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Rating: 5 silver spoons out of 5

Overview: Outsanding upscale bistro that can offer both a casual neighborhood meal of small plates, pizza and pasta, and an upscale special occasion dinner of wonderful modern American entrees. Worth the drive from the Main Line!

Food: To start things off, a complimentary amuse bouche of cool three potato soup and crème freche was immensely fresh and even featured hints of kennett mushrooms. After struggling to decide among a variety of attack plans, we opted for the Antipasto ($18), a collection of different small bite appetizers. The Mushroom & Truffle Grilled Cheese was, obviously, great, as are most things that feature bread and melted cheese, but the local mushroom flavor added just enough interest to make this stand out even more so. Another winner was the Fava Bean Crostini with Shaved Pecorino, which, when dipped in the olive oil provided with the complimentary bread was even nicer. It was great to see Fiddle Head Ferns featured (with Prosciutto Di Parma), as these hard-to-find veggies are always a nice treat in the Spring. Though perhaps not the intended way to eat it, spreading the Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Flan on a piece of fresh, crusty bread made for a great impromptu bruschetta. Lastly, the Fried Smelts with Anchovy Aioli were just ok, as the “fishy” flavor overwhelmed to some extent.

The Natural Free Range Chicken entrée, served on a bed of Butternut Squash, Johnny’s Mushrooms, Cous Cous “Mac & Cheese” and Chicken Jus ($26) was the big winner of the evening (and we rarely order chicken!). The French-cut bird was perfectly cooked, crispy skin on the outside but still tender within, and the creamy “cous cous”, which was a mix of all the above ingredients, was both rich and comforting. The other entrée we tried, Local Spinach and Feta Tortellini served in a Spring Garlic Broth with Grated Aged Goat Cheese ($25), offered more subtle flavors but was both light and satisfying. It tasted like Spring in a bowl!

For dessert, we opted for the Liquid Center Butterscotch Cake, served with Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Espresso Dust and a Cocoa Nib “Glass” ($9) — think a butterscotch version of the classic molten chocolate cake. This was a bit too sweet — perhaps a coffee ice cream to replace the vanilla would provide some bitterness to offset the vanilla sweetness — but nonetheless we cleaned the plate.

On another visit, we sampled several of the excellent pizzas for a more casual dinner. Though everything was good, the Butternut Squash pie (Grilled Butternut Squash, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Gorgonzola, Baby Arugula) was out of this world. The sweetness of the squash paired brilliantly with the salty bacon for a unique, wonderful treat.

Bar: We chose to bring our own wine (for a $5 corkage fee), but Sovana does offer a nice selection of wine and beer. The moderately-sized wine list offers reasonably priced bottles ($30-60), though watch out for the single glass prices. For beers, they offer some nice local craft brews, including a couple draft choices from Delaware’s Twin Lakes Brewery.

Ambiance: We’re partial to this kind of place — bustling, modern, and friendly, with lots of wood and natural light. Perhaps not a place for a quiet, romantic evening, but otherwise excellent. They also have some tables outside, both on the side (in a nice garden area) and out front (strip mall parking lot views).

Service: Competent service — nothing outstanding to report.

Value: Hard to say what a meal for two will cost due to the abundant options for meals and drinks, but prices are available on the website. Though the entrée prices can head into the $30s, the food is excellent and likely worth the price. Having a BYOB option, despite the $5 corkage (which is quite reasonable considering the license), is also great. And, if you want to try Sovana without breaking the bank, a meal could quite easily be made of appetizers and pizza.

Details:
# VISITS: 2
Cards: Yes
Bar: Yes / BYOW $5
Site: http://www.sovanabistro.com/
Reservations: OpenTable

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Review: 3 silver spoons out of 5

Overview: The more casual sister of the acclaimed Dilworthtown Inn, the restaurant features an eclectic, seasonal bistro menu with great bar snacks, a superb wine list and a relaxed atmosphere.

Food: Having already enjoyed the Dilworthtown Inn, we were intrigued by the menu and concept of the Blue Pear Bistro. The menu, consisting of small and medium sized plates (though, all but one of our medium plates were typical entrée portions), contains modern bistro fare, where classics like steak frites are offered alongside eclectic selections such as skate wing and French toast napoleon. We started the meal with cocktails and bar snacks. Though the strawberry mojito was much too strong, my drink, called Fig Thyme, was absolutely delicious - the earthy, fragrant thyme was the perfect complement to the sweetness of the figs. For our snacks, we chose the deviled eggs and white truffle popcorn. While the deviled eggs were quite good, it was the popcorn that took center stage - none of us could stop eating it!  It was warm and crisp and covered with just the right amount of salt and truffle oil; for me, it was one of the highlights of the meal.

Appetizers consisted of shigoku oysters, fried calamari and jalapeño rings, and the bacon and egg salad.  The oysters were lovely: sweet, creamy, and mildly briny. They were especially delicious when topped with the accompanying mignonette and a refreshing ginger concoction that was reminiscent of a good granita.  The bacon and egg salad was also very good, though the egg was coated in a greasy batter that didn’t stick to the egg. Luckily, when removed, the egg turned out to be well cooked with a proper runny yolk.  Though the fried jalapeño rings were enjoyable and offered just the right amount of heat, the calamari itself was rubbery and rather tasteless.

For my entrée, I had the barbecue beef short ribs with creamy grits and watercress salad. The short ribs were cooked very well - they were melt-in-your-mouth tender - and well-seasoned. However, the barbecue sauce was overwhelming and took away from the flavor of the meat. The creamy grits were true to their description and full of rich, buttery flavor. Although I enjoyed them at first, by the end I almost felt as though I was eating mouthfuls of whipped butter. One of my dining partners tried the skate wing with citrus beurre blanc, a special of the evening, and was very pleased with it. The meat itself was tender and delicately flavored and went very well with the tangy sweetness of the citrus sauce. Another member of the group had the seared scallops with English and sugar snap peas and a subtle but rich lobster saffron sauce.  The scallops were tender, perfectly cooked, and lightly caramelized. The scallop dish was the smallest of the entrees - seemingly the only one that actually lived up to the “medium plates” label.

Though the meal so far had been very enjoyable, dessert was rather disappointing. Despite an enticing menu, including French toast napoleon, lemon-maple sorbet, and profiteroles, both desserts that we ordered were underwhelming at best. The French toast napoleon was cloyingly sweet, and I could only eat a few bites of it. Not even the accompanying lemon-maple sorbet and tart blueberries could offset the sweetness.  The other dessert, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and crispy carrots, was far too spicy.

Service: Having already experienced the fantastic service at Dilworthtown Inn, I had high hopes for the Blue Pear. However, the service was adequate at best. When asked about the flavor of dishes on the menu, our robotic waitress had to check with the kitchen, making it very clear that she had never tasted them. Worse yet, on a number of occasions she cleared plates off the table when people were still eating! Initially, she took the popcorn as someone was reaching in for another handful (we were too stunned to say anything), and later proceeded to do the same with my appetizer and another person’s entrée.

Ambiance: Housed in a renovated 18^th century general store, Blue Pear is warm and inviting, with a number of different styled sections - a porch, bar area, lounge, and regular dining room. This cozy feeling is enhanced when people are sipping wine on the porch and/or talking and enjoying snacks at the bar.

Value: Prices for the small and medium plates range from about $7.00 - $24.50, with bar snacks and side dishes ranging from about $2.50 - $6.50.

Details:
# of times we’ve eaten there: 1
Reservations: Yes, by telephone
Hours: Monday - Saturday 4:00pm - midnight (bar service begins at 4:00pm, dinner at 5:00pm)
Bar: Yes
Cards: Yes
Website: http://www.bluepearbistro.com/

We’ll be attending, as well as posting pics and recap shortly.

*Of course there are plenty of easy ways to make this less healthy as well…

Ingredients:
1 Whole Wheat Thomas’ Bagel Sandwich Square (or bagel of choice)
3/4c Egg Substitute or Beaten Egg
1/8c fat-free half & half
Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Pure Maple Syrup
Lean Chicken or Tofu Breakfast Sausage, cooked (optional)

Mix 1/4c egg and 1/8c h&h in a shallow bowl or dish. Dip inside of each bagel half in bowl so it soaks up half of mixture.

Scramble remaining eggs in a pan. When they are close to done, mix in cheese to taste.

Meanwhile, heat another pan sprayed with oil and cook bagel halves until golden brown on inside. Flip to briefly heat outside.

Butter each inside bagel half and drizzle a small amount of pure maple syrup on each side. Put enough eggs to cover bottom half of bagel, top with a little sausage. Grind coarse sea salt and black pepper on top of eggs, then close sandwich and enjoy.

p.s. This recipe not endorsed by Thomas’ Bagels — we just think the square ones make easier sandwiches, and their soft texture work well here (though we wouldn’t recommend for use as actual bagels).

January 10: Mims Food and Drink opens in the space formerly known as the Freehouse
January 28: The Inquirer first reports the non-compete clause that will force Mims to Phoenixville.
April 28: “Mims Food & Drink” officially closes.
May 6: The Freehouse reopens as, wait for it… The Freehouse.
May 12: In what seemed like an innocuous comment at the time, new Freehouse chef Brett Naylor mentions disagreeing with FH ownership about the name (whether it should have been renamed or not). (link)
June 3: A paper sign is seen on the darkened Freehouse stating “Closed for Renovations”. Philly.com’s Michael Klein responds to a Main Line Dine Tweet stating that it is a reported “plumbing issue” and that it will reopen this weekend.
June 4: Naylor ignores our email inquiring about the restaurant’s status. (He’d been very responsive previously.)
June 13: The Freehouse is still closed for perhaps the biggest Wayne restaurant day of the year, the Main Line Jazz Fest.
June 22: Klein posts on his blog that chef Naylor was seen working in the Urban Outfitters corporate kitchen in the Navy Yard, that the website has disappeared and that calls to the restaurant owners go straight to voicemail.

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In New England, they eat more of the stuff per capita than anywhere else in the States, so any excuse to go out for ice cream seems like a good one, but my experience at Handel’s had me wondering if this was more than a N.E. phenomenon. I broached the subject with Mrs. MLD. Sure, enough, she said, as a kid she got excited whenever there was a summer storm, because she knew that a trip to the Downingtown Tastee Freez was in order. (”To suck on some chili dogs?”, I asked instinctively).

In the end, we didn’t solve the mystery of ice cream and rain — we just enjoyed it.