Menus

Plats du Jour: They’re What’s for Dinner

Terence Feury
Terence Feury Photo: Collin Keefe

An increasing number of Philly’s restaurateurs are offering guests plats du jour - a single special dish served on a specific day - and customers are eating them up. At City Tap House they’re listed on the menu as Daily Supper and serve two. At Twenty Manning Grill they’re called the Daily Show, and feature the chef’s interpretation of classic comfort foods. Fork:etc. and Garces Trading Company call them by their given French name and serve them in-house or to go. “People love it and in this economy it’s a great deal,” Fork:etc.’s Terence Feury told Grub Street. “Honestly for $15, I don’t think you can eat at a chain restaurant.”

Since introducing plats du jour at Fork:etc. in January, dinnertime business has picked up dramatically at the café and market, Feury said. Each week he comes up with a new selection of dishes for each day and posts it on Fork:etc.’s website. Customers have told him that they love the daily plates and actually plan their week’s meals around what he’s offering and on what days.

“I wanted our menu as a whole to be neighborhood friendly, but I didn’t want it to be all comfort food,” Twenty Manning Grill’s Audrey Claire Taichman told us about the daily featured dishes she introduced in April. “But with a daily special, we can serve a twist on classic comforts everyday.”

Whether it’s a budget-friendly dinner or the comforting taste of a lobster pot pie, both Feury and Taichman told us that plats du jour keep their customers happy and coming back for more.

Plats du Jour: They’re What’s for Dinner