Peculiar Culinary Company

I was lucky enough to be able to indulge in the deliciousness that is the Peculiar vittles at my friend’s wedding at the Fiddle Lake Farm a couple months ago. A true culinary genius, the dishes, both small and large, classic and novel, were executed perfectly. My favorites were the chicken and waffles app and the spectacular grilled cheese station. Combine that with the rootbeer floats with homemade ice cream, and it was a meal to remember.
The staff was extremely friendly and competent, happy to explain each dish as well. My only complaint is that they don’t come to South Florida where I’m living to hold some pop-​up events!

Chef Philbin is definitely creative but some of the items were over seasoned, almost all the portions are too small (a complaint my significant other — who is the most understanding guest at any establishment, had and could not overlook. Otherwise the food is tasty. The catering and wait staff are not experienced enough. There was a lot of issues and confusion during service. There is still a lot for the company to learn and grow in the restaurant/​pop-​up business.

Peculiar Culinary catered my rehearsal dinner and I’m tempted to have another event in the area so I can hire them again! The food and service were impeccable. I agree with the comment below that says Chef Philbin makes interesting, inventive food that is still approachable. We had a wide range of ages, tastes, and dietary restrictions/​preferences at our rehearsal dinner and everyone had plenty to eat and loved the food.

Holy moly. Culinary geniuses. I’ve had Peculiar Culinary Company food a couple of times so far and each time has been amazing. Chef Philbin’s creativity, attention to detail, and passion for his cuisine shines through, but it’s always approachable. That’s what I love about PCC — you’re never intimidated by trying something new and every dining experience feels like a party. By far, one of my favorite food finds in NEPA.

I have been to a few events and enjoyed every bite. Definitely some different dishes that you will not have the pleasure of experiencing at your normal local spots. Make sure you try to attend because the food is a must try.

We found out about this place through our local paper and we decided to make reservations for NYE, because NYE food/​service seems to always be sub-​par at established restaurants. (We resolved last year that we were NOT going out for New Years dinner this year.)
Based on their Facebook page and their write up, they seem to be trying to do something very different from most other local spots.
It’s a «pop up», meaning the chef has no restaurant, per se, but they do single night engagements from time to time. (We learned of this thing on Facebook.)
Food is inventive and very good. We had the prix fixe NYE menu, and thought that the pork belly w/​polenta and salmon tartare really stood out. Also great were the crab fritters and the meatball sliders.
Price was extremely reasonable for NYE at $ 75 pp for 5 courses INCLUDING drinks!
They also had a live band, which was very nice. Music was right on with the age/​mood of the crowd. Great job, as far as I’m concerned.
We loved the food. They had lots of stuff that we haven’t seen before in NEPA. I really hope they keep it up, because it’s so different than what most other places are doing here. Great job!
If there’s another pop-up…We’ll be back!

Attended Peculiar Culinary Company’s first ever event: «Pop Up in the Park» this past Monday night, and was completely blown away by the food, atmosphere and overall presentation. This ‘pop up’ restaurant concept can be better described by reading this article:
Anyway, on 8÷27÷12, the atmosphere was phenomenal. The lighting/​candles were perfect, the entertainment (John Smith) was spot-​on and the seating was flawless. However, that’s not why you want to check out a PCC Pop Up… those are just the frills… the menu, courtesy of chef-​extrordinaire Gene Philbin:
–Duck Three Ways: confit of leg: roasted duck demi, pork belly lardons; house cured duck proscuitto, pickled cucumber & garlic; house made duck sausage slider, melted red onion, molecular mustard caviar. This was a stellar way to kick off the event, such flavor in the three different duck preparations. The duck sausage slider knocked it out of the park (yes, pun intended)!
–Salmon Tar Tar: alaskan salmon, siracha soy aioli, english cucumber, quail egg yolk, toasted nori, pickled radish, sesame oil powder. I’ll be the first to admit, this one had me quite scared. The flavor just hits you square in the jaw as if you were a boxer, temporarily blinded by the lights… or the siracha soy aioli. Once you get past the consistency of the dish (if you’re not a raw salmon kind of guy), it’s flavor city!
–Pork Cheeks: braised berkshire, plum tomato jus, herb soft polenta, crimini mushroom, house made ricotta morsels. The pork cheek meat was outstanding and a great pairing with the polenta and mushroom.
–Intermezzo shot of cucumber gazpacho, dill, citrus. Very cooling and cleansing, great idea to include this as part of the dinner. The shot glass variety was amusing, too… it was fun to check with those around you to see what kind of shot glasses they had.
–Steak: premium gold angus flat iron, roasted brussels, mountain road farms bacon, rosemary yukons, horseradish tarragon butter. This was the all-​star of the evening. The steak itself was perfectly cooked and almost melted in your mouth. The potatos and butter was outstanding and my mouth is still watering just thinking about this dish. A+ main course.
–House made chocolate chip cookie, pancetta cream cheese, peanut butter vodka «mayo», peach frites. This dessert was a sweet way to close out the evening and left everyone counting down the hours until October 15, 2012, which is the date of the next ‘Pop Up’ restaurant from Gene and PCC. If you have the chance to attend one of these events, which is BYOB, in the future, DO NOT PASS IT UP… indulge. You’ll be glad you did.