Make The Right to South Front Tavern
The PubScout takes a new path and discovers another favorite: South Front Tavern in Wilmington’s South Front District.
I thought I knew Wilmington pretty well. But I’d never heard of the South Front Tavern.
When a picture of it came across my Instagram feed, it seemed like a place I’d want to know better, especially because the post touted its Free Parking.
Because Free Parking is a rare commodity in the Port City. Oh, you can find it down by The Cotton Exchange if you patronize some of the businesses within it, like The German Cafe.
But to do that, you have to make a kind of left off the Cape Fear Bridge onto Street. To find South Front Tavern, you have to make a right at the exit that says 421/State Port.
And, believe me, you’re going to want to make that right. Because this gem, celebrating its second anniversary, is actually in an ILM district called South Front. I didn’t know there was such a district, either. So, I guess I didn’t know Wilmington like I thought I did.
But I sure know the South Front Tavern after visiting it, and it is definitely worth knowing.
Mark Zecher, who owns South Front Tavern with his wife, Donna, is apparently a beneficiary of the “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” lesson. He is a transplanted Long Islander who’s been a chef all his life.
To hear him talk about the things he’s created on his menu, though he has a chef of his own now preparing the food, is to witness a guy loving every minute of what he does.
Walk through the impressive Zecher Garden that leads to South Front, and enter a perfectly sized tavern/restaurant. Not too big and not too small, its vibe is at once cozy and airy. And sparkling clean.
Not to mention friendly. Apart from Mark flitting about doing everything a successful owner should, Katie, the gregarious, effervescent bargal/server will make you feel immediately at home. Want to see her light up? Start talking about horses.
A very nice beer list consisting of local brews on tap and many excellent choices in cans is available, along with cocktails, mocktails and a nice variety of wines.
A normal Happy Hour for Bar Bites is 4 to 6 pm if you’re sitting at the bar, but on Fridays, the day of our visit, the offer extends to the entire restaurant from 12 to 6 pm.
Tip: Get the pork empanadas with ancho sauce on the Bar Bites menu. You’ll have two absolutely incredible empanadas in a sauce that’s crazy good and made with an in-house sauce that will flutter your heart. It paired super well with my Flying Machine Electronic Fog.
I asked Mark how he makes chile jam. Here’s his word-for-word account:
“So, what we do is we take a dried ancho chile and then to intensify the flavor we toast it in the oven lightly. The smell starts to permeate the kitchen, beautiful smell of red chile! After that we take the chiles and soak them in water. Now by soaking them in water, we reconstitute the flesh in the pulp from the chile. Once it’s been reconstituted, we take it and we pass it through a food mill to remove the chiles’ membrane, and what you get left with is a silky-smooth ancho chile purée. Now, once you have that product, you take ancho chile purée, sugar and vinegar. Bring it to a boil and add some fruit pectin as a thickening agent. Let it cool and what you have is an earthy balanced, ancho chile jam.”
Actually, what you have is a masterpiece. And if you really want your brains to fall out (as Soupy Sales used to say) order something that comes with his Lime/Cilantro/Jalapeño jelly. OMG.
I asked Mark if he’d ever thought of bottling or jarring those concoctions for customers to take home, and he said the food processing requirements would likely be burdensome. He’s probably right, and it would limit his ability to share the process in person with his patrons.
But I digress.
As is his wont, my Subscout Father Dave immediately ordered Steamed Clams to go with his pork empanadas. Steamers, as we former Yankees know them, are as ubiquitous as potholes and toll roads in the Northeast, but are not often seen down here. When he can get some, he does.
And he takes full advantage of their availability, especially when they’re swimming in a broth Mark calls “Liquid Gold.” I knew something was up when the good padre asked me, “Is anyone looking?” And he drank the liquid gold straight from the bowl.
Bubbly Katie advised me to try the Plancha Burger, her favorite, and I can see why. Done to order (medium rare), it was coated with Gruyère, filled with mushrooms, arugula, tobacco onions and garlic aioli. It was especially delicious and huge, accompanied by some of the tastiest fries I’ve had.
And Mark brought me some Lime/Cilantro/Jalapeño jelly to try with them.
Brains, out.
Though I could make a meal out of a double order of Bar Bites pork empanadas and that ancho chile sauce, truth be told, the ribs looked fantastic, and Katie attested that they are.
The outside patio is tastefully appointed, but 98º weather was not the time to enjoy it. But I could have seen where I parked my car for free right out front. There is also a back parking lot with direct access to the tavern. And the bar is, quite simply, beautiful.
If you’re looking for something a bit different from bustling downtown ILM, head to South Front Tavern.
Just make a right off the bridge. It’s a right turn you’ll probably be making often.
South Front Tavern
1540 S. 2nd Street #110, Wilmington
(910) 782-8989
southfronttavern.com
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