Happy Rooster in Philadelphia something to crow about again

It is hard to tell if the bar's scene will ever regain its vibe. (The beer list is still pretty anemic.) But it's clear that in its latest chef, Jason Goodenough (with experience at Lacroix, Morimoto, Brasserie Perrier, and Table 31), the Rooster has the makings of a return to its glory days at the table.

Goodenough has already brought a fine-dining sensibility to a menu determinedly under $20, the tab for its 10-ounce New York strip steak frites. One can quibble over whether the grilled octopus is al dente enough, or whether the juicy roast pork sandwich is too oversized.

But again and again, the menu succeeds - with the tender burrata cheese half-moon ravioli; with the plump house-made potato gnocchi with braised oxtail, raisins, and pine nuts; with a silky tomato gazpacho with parsley oil and watermelon granita; and, yes, a "local" heirloom tomato salad with sheep's milk feta and shaved red onion.

The signature twists, though, are saved for Goodenough's renderings of Southern dishes. (He spent time in New England - and puts out one of the city's finest authentic lobster rolls, $19 - but went to college in Jackson, Miss.)

So you will encounter on the menu crawfish fricassee, involving superbly crunchy fried green tomatoes; and a classic shrimp and grits, in which head-on shrimp pose atop a creamy heap of stone-ground cheese grits tweaked with Benton's bacon from Tennessee.

Whether the Rooster will reclaim the affections of its moping regulars is still an open question.

But for those who decamped before Goodenough's arrival, its lunch and dinner offerings are worth a second look. (And a first one for those who never got a taste of the good old days.)

Happy Rooster

16th and Sansom Streets

215-963-9311

www.thehappyrooster.net

Contact columnist Rick Nichols at 215-854-2715 or rnichols@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/ricknichols.