New Restaurant: Buckminster’s

Since its opening on November 13, Buckminster’s on 1200 South 21st Street has been serving a menu inspired by Chef Marzinsky’s travels and his desire to focus on local ingredients.

The restaurant has casual seating and a bar, which works to build the friendly, communal atmosphere of the restaurant. The bar serves a variety of drinks and holds happy hours from 10 to 12 from Sunday to Thursday night. The atmosphere is casual, which is reflected in their affordable prices, ranging from $5 to $8 for drinks.

The menu ranges from $2 to $21 dollars. It is built to be shared, with appetizers, entrees, cheese platters, and desserts that are served family style.

For my appetizer, I tried the baked cheddar cauliflower, charred squid, butterball pierogi, and stewed oysters. The cauliflower was a simple gratin, with cauliflower in a creamy, cheesy sauce topped with crispy crumbs. It was simple, homey and delicious. The oysters, stewed in a creamy sherry sauce, were sweet and tender. The potatoes added to them did not add much texture, but overall the dish was a winner.

Probably the strangest appetizer, inspired by Chef Marzinsky’s travels in Bangkok, was the squid. Seared to a perfect char, it was dressed with espelette peppers, fennel, and apple. Each bite was balanced with the heat of the peppers, saltiness of the squid, sweetness of the apple, and refreshing bite of the fennel.

Of the four appetizers, the pierogi were my favorite, with their buttery, silky potato filling. 

After the appetizers, I had the Bologna and Cheese entree. Served as an open-faced sandwich and inspired by hang-over cures, the dish is rich, fatty, and luxurious. The textures and the flavors of the dish were well-balanced and satisfying, with the toasted spelt bread contrasting with the creamy texture of the egg and cheese and the salty ham, tangy cranberry mostarda, and savory egg working together in each bite. It was my favorite dish of the night and worked perfectly with their upcoming brunch menu.

To finish the meal, I tried the hay-and-honey-infused panna cotta with fermented peach. It was a less traditional dessert, with the silky, hay-steeped panna cotta holding less sweetness than I expected. Instead, the majority of sweetness came from the fermented fruit, which added a brightness and fizziness to the dish. The peach and the panna cotta balanced each other out and created an unique dessert.

Overall, Buckminster’s provides a friendly dining experience with drinks and food that are meant to be shared with friends. With their happy hours, affordable prices, and neighborly staff, Buckminster’s is a new Philly restaurant that you should visit to show your great taste off to your friends and return to for the atmosphere and food.

-Benjamin Blanco

Photo credit: Leah Sprague