Enjay’s Pizza
210 S. 40th St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215)222–0770
Price: $$
Don’t Miss: Sliders
Skip: Chopped Salad
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There’s nothing more “Penn” than mediocre food and mediocre nights at Smokey Joe’s. But, in a shocking turn of events, our beloved Smokes’ has brought out the big guns to help turn their kitchen into a top–noch West Philly food joint.
Enjay's owner and chef Nathan Winkler–Rhoades slides into our back corner booth with the nonchalance of a friend sitting down to recap last night’s shenanigans over brunch.
“We want to make it fun to eat on campus,” explains Nathan, “and bring good food to West Philly.” Nathan and his co–founder and co–head chef, Jonah Fliegelman, gained culinary fame with their renowned food truck, Pitruco. Smoke's recruited the culinary masterminds to take over the kitchen last October. Since then, they’ve set the brick oven on high, striving to hand craft every dish using the freshest ingredients and their boss–status in the kitchen.
Shane, the Penn student server, comes to our table with the first course—cherry pepper, garlic, rosemary and parmesan seasoned fries ($5). Complemented by the homemade aioli dipping sauce, these fries are the best thing to happen to campus since bursar. “Definitely better than Tap House’s cheese fries,” my food–snob friend exclaims.
Way up in fried cloud nine, I didn’t think it could get any better. But then I tried the mushroom and onion pizza topped with a fresh white sauce ($14/20). Although extreme drippage necessitates that you eat with a knife and fork, forget late night leftover binges—this is the kind of pizza you don’t have to pregame.
I rarely categorize things as “perfect,” but the bread of Enjay’s sliders ($3 each) are I–got–a–Goldman–job–and–I–go–out–every–night–and–I–have–a–hot–boyfriend perfect—perfectly crisped on the outside and warm and doughy on the inside. Better yet, you can choose between a sausage burger or a meatball and gravy, both of which come on these perfect garlic knots. These are the kind of sliders that you could eat right after a failed midterm, break up or...all the time.
As Etta James’ comforting “One for my Baby” induced me into food coma bliss, Shane brought out our final course: a warm brioche donut ($4) anchored in marsala syrup and filled with canoli cream. The syrup perfectly compliments the sweet and fluffy brioche roll, making for a perfect end to the meal.
Yes, your nights at Smokes’ may be a blur, but dining at Smokes’ is something you definitely should not forget.
