City Tavern. - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - restaurant reviews

Only 37 years old, Ted Randolph has already composed his epitaph, or so it sounds when the executive chef of the City Tavern, one of Philadelphia's leading restaurants, says (with obvious pride in his eyes and glee in his voice): "Here's a guy who started from nothing and look at where he is now. He didn't go to school, yet he's still capable of holding an executive chef position."

And why shouldn't he be proud? Twenty years ago he was just another high-school graduate in Mobile, Ala., with no plans for college. Fortunately, he heeded the advice of his uncle, a chef at a rehabilitation center, whose words still echo in his ears: "Go into food. Any business but food could go out of business."

After learning all he could while working under his uncle at the rehabilitation center, Randolph moved on to a local cafeteria and then to Philadelphia, where he trained at some of the city's finest restaurants. At Foucolore, he learned the art of italian cooking - and set the pattern of his career by rapidly becoming the chef.

Then came a four-star restaurant and catering company that specialized in French, Italian and Chinese cuisine. Randolph started as a prep cook and moved up to executive chef in a year and a half, in the process learning that he could take anything and turn it into something. "The only things we were allowed to throw away were cardboard boxes and eggshells," he says, before launching into a description of the fabulous cheese soups and "awesome" frozen fruit pies made from leftover fruit and cheese displays. He also describes a delicious shrimp bisque made from "just the shells, no shrimp at all"!

A two-year stint with another catering company followed. Again, Randolph rose to the level of executive chef. He then landed at Veterans Stadium, once more as executive chef. Serving the Eagles and the Phillies, their wives, the coaches, the owners and the cheerleaders, through the 1993 World Series was exciting work, but after five years, Randolph longed for a new venture.

Not only is the City Tavern new (it opened just last year), it's also hot, historical and daring. Back in 1774, when its doors first opened, the four-story tavern catered to such patrons as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington. Today, costumed waiters and interpreters are on hand to greet and serve guests as well as to answer their questions, for proprietor Walter Staib has chosen to reproduce the original tavern's style, from tableware and staff clothing up to furnishings and food.

The kitchen's adherence to 18th-century ways presents the staff with quite a challenge. Perishables are preserved served by smoking, curing, marinating and sweetening or are packed on ice. Only fresh regional foods - drawn from Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market, surrounding farms and the Amish country to the west - are used, so don't expect to be served strawberries in the wintertime.

Because of the name that the City Tavern has made for itself, the restaurant offers its executive chef something that Randolph missed at all of his previous jobs - exposure. "I was always kind of a behind-the-scenes chef," he says. "Walter Staib has given me a great shot to pursue my career and to shine a lot more."

Several of Randolph's creations, which began as specials, have made their way to the City Tavern's regular menu and added luster to' his credentials: exquisite salmon and corn cakes, served with a tomato "rundown" (a tomato sauce made not with flour, but with coconut made and Scotch bonnet peppers); a rich, creamy, and of course chunky turkey potpie with a flaky, buttery crust. The piece de resistance - large, succulent shrimp stuffed with crab meat. Presentation is key. Randolph deveins the shrimp from the inside so that the tail stands straight up when it's cooked!

You might imagine Randolph doing his experimenting at home, testing recipes on his wife and three children. Wrong. "My wife and youngest daughter don't let me cook at home," he says without even an ounce of protest in his voice. "They say I make a mess." It's during his 20-minute commute to work that Randolph dreams up culinary possibilities. He tests them at the restaurant - that is, when he can find time during 10-hour days on his feet, overseeing 10 dining rooms spread across three floors and a staff of 28, including the executive sous-chef, the sous-chef, pantry and line cooks, and dish-washers. "I just invent things and put them together," he says, "and it comes out perfect - good enough to sell."

Although we expect Chef Ted Randolph to be cooking for years to come, let's add one more statement to his epitaph: He went into food, and we followed.

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