Corn is popping in Philly’s top restaurants

The summer heat is upon us, and for Philly-area restaurateurs, it’s a sign that a beloved regional produce is at its peak.

From mid-July through late August, New Jersey corn is a favored ingredient in Philly’s dining scene. From charred corn ravioli to corn- and crab agnolotti, local eateries are incorporating the veggie in savory pasta dishes, hearty salads, and luscious desserts.

Jansen’s general manager, Zachary Brown, said the grain’s versatility and natural sweetness make it the perfect summer ingredient. “New Jersey corn is very good and very sweet, which allows it to be used in many different ways,” he said. “And right now we’re coming into the season where it’s at its best.” If the climate is too cool or wet, corn can suffer, but a healthy balance of summer heat and sparse rainfall helps concentrate the flavors, yielding that simple, beloved flavor.

“Between now to the end of August, this is the time you want to eat corn,” Brown said.

Restaurateur Aimee Olexy, who owns the Love, Talula’s Garden, and other area restaurants, said when it comes to corn, she has always gone by the motto: By the time it’s knee-high in July, it’s time for a roadside pickup in Lancaster County. A versatile grain with a subtle, sweet flavor and smooth texture, corn lends itself to a variety of dishes, from pasta and soup, to creamy desserts.

And it’s a veggie that’s almost universally beloved for its simplicity. “Food is my life, and I don’t always like complexity,” Olexy said. “It’s just nice to have a piece of grilled salmon and corn, versus convincing people to try a complex and unusual vegetable like a turnip, eggplant, or radish. People just love corn.”

With corn season in full bloom, Philly chefs are going all in, taking advantage of its availability, ease-of-use, versatility, and freshness before the end of the summer. Here’s where to indulge in the Philly area.

Fishtown’s Tulip Wine Bar is serving up corn and crab ravioli ($30) made with Chesapeake Bay crab, torpedo onion, and pickled green coriander seeds. Think crab-stuffed pasta dough folded into a sweet corn puree, available through summer.📍2302 E Norris St, 📞 267-773-8189, 🕒 Tuesday to Thursday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 🌐 tulippasta.com

Darling Jack’s Tavern has corn agnolotti on its summer menu, featuring handmade pasta filled with corn and marscapone, summer squash, shaved corn, and ramp butter for $22. 📍104 S 13th St, 📞 215-546-4200, 🕒 Monday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.. Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. 🌐 darlingjacks.com

At upscale French restaurant June BYOB, chef Richard Cusack offers two savory corn dishes on the summer menu. The first is a corn cavatelli ($36) made with crabmeat, tomato, basil, and zucchini squash. The second swaps out the crab for seared scallops ($45); both will be offered through the summer. 📍690 Haddon Ave, Collingswood, 📞 856-240-7041, 🕒 Wednesday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 🌐 junebyob.com

Attico is serving up a corn tubettini ($31), tiny tube pasta tossed in a silky sauce of sautéed corn, garlic, shallots, and butter simmered in a corn stock and pureed. The pasta is topped with smoked mozzarella, blue crab, and charred shishito peppers. 📍219 S Broad St, inside the Cambria Hotel, 📞 267-536-5725, 🕒 Wednesday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.), Friday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.) 🌐 atticorooftop.com

At Messina Social Club, chef Edmund Konrad added a roasted corn and hake salad to a $95 tasting menu. The salad is made with flaked slow-roasted hake and corn, a corn buerre blanc uni, and Old Bay seasoning. The dish includes smashed and fried marble potatoes, nori bread crumbs, wasabi tobiko, cured egg yolk, and fresh herbs. The restaurant also has a charred baby gem lettuce and brown butter roasted corn salad on the à la carte menu. The $20 dish includes crab and avocado.📍1533 S 10th St, 📞 267-928-4152, 🕒 Wednesday to Thursday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), Friday to Saturday 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.) 🌐 messinasocialclub.com

Italian eatery Giuseppe & Sons added a campanelle and corn pasta ($17) with a broccoli rabe pesto to its list of summer offerings, available until September. 📍1523 Sansom St, 📞 215-399-9199, 🕒 Sunday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Saturday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. (bar open one hour after kitchen closes), Friday to Saturday 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.) 🌐giuseppesons.com

Lark, the coastal Mediterranean eatery, offers a corn and ricotta cappelletti with small clams ($19) in a creamy butter sauce and garnished with chili bread crumbs. 📍 611 Righters Ferry Rd, Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing, 📞 484-434-8766, 🕒 Tuesday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 🌐 larkpa.com

For a sweeter offering, Jansen added a corn panna cotta ($12), a balance of creamy, salty, and sweet, with a sweet corn cookie, caramel and corn honey tying in all the flavors. 📍7402 Germantown Ave, 📞 267-335-5041, 🕒 Tuesday to Thursday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 🌐 jansenmtairy.com

Marc Vetri’s South Philly pasta bar, Fiorella, will serve a crepe sacchetti, a stuffed pasta with a bufala ricotta filling, corn crema butter, and Calabrian chili oil to garnish the plate. Through August, Vetri Cucina will serve a charred corn ravioli with smoked buttermilk crema and brown butter corn, and find a corn and crab corzetti dish at Fiore Rosso through the summer. Fiorella:📍817 Christian St, 📞 215-305-9222, 🕒 Sunday to Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. 🌐 fiorellaphilly.com

At Talula’s Garden, find a ricotta cavatelli with sweet summer corn and truffle, lemon-herb bread crumbs, Parmesan, and “perky and bright” pickled corn relish, said Olexy — the truffle gives the $22 entrée an “earthy foil.” At both Talula’s Table and Talula’s Daily, you can order elote corn salad (made with roasted poblano peppers, black beans, and shucked corn) and a decadent, creamy corn soup. Talula’s ingredients are sourced from the Oxford Produce Auction, Green Meadow Farm, and the Headhouse Farmers Market. Talula’s Garden:📍210 W Washington Square, 📞 215-592-7787, 🕒 Monday to Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch), 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. 🌐 talulasgarden.com; Talula’s Table:📍102 W State St, Kennett Square, 📞 610-444-8255, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 🌐 talulastable.com; Talula’s Daily:📍208 W Washington Square, 📞 215-592-6555, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 🌐 talulasdaily.com

The Love in Rittenhouse serves up a ricotta ravioli with sweet corn sauce, roasted poblano, vinaigrette, bread crumbs, and Parmesan for $28. The ricotta ravioli is made on-site daily; for the dish’s corn blanquette, cobs are steeped for hours with fresh herbs and cream. 📍130 S 18th St, 📞 215-433-1555, 🕒 Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch), 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (dinner), Saturday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch), 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (dinner) 🌐 theloverestaurant.com

At Bloomsday , patrons can enjoy a sausage and corn cavatelli. The entrée is made with grilled corn, zucchini, sausage, pecorino, and pickled fresno chilies. The $25 dish is on the menu through the summer. 📍414 S 2nd St, 📞 267-319-8018, 🕒 Wednesday to Thursday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch), 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (dinner), Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 🌐 bloomsdaycafe.com

Wilder dishes out corn tortellini “esquites” on its list of seasonal additions. The Jersey corn-adorned meal has ricotta filling and house-extruded pasta. The $25 corn tortellini, available through mid-September, is finished with cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime juice and zest for a sharpened edge. 📍2009 Sansom St, 📞 215-309-2149, 🕒 Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (lunch), 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (dinner), Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (lunch), 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (dinner), Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch), 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (dinner), Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch), 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (dinner) 🌐 wilderphilly.com

At Cicala, house-made tagliatelle with crispy guanciale and corn is on the menu for $26 through September. 📍699 N Broad St, at the Divine Lorraine Hotel, 📞 267-886-9334, 🕒 Tuesday to Thursday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 🌐 cicalarestaurant.com

Starting Aug. 9, Hearthside plans to serve a charred corn agnolotti, with ingredients like green onion, tajin, and jalapeñom —a play on Mexican street corn. The meal will be included in $115 family-style tasting menu through Aug. 19. 📍801 Haddon Ave, Collingswood, 📞 856-240-1164, 🕒 Wednesday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 🌐 hearthsidebyob.com