The Fat Ham
3131 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215)735–1914
Price: $$$
Don’t Miss: Hot Chicken
Skip: Crown Fried and Kentucky Fried
With rocking chairs perched on the deck outside and a huge pig painting right when you walk in, The Fat Ham quickly takes diners out of West Philadelphia. With only a few years of southern cooking under his belt, “Top Chef” winner and Pennsylvania native Kevin Sbraga doesn’t seem like the most likely candidate to cook up authentic soul food, but he certainly succeeds.
The Fat Ham’s menu consists of southern classics served small plates style, with dishes that range from $5–$16. Standouts include
the baked macaroni and cheese ($8)—freshly made shells that are brought daily from Sbraga to the Fat Ham, smothered with a cheddar and gouda bechamel and topped with homemade barbecue potato chips for a smoky kick. The oyster sliders ($5 each) are also on point. Sbraga uses self–rising flour to create a light, crispy coating for the oysters, which he then places on homemade yeast rolls. He tops them with coleslaw and gribiche, adding pepper sauce to spice up the classic French sauce. The oysters are huge and burst with flavor the minute you bite into them, meshing perfectly with the acidity of the slaw and spice of the gribiche.
The clear winner, though, is the hot chicken ($13)—a Nashville staple that easily warrants its own trip to the restaurant. Inspired by the classics found at restaurants like Prince’s and Gus’, Chef Sbraga uses a lard base, mixed with cayenne pepper and a secret blend of spices to coat the chicken. This keeps the fried outside from getting soggy, while allowing the chicken to retain its moisture. Sbraga’s hot chicken packs some serious heat, but does so without numbing your mouth to the other strong flavors. It's wonderfully crispy and tender, and the homemade white bread toast and ranch dressing underneath help to cut the spice, as does a sip of their delightful sweet tea.
While the restaurant’s name may conjure up fear for vegetarian and kosher diners alike, the biggest draw of The Fat Ham is actually its flexibility. There are plenty of solid non–ham and vegetarian dishes, like the mustard greens ($8) with benne seeds, peanuts and hot vinegar dressing. The warm vinaigrette is comforting yet tangy, while the benne seeds and peanuts add texture. The menu consists of mostly small plates, which makes it easy to head over for a quick snack between classes, or splurge on dinner and order every item on the menu. Best of all, everything—from bread, to pasta, to pepper sauce—is made in house, and they have the largest selection of whiskey, bourbon and rye in all of Philadelphia.
With The Fat Ham right on the edge of campus, we should all stop complaining about having class in DRL.
