Peculiar Slurp becomes Peculiar Kitchen with new menu and fresh look after 3 years in Scranton
From a press release:
Just before turning three years old in May, Peculiar Slurp in downtown Scranton has been “reimagined” as Peculiar Kitchen, offering creative new menu items for meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans surrounded by striking pieces of art.
Owned by husband and wife team Gene and Miranda Philbin, the restaurant serves new American comfort food with a serious passion for Asian flare, experimenting with all kinds of dishes unique to the area while accommodating dietary restrictions like gluten-free, paleo, and keto to ensure all guests are taken care of. Recently featured dishes include jajangmyeon, yuzu lomi-lomi salmon poke bowl, miso and bourbon barrel-aged buffalo-glazed fried chicken salad, adobo and smoked chili-rubbed short ribs, kimchi beer mussels, cumin and mint black bean hummus, salt and vinegar yuca fries, and Thai chili garlic roasted half duck with steamed bao buns, among others, served with cocktails, craft beer, wine, and soft drinks.
“We recently refreshed our brand from Peculiar Slurp to Peculiar Kitchen to let our customers know that we are not just about the ramen. Our love for other cuisines just made us want to open the culinary floodgates to cook whatever we want!” Miranda Philbin said.
“This past year has been difficult for many, especially those in the restaurant industry. We decided this was as good a time as any to do a brand refresh, add a few coats of paint, some new artwork and, of course, update our menu to be more inclusive of other cuisines and styles of cooking. You can still get your ramen here, but we offer so much more!”
With a quirky new logo and eye-catching mural artwork by Eric Bussart, Zach Yahn, and Ryan Hnat from Northeast Art Project, the atmosphere at Peculiar Kitchen is hip, funky, artistic, vibrant, and relaxed, making it great for families, individuals, and couples alike. There is table service inside, counter seating at the open kitchen, and limited seating on the outdoor patio.
“We just celebrated three years at our current location in downtown Scranton and look forward to serving you for years to come. We are now open to full capacity and are accepting reservations for regular dinner service as well tickets for our upcoming come chef dinners,” Miranda noted.
Back in 2012, Peculiar Culinary Company was a passion project that began by hosting pop-up dinners and catering special events, eventually establishing a home base at the Hughestown Hose Company near Pittston and then a food truck business in 2015. These garnered a loyal following at Sabatini’s Bottleshop & Bar in Exeter on “Taco Tuesdays” and other locations around the area, including lunches on Scranton’s Courthouse Square, festivals at Montage Mountain, venues like the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains, and breweries like Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston, traveling as far as Allentown and Easton for special events.
After several national television appearances on the Food Network and CNBC while continuing to gain popularity back home, they decided it was time to sell the truck, open their first brick and mortar shop in 2018, and focus on the Peculiar Slurp restaurant and Peculiar Culinary catering upon availability.
The hours and current menu for Peculiar Kitchen (307 Penn Ave., Scranton) are listed on thepeculiarkitchen.com, and daily/weekly features can be found on Facebook and Instagram. Takeout and online ordering is available through their website and the Toast app.
Learn more about Gene and Miranda Philbin and the story of their small business in Episode 107 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
Photos by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene; artwork by Eric Bussart, Zach Yahn, and Ryan Hnat
