Alison at Blue Bell (Blue Bell, PA)

Alison Astounds in Blue Bell

When Uncle Hal and Aunt Fran asked me where I wanted to go tonight, it took only a few seconds to select Alison at Blue Bell. Having achieved stardom at the Striped Bass during Neil Stein’s rein, Alison Barhsak was well known for her outstanding seafood dishes. Her seafood focused new American restaurant in Blue Bell had caught my eye for some time and it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about. I grabbed a bottle of Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, a reasonably priced yet very drinkable red, and headed west across the PA Turnpike towards Blue Bell.

Alison’s surroundings are unimpressive. The restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall in Blue Bell although the restaurant itself is quaint looking from the outside with it’s name emblazoned in gold lettering upon a bright blue awning. Upon entering the restaurant, you immediately notice the open kitchen situated directly opposite the doorway. Alison arrived shortly after we did and immediately engaged one of her chefs in a conversation about fish preparation. We were quickly seated by the hostess and settled into our table while our server opened the wine. The décor of the dining room was simple, yet upscale, and romantic. Throughout our meal, the service was extremely attentive, knowledgeable, and relaxed.

As a huge fan of calamari, I could not resist ordering the ginger fried squid, with a wasabi drizzle and mango. I was completely mesmerized after one bite. This was without a doubt the best fried calamari that I have ever had. The calamari was breaded and fried so delicately that the squid inside was completely moist (my thought at the time was that it was “wet”). The squid was so tender and moist that it simply melted in my mouth. After only a few bites, Uncle Hal immediately flagged our server and ordered a second one. It was simply that good. The wasabi sauce was light and flavorful and artfully drizzled across the calamari. I was likewise impressed with the generous portion.

We choose three different seafood dishes for our entrees: halibut, lump crab cakes, and the signature striped bass. Aunt Fran thoroughly enjoyed her lump Crab Cakes, potato hash, haricots vert, cauliflower, truffle and brie sauce. Uncle Hal and I shared the halibut, rapini‑wild mushroom risotto, truffled garlic broth and the striped bass, sweet potato ravioli, bacon, balsamic‑brown butter sauce. Both dishes were outstanding. The high quality halibut was fresh and perfectly prepared. The accompanying risotto was marked by bold flavors yet offset perfectly by the refreshingly light truffled garlic broth. The striped bass also delivered as expected with its perfectly crisp skin and moist flesh underneath. The sweet potato ravioli were likewise excellent but were gone all to fast. Additional ravioli would have further enhanced the dish. Once again, the haricots vert, cauliflower, and truffle and brie sauce were refreshing and apportioned well.

My meal concluded with the mango upside down cake with butterscotch‑vanilla ice cream, a rich cake that used a generous amount of brown sugar. The ice cream was creamy and tasty with a nicely balanced butterscotch-vanilla flavoring. The mango flavoring was a tad too vague for my taste but the moist cake was otherwise first-rate.

We received a pleasant surprise at the end of our meal, a personal visit from Alison due to my persistent picture taking throughout the meal. She was extremely friendly and relaxed and spent over 20 minutes at our table. We discussed many different restaurants including some local favorites as well as out of state favorites. We shared almost identical stories regarding our recent, outstanding meal at Jose Garces’s new hotspot, Amada, located in downtown Philadelphia. Alison also discussed some of her food trips to Paris and her meal at the world famous French Laundry in Yountville.

Overall, I highly recommend Alison at Blue Bell. The service is very professional, attentive, and knowledgeable. The simple, yet upscale décor of the dining room lends itself perfectly to the haute cuisine and relaxed meal that is to follow. The fresh seafood is stunningly prepared and overflowing with bold flavors, and impressive and inventive sides. Finally, Alison’s watchful eye and relaxed manner breathes fresh air into this Blue Bell strip mall goldmine.

The Facts
Name: Alison at Blue Bell
Address:
721 Skippack Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Phone: (215) 641-2660
Cuisine: New American
Website: http://alisonatbluebell.com/index.html
Price: Appetizers ($7 - $13), Entrees ($17 - $28), Desserts ($6)

Philadelphia Restaurant Week 2006

It’s that time of the year again – my favorite week of the year, Restaurant Week in Philly !! This year’s lineup of restaurants is even more diverse than last year’s so I’m eagerly awaiting a fantastic combination of old favorites and newcomers. As of now, I’m planning on eating at the following places:

• Mandoline
• Le Bar Lyonnais
• Old Original Bookbinder’s
• Davios
• Tangerine
• Bistro St. Tropez
• Sabor
  
• Lacroix

Sovalo (Philadelphia, PA)

Italian Gem

Due to the critical acclaim that it has been receiving recently, I have been quite eager to dine at Sovalo. Rob and my need for a post Philadelphia Auto Show dinner was the perfect backdrop for a visit to Northern Liberties and thus I made a reservation since Rob had spoken so highly of Sovalo, having enjoyed several prior meals. Sovalo is small and assuming from the outside with only a single small sign identifying the restaurant. Upon entering the small dining room, we were immediately seated by the window in the nearly empty restaurant by two gracious (and cute) hostesses.

Our meal began with bread accompanied by a fantastic olive puree spread. The spread was creamy with a noticeable but not overpowering olive flavoring. After a brief wait, our first courses arrived. We each decided to order a glass of red wine; Rob opted for a Beringer Merlot while I choose a Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon since I was impressed with the Mondavi Winery when I last visited Napa Valley. We each ordered an appetizer, pasta dish, and entrée and settled into our seats.

Rob ordered the mussels with roasted peppers, lemon and Calabrian sausage. The portion that he received was very generous. In general, our portions were very generous throughout the meal. The mussels were fresh, plump, and tasty. The sausage and roasted peppers added weight to the dish and were excellent compliments to the mussels. I thoroughly enjoyed my sweet breads and hedgehogs with apple mantecato and pomegranate sauce. The sweet breads were very palatable and extremely tender. The apple and pomegranate sauce added a strong, sweet fruit flavor to the dish which nicely offset the savory taste of the veal.

During the middle of our meal, we received a gracious tableside visit by Karey Scarpone (the co‑owner of Sovalo along with her husband and executive chef Joe) after Rob mentioned that he was a former roommate of Joe’s brother Mike. We spoke with her for several minutes before our pasta course arrived.

Rob enjoyed his ricotta gnocchi with shitake, butternut squash and duck ragu. My bartlett pear, onion and fontina filled ravioli with sage butter was strongly flavored with fresh mint and other herbs. I was slightly disappointed with flavor balance since the pear flavor was overpowered by the fontina and sage butter. However, I still enjoyed the dish due to the light, homemade ravioli shells.

After quickly finishing our pasta dishes, we received our main courses, monkish “Scallopini” with lentils, cotichino and dandelion greens and a grilled hanger steak, purple masers, pepperoni in padella. Rob’s hanger steak was excellent, with perfectly cooked medium temperature meat. The mashed potatoes had a beautiful purple color to them and a creamy texture. The dish was very hearty and the pepperoni provided some added depth to the dish. I was extremely happy with my fresh and perfectly cooked monkfish. The lentil and dandelion green bed gave the dish an earthiness that worked well with the fish.

When it came time for dessert, I could not resist the house made chocolate and Meyer lemon-pine nut gelato. It seems to be getting harder and harder to find homemade gelato given the recent proliferation of Capogiro across many Philadelphia restaurants. I am a big fan of their gelato but prefer restaurants that prepare their dishes in house. The gelato was simply delightful: dense, strongly flavored, and extremely fresh. The lemon-pine nut scoop was particularly interesting with its combination of tartness and crunchiness. The Illy coffee, a dark Italian brand, was an excellent capstone to the evening.

Overall, I highly recommend Sovalo. Its relaxed yet romantic setting and attentive service makes for an enjoyable experience. The kitchen’s dedication to high quality ingredients excellently prepared shines through many of the dishes. Finally, the reasonable prices and generous portions make for a very satisfying meal. I heartily agree with Craig LaBan from the Philadelphia Inquirer that this is easily the best Italian Restaurant to open since Vetri in 1998. In the continuously exploding culinary landscape that has become Northern Liberties, Sovalo easily shines as one of its brightest new additions.

The Facts:
Name: Sovalo
Address:
702 North 2^nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: 215-413-7770
Cuisine: Italian
Cost: Antipasti ($6.50-$10.50), Pasta ($13.95-$16.95), Secondi ($15.25-$21.95), Dolci ($5.50-$7.00)