Waiting game for Whetstone on 5th & Bainbridge Street

It looks like the opening of Chef Jeremy Nolen’s Whetstone restaurant in the former Adsum/Tapestry space on 5th and Bainbridge St. will be pushed into early 2015.

Nolen, the man behind the crazy-good menu at Brauhaus Schmitz, will look to keep it an “affordable” option in Queen Village with an ever-changing seasonal menu, according to foobooz. While we don’t know the exact date it will open, Nolan did provide us with some intriguing tastes of what’s to come.

It was reported in February that Nolen and crew hoped to open Whetstone this summer. As is common in the restaurant industry, opening dates often get pushed back.

Whenever Whetstone opens, it will be great to see something in the oft-vacated corner at 5th and Bainbridge St. — especially given what we now know about Nolen’s plans for the menu. From foobooz:

The restaurant’s bar will feature dishes such as a 4 oz burger with Cooper sharp cheese, tomato jam, pickle, and red onion on a potato roll called the Backyard Burger; a dry-aged roast beef sandwich, and a BLT featuring a roasted whole slab of bacon, sliced thin with tomato jam and shredded iceberg lettuce slaw. There will also be  an extensive charcuterie and cheese selection, showcased at a display counter at the end of the bar, as well as other snacks and sandwiches.

But that’s not all. Nolen, a Reading native who is looking to keep the menu regional in scope, is looking to revive an old Philadelphia staple: Pepper Pot Soup.

Nolen is teasing a Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup, 35 day dry-aged “minute” steak, and Whetstone’s interpretation of the Pennsylvania Dutch Pot Pie. Other dish ideas include a boneless duck with wild mushrooms, a crispy skin-on roast pork with sharp provolone polenta and roasted broccoli rabe (which sounds fantastic for cold weather), and smoked bluefish croquettes.

Sounds like “early 2015” can’t come soon enough.