It’s a lovely day for a picnic.
And without the usual ants, there’s a Picnic in Fishtown that looks as good as it tastes.
Housed inside the one-time Weisbrod & Hess Brewery — built in 1890 at 2421 Martha Street — the historically-designated property stands 40-feet-high and is filled with lush greenery — perfect for holding nearly 300 Picnic-goers who are hungry for seafood, salumi, salads, veggie burgers, saucy, wood-fired rotisserie chicken dinners, and globally-sourced wines.
Restauranteur Nick Kennedy, of Defined Hospitality, recently spoke to Metro about what it means to have a Picnic basket that’s nearly, 12,000 square feet in size.
How does Picnic fit into what Defined Hospitality is about with such tasty, roomy, yet far more intimate, spaces
Our projects definitely start with us being passionate. That passion comes in different ways… Picnic is neighborhood-driven and affordable, something where people can have a great time sharing in our hospitality and our food.
Were you guys looking for something massive like Hess’ old brewery, or did it happen to chance?
The pandemic hit, and all of our restaurants were fully closed, or offered window-only takeout. We were driving through our neighborhood, not sure what to do with ourselves, and came across this massive building with no roof, its steel girders were falling apart and its bricks had fallen in – all crumbling down. The next step would’ve been to tear it down or build condos.
You had another idea…
We fell in love with the building – its beauty and history. We wanted to find out how we could make something happen with that space. Only after we acquired it did we wonder what made sense for a building with such character and size. What made sense was something casual and roomy featuring food and beverage with integrity and thoughtfulness around ingredients and techniques like our other restaurants.
But we had to do it at a little more approachable level. The place is big enough so that you can have your own experience – maybe some wine and cheese, or a full meal. We’re also personally invested in this neighborhood, and its growth. There are larger group size options, as well as those for singles, couples and families.
So, Picnic is experimental and as culinary-driven as a Suraya and a Kayala?
Yes. I was the head chef of Suraya when it opened, and took the vision of one of my partners – to open a Lebanese restaurant – went to Beirut to study its cooking, and still oversee that. I was involved in helping Kayala create new systems and to be able to do it on a bigger scale.
At Picnic, I’m curating the menu with our executive chef – it’s a collaboration as is all of our restaurants. Picnic is a very personal expression – a lot of the dishes are based on my travels, and selfishly, it was: What would my family want out of a space such as this? How could I take my kids here several times a week and have different experiences each time? My name isn’t on the building or on every Instagram post, but Picnic is as food-driven as our other restaurants.
You mentioned condos. Is it important that entrepreneurs and community leaders make certain that Fishtown isn’t just one condo project on top of the next, and more diverse business-wise?
Yeah. We’re not idealists. We’re realists. We understand what needs to happen in a neighborhood. We lead by example, and invest in things that help the broader neighborhood, like keeping sidewalks clean, and elevate our area, donate to schools and community organizations. Keep our focus on our neighborhoods. There has to be condos, but there also has to be more… You can’t recreate a space like the one Picnic is in. If it was going to be gone, it would be gone.
So what’s the perfect meal for diners at Picnic?
We’re on the East Coast, so the oysters here have their individual character and are simple and beautiful. If you have a perfect oyster, it’s a thing of nature, so we give that respect. Our rotisserie chicken is great, but you have to do it with all of our sauces – we put a lot of energy and effort into our hollandaise, our Chile Oil, our Peruvian Aji Amarillo, our roasted chicken au jus that takes three day to make, a pickled pepper aoli, our anchovy sauce. Mix and match them – it’s real comfort food. And the chocolate cake really is delicious. It brings back memories of my childhood.
