Review: The Catbird Seat

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.
It's no longer as impossible to score a reservation here as it once was (you can prepay on Tock for early and late seatings, sometimes the same week you plan to eat), but the experience feels just as exclusive as it always has. Up the stairs and through a narrow hallway above the Patterson House are 22 seats in a U shape around what can only be called a show kitchen. This is where chef Brian Baxter and his team do their work. When the restaurant moves into its new high-profile location in the Voorhees building it will continue its incubator pattern and bring in someone else to tap in for Baxter.

What was the crowd like?
The crowd is like a group of food-centric monks in search of the perfect meal. Groups are limited to four, so expect mainly couples.

What should we be drinking?
Treat yourself to the pairings, which can include wine and kombucha made in-house.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.
This is where chef Brian Baxter puts his own take on the chef incubator that has been home to Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, Ryan Poli, Trevor Moran, Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson. Baxter is leaning into local ingredients as much as possible, including some grown in the garden out back.

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?
10 out of 10 every single night.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?
You come to Catbird Seat because you want to show off. You want to show off your capacity to chat it up with the chefs and to observe the whirlwind of cooking activity happening right in front of you.