In Philly, a slew of craft beers and a wild menu

A number of keen observations slide into my mind as I settle onto a long wooden bench at Fork & Barrel, soak in the crooning jazz soundtrack, and sip a bittersweet beer brewed by the inmates of an Italian penitentiary.

The beer, of course, is a delicious curiosity - an exceedingly rare coffee-infused Chicca from Pausa Café, a prisoner-run cooperative craft brewery in the Piedmont. And it's just one of umpteen fascinating stories behind the 130-plus handpicked artisan Euro brews that have instantly made this East Falls newcomer one of Philly's ultimate lairs for seducing your favorite beer nerd.

The menu, too, has an unusual angle, with a wild game fetish - whole pheasant, braised rabbit, oxtail pasta - that you just don't see at your typical beer bar.

Mostly, though, I can't help thinking that it's a good thing the East Falls fire station is right across the street. That's because Fork & Barrel has gone back to the 19th century with its lighting scheme: 75 candles set ablaze each night - and not a lightbulb in the downstairs dining room. (There is, thankfully, one dim bulb in the men's room to assure orientation.) But the rustic ambience is definitely unique.

I'd think those firemen would be grateful for a moody haunt where they could grab a half-dozen New Brunswick oysters and a pint of juniper-scented HaandBryggeriet from Norway, or better yet, a smoky Italian Malthus Birrola described by co-owner Matt Scheller as tasting of "used catcher's mitt." Batter up, barman!

After all, East Falls eaters have languished through some dreary dining years - despite the continued hope for gentrification. Mostly, though, Scheller says, the firefighters have stopped by for safety visits and to hand out a pamphlet on city candle-use laws.

If high-end Fork & Barrel does not feel like it was born of a typical East Falls sensibility, that's because it wasn't. The owners, Scheller and his partners, Matt and Colleen Swartz, came from the Lehigh Valley, where they own the similarly cool Tap & Table in Emmaus, and a 1920s-style cocktail bar, the Bookstore Speakeasy, in Bethlehem.