Kiddo is a new Washington Square West spot with an unusual approach to sustainability
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With the opening of Kiddo, Chef Owner Wyatt Piazza is living his dream.
He'd always wanted to own his own restaurant by the age of 25. He missed that goal by just 4 years.
His wife, Elizabeth, is Kiddo's designer and co-owner. She has a background in the restaurant industry, but her true passion is sustainability, and that passion shows up in everything at Kiddo.
There's the red oak floors that the couple insisted on because the vinyl flooring contractors recommend for such a high traffic area is made from crude oil.
The main bread is sourdough, because it can be mixed by hand to save electricity.
And when it comes to the cocktail program, the chef and the barkeep work hand-in-hand to reduce waste.
If the barkeep juices carrots, he'll give the pulp to the chef to create a sauce.
And if the chef makes a pepper dish, he'll give the barkeep the stems and guts to make a spicy tincture.
The restaurant is open for weekday dinner and weekend brunch.
Brunch dishes include an arctic char, which Chef Wyatt says a more sustainable choice than salmon.
The fish is house cured with beets and served with what the chef describes as a yellow beet tartare and a whipped creme fraiche.
There's a creste di Gallo pasta dish, cooked in a brown butter emulsion with charred broccoli.
The pasta sits on a butternut squash puree, and it's finished with pickled shallots and cheese.
With the herb-crusted pumpkin wedge, Chef Wyatt uses a pumpkin variety called lil pump-ke-mon.
He guts the gourd and, rather than throwing out the innards, he ferments them, dehydrates it and grinds it into a powder to add what he calls an earthy funk to the crust.
The cocktail menu includes a double tap daiquiri made with two varieties of rum, a lime zest and lots of baking spices.
There's a classic old-fashioned dubbed The Landline, and a black raspberry and mint shrub with house-made juice and gin.
If you stick around for dessert, there's a seasonal cookie plate that includes a gluten free Linzer Cookie with black raspberry jam made from the pulp from the bar program.
1138 Pine St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107
215-398-3377
