Kennett

848 S 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 687-1426
Website

I heard through the grapevine that Kennett may have the best new burger in town, and so I headed to what used to be the Lyon's Den to see if that was really the case.

The interior is sleek yet rustic, and makes you feel hip yet not too over the top so as to come off as pretentious. For a starter we went with the roasted parsnips. Although this is something I would usually never order, I was really impressed with how good they were. They came out as beautiful heirloom parsnips which they roasted until perfectly tender, finished with pepper, herbs, and some shaved parm. They were almost like roasted fries. Absolutely delicious. They also had some fennel fronds in there which added an interesting twist. I would definitely order this one again.

Everyone at the table was in the mood for a burger, which was good because the pizza oven is not yet operational, and so we ordered two lamb burgers and two hamburgers.

The hamburger consists of bone marrow, salt & pepper, pickled onion, lettuce, and anchovy mayonnaise. Its simplicity is what makes it so magical. Earthy, rich ingredients, and most importantly, a perfectly cooked medium rare burger makes this one of the most delicious I have had anywhere. When I first dove in, the anchovy mayo was a bit overwhelming, but when it was given just a minute more to heat up and slightly dissolve into the warm meat and soak into the bun, it was sublime. I had to consciously stop for a minute or I would have eaten this little piece of heaven far too quickly, which was good, because I then had the opportunity to seize my next victim, the lamb burger.

Look at the perfect pink interior. The puffy brioche was a perfect complement for this exceptionally well thought out offering. The bone marrow lent itself to keeping the meat quite juicy.

The lamb burger might have even been better than its beefy counterpart. Seriously. Once again, they saved the burger from traditional overcrowding and let the quality of the components shine. The smoked paprika, cucumber and yogurt slaw with capers, shaved onion, purple cabbage, and toasted cumin was the perfect accompaniment for the rich lamb, and once again, the roll saved the day by keeping everything together. Hearty enough to stand up to the natural juices, yet not so much so that you were just chewing roll, it was perfect. Like the hamburger, the lamb was cooked to a perfect medium rare. This is probably the most amazing part of the meal. It's been quite some time since a place has gotten medium rare perfect, much less gone four-for-four on the temperature scale. Both burgers are served simply with a side of braised collards and a pickle. Nothing more needed. Cheers to you, Kennett. You certainly have my heart and my stomach for the moment.