Blog at the Yard

About as far south as South Philly goes, the sprawling, sun-washed Navy Yard feels like a parallel universe. Docked battle ships along stone promenades. Rambling brick bungalows that look like country clubs. Grass. This expansive green development doesn’t look like the double-parked South Philly we all know and love, but the Linc gleams in the distance and 95 stretches across the sky like a concrete rainbow.

By the cruise terminal on 16th & Flagship Drive, Shop 543 and Jharoka are the upscale cafeteria duo that comprises Frog at the Yard, the second act of Steve Poses, a forefather of the Philadelphia restaurant renaissance in the ‘70s. This 65-foot-high industrial-chic solarium is where the Urban Outfitters do lunch in their “Idaho, no you da hoe” tees. It feels like a secret gathering of the intelligentsia to which you haven’t been invited, though Frog at the Yard is actually totally open to the public.

Lunchtime standards are on the menu—think soups, salads, sandwiches—but done with little gourmet flourishes that satisfy the foodies in residence far removed from Center City. There’s a wok station, yellow miso soup, minted lime rickeys, chili-dusted sweet potato frites, turkey burgers, and La Colombe. Bigmouth triangles of pizza are crowned with caramelized onions and broccoli rabe. Iced teas are infused with lemon verbena and hibiscus. Lotus chips, edamame, and daikon lend crunch to bowls of peppery baby arugula dressed with low-fat pomegranate vinaigrette that keeps the Urban girls slinky in their low-slung Levis, and Shop 543’s station of condiments boasts Thai fish sauce and Sriracha. Frog at the Yard makes Cosi look like McDonald’s, and it's more expensive than both (salad with four add-ons + one piece of pizza + one drink = $15), but it's a small price to pay to be part of the party.

Building 543 at the Navy Yard
16th & Flagship Drive
www.frogattheyard.com