And when he goes out for a sandwich, he looks to Jim’s for a finely chopped cheesesteak and Nick’s for a roast beef sandwich.

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Smiths Restaurant | Lounge
39-41 S. 19th St., Philadelphia PA 19103 (Google Map)