Ella's Bistro- Devon, PA

The farm to table movement is certainly sweeping the nation. And like any other foodies, we take this very seriously. We share an opinion that in order to take this movement seriously, you should actually find out where your food is coming from. If you take the time to find out, the result may pleasantly surprise you. The reaction you inevitably get is one of enthusiasm and knowledge from your server who, if doing his or her job right, is up to all the rigs when it comes to the food being prepared in the kitchen. Ella’s was no exception to this. This ability to find out where your food is coming from and the potential to pursue it on your own is what makes this movement so great. You have a cheese you love, ask where it is from and maybe you can go get it yourself to enjoy in your own home. Find an excellent cut of grass fed beef? Look at the website of the farm and maybe you can find a local farmer’s market they participate with on the weekends. Without this, what is the point of farm to table? The self congratulation of knowing you support local farmers with little effort? Where is the fun in that?

Now that I am done with that, let’s talk about this restaurant. As I already stated, a knowledgable and helpful staff certainly helps with a nice start to the evening. Subtly furnished in a “country chic” style the main dining room was bright and simple with the main detail being various different and intricate chandeliers. A good wine list with some wines from a local favorite, Stone & Key Winery, and old world and new world mixture. A small list of local beers and some cocktails round out the drinks. 

We had previously decided on a cheese board to start and only hesitated slightly at the appeal of potato gnocchi with foie gras and veal meatballs. This only lasted briefly, however, as we knew the cheeses to be made locally and our interest was peaked. While the cheeses were not the best we ever had, they were incredibly well balanced on the board being a hard sheep and cow, a hard goat, a nice mild brie, and a strong blue. Paired with honey and a blueberry/cranberry compote, we were able to see the potential in the cheeses, especially the blue and the goat cheese. 

Entrees were a little more difficult to decide, and we ended up going with the braised short ribs with pasta and mushrooms and the duck with fingerling potatoes and greens. The braised short rib is no small piece of meat. Well braised with a mushroom based sauce it melts in your mouth. The mushrooms are excellent and the pasta is nice and thick with plenty of flavor on its own. A great dish, but not for the faint of heart.  The duck breast, by contrast, did not exactly melt in your mouth.  The suggested serving was medium rare and contained all the beloved flavors of pan seared duck.  However, like many other duck experiences, the meat was chewy and required precise dissection around fat and connective tissue.  This proved to be a near impossible task.  

Braised Short Rib

Seared Duck Breast

Duck Egg Crem Brulee

For dessert we got the banana and almond bread pudding with salted caramel and buttermilk ice cream and duck egg creme brûlée. The bread pudding was nice with the almonds being finely shredded in the pudding rather than using amaretto for the flavor. 

The Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia has been scrutinized for a lack trendy, memorable eateries with character in their cuisine, drink and overall atmosphere.  Over the past four years we have been disappointed at many stops out here (White Dog Cafe, Nectar in Berwyn) but also walked away fulfilled and excited to return (Fraschetta in Bryn Mawr- easily some of the best Italian food anywhere).  Ella’s is a solid restaurant for any location but as a suburban farm-to-table, it is a welcome addition to the (short) list of excellent Main Line dining.

Philly Pizza- An Update

Lorenzo’s

I am ashamed to say I lived in Center City for 4 years without even hearing of this place let alone going there. On 4th and South there lies a place where all slices are cheese only, 3 bucks, cash only, and strict rules apply to the “in” and “out” doors. Such a place sounds like it only exists in the land of Happily Ever After, but alas, its true. And the slices are about as big as two plates side by side. Greasy cheesy goodness on a thin crust with no pretentions to gourmet. This is the epitome of drunk food; if you don’t get kicked out for not following the rules, that is. 

In Riva-again 

It comes as a surprise to us all that it has taken over 6 months for us to go back to In Riva for another go at the pizza. Before I continue, let me just say that In Riva does other things on its menu very well including the vasi and the pasta. We just never bother with these things when the pizza mood strikes. Going back we insisted on trying new pizzas. We did the spicy ham, a pizza that, while on the menu all the time, seems to always fly below the radar for us. And our second choice bianco verde, appears to be on the newer side of the menu. The spicy ham has their fabulous red sauce with well baked ham and pickled chilis. The chilis bring the heat without being excessive. The red sauce… well it just goes without saying. Bianco verde is a goat cheese pizza with arugula, onion, almond, and some lovely lemon olive oil. You would think that the goat cheese overpowers the other flavors, but not true and we were not short on the goat cheese either. The lemon added a nice balance to it as well. It is probably likely that as we went this time on a Wednesday as opposed to a weekend there was more time to focus on the quality, but the crust was spectacular. Although it still sits at number two on our previous list, it is more secure at number two than previously. 

The Dobbin House- Gettysburg, PA

When anybody mentions Gettysburg (or as the locals pronounce it get-iss-berg) food and cuisine is not the first thing that comes to mind.  The town and surrounding battlefield park offers  a one-of-a-kind experience commemorating the pinnacle battle of the Civil War.  The famous 3-day battle can be relived through multiple tours and monuments spread throughout the gorgeous Appalachian foothills.  Gettysburg received its fame in 1863 with the battle and The Gettysburg Address but the town was founded in 1786.  Well, The Dobbin House Tavern was built even before that in 1776.  During its history the tavern served a multitude of functions including a field hospital (during the battle), a stop on the Underground Railroad, and a civil war diorama and visitor center.  Since the mid 1970s the building was reverted back to its tavern form.  The consumer has an opportunity to sit in the downstairs Springhouse Tavern or the slightly more affluent Dobbin House.  

On the particular trip, Cassie, myself and our close friends Tom and Morgan elected the Springhouse for a Saturday night dinner.  The atmosphere of the tavern is rustic colonial-era with a large fireplace, simple tables, booths, chairs and a fully-stocked eighteenth century bar.  For most people, this atmosphere is the draw to the Dobbin House. The tavern does not accept reservations and the wait on a Saturday night around 5:30 could be one hour.  But it’s definitely worth the experience.

The Springhouse Tavern offers a full bar with craft beers, a complete and thorough wine list with some local wineries included and “period-inspired” cocktails.  The food menu is traditional American lunch fare while maintaining a standard for the period for the most part.  Items include sandwiches, crabcakes, steak and fire roasted chicken.  

The french onion soup is possibly the most popular item on the menu.  The lore of Dobbin’s french onion soup resonates throughout town amongst the locals and returning tourists.  It has all the accoutrement of typical french onion soup; however, this particular soup contains cubes of beef in its broth.  This addition mellows the otherwise salty flavors of the broth and provide a little added bite and protein.  Topped with some bread and the requisite cheese, and you have yourself quite the hard soup. I assume colonials had to take their protein any way they can get.  

The main courses at our table included the roasted chicken, fillet mignon, chicken sandwich and the tavern burger.  Not a whole lot to critique here.  Every item was prepared and flavored well, nothing pretentious and no modern surprises.  Perhaps the winner amongst the four items was the chicken.  Since chicken is a usual weeknight fare at our house, I tend to overlook chicken options at most restaurants.   However, this chicken is almost on par with most chicken served at “fancier” places.  The skin was crispy, salty while the white and dark meat was extremely tender.  

Fire roasted chicken and fillet mignon

The finale of our dinner was the homemade Apple Pie; pure Americana and I assume colonial Americana at that.  This apple pie, however, was one of the best apple pies I ever tried.  The apples were still crisp and tart.  The dough was flaky and buttery while the filler was perfectly sweet and sugary.  Served a la mode with vanilla ice cream, this was a true hit to conclude our Dobbin House experience.

Dobbin House's apple pie

If you are looking for a life changing culinary experience, this is not the place to go. But if you want to get a feel for what it was like even before the Battle of Gettysburg in a small farm town in central PA, then this is a good meal option for you. The atmosphere is as cozy as it gets. It is easy to forget the hustle and bustle of living in the Philly area when you go to Gettysburg and have places like this as a dining experience. And I don’t mean this in a bad way. It is a nice weekend getaway with the promise of history and the added bonus of some unique dining experiences. Who could ask for more?

Red Owl Tavern- Olde City

A long Saturday morning consisting of a half marathon and College Gameday at Independence Mall required a great lunch.  Just after we passed through the Gameday crowd we rolled into Red Owl Tavern on the corner of 5th and Chestnut.  This bistro-pub hybrid is situated in the trendy Hotel Monaco.  With large crowds come relatively large waits for a table for 4.  When we were given a 20 minute wait time we encompassed the bar to for brunch beverages and to watch the Phillie Phanatic stare down the soul of Lee Corso after he picked Notre Dame to beat Temple.  The bar menu included a fine selection of craft beers, ciders and a nitro tap (coincidentally the Yards Love Stout ran out when I placed my order).  I settled for a bloody mary that taste more like shrimp cocktail with a bit of a kick.  This is not a complaint, I suspect clam juice was added to the cocktail mix to bring out a briny flavor.  

50 minutes after we arrived and 30 minutes past our 20 minute wait time the four of us were seated.  The wait staff showed great hustle but was very informative and pleasant.  The food menu was very promising:  huevos rancheros, 3 meat hash, and egg benedict were amongst the brunch items.  The lunch choices included salads and their own cheesesteak, cheeseburger, and their BLTB (bacon, lettuce, tomato, brie) sandwiches.

Our table of four ordered eggs benedict, BLTB, the Red Owl Tavern Burger and breakfast eggs with apple sausage.  The eggs benedict and BLTB got good solid reviews.  The other items were room temperature at best when they were served.  The burger was very well assembled with sharp cheddar, thick bacon and onion marmalade.  The meat of the burger was well done but rather than have the dish delivered fresh it tastes like it was under heat lamp for 5-10 minutes.  Otherwise I feel the burger has high potential.

Red Owl Tavern was a quick stop for lunch but turned out to be an ordeal over 2 hours in the making.  Between the long wait for a table and the quality of the foods, we are not in a big rush to return.  However, I was impressed with the options of the bar and food menus.  With a few improvements and touch-ups, Independence Mall could have its first truly outstanding restaurant.