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Blackfish Chip Roman’s A Tasting of Scallops Thursday, April 30, 2009
Stella Blu featured in this week’s Montgomery County Ticket! Thursday, April 30, 2009
TICKET TO DINING: Stella Blu — a contemporary marvel with Italian flair
By Frank D. Quattrone
Although it hardly seemed critical, during the fall season 2007, one of Montgomery County’s most popular restaurants decided to do a makeover. When it reopened in December of that year, the face of Stella Blu had changed in several ways.
Gone were the tiny “Star Bar” and the silver-blue wallpaper. In were an expanded contemporary bar with a dozen high swivel stools and big-screen TV — and silvery swirls on a creamy wall that lightened the mood considerably. Delicate chandeliers with lovely teardrop fixtures add a soft touch.
Gone, too, was the predominantly Italian menu, although its most salient features and its chef’s uncanny twists on the mundane would be retained. When the executive chef/owner is as talented as Ralph Pallarino, you always trust the hot hand. (more…)
Cinco de Mayo Celebration at Gypsy Saloon + Mother’s Day! Tuesday, April 28, 2009
It’s party time!
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at the Gypsy Saloon this Friday, May 1st – Tuesday, May 5th!
Gypsy Saloon will offer a special Cinco de Mayo menu available for lunch and dinner. Sip on bottles of Corona and Dos Equis for $2.50 and pitchers of Margaritas with Chips and Salsa for $35. And starting at 9pm, dancing with DJ Gino!
Appetizers
Homemade Guacamole with pico de gallo and chips $8
Tequila Shrimp Tostada – tequila sauteed shrimp, cilantro,
tomatoes, white onions and lime $12
Mexican Flatbread – garlic shrimp, sauteed tomatoes, cilantro
and monterrey jack cheese $10
Entrees
Asada Style Steak over Grilled Cactus – oaxaca cheese,
chile guajillo sauce served with rice $22
Chicken Enchiladas – served with creamy poblano sauce, rice and beans $18
Chili Rellenos – peppers stuffed with tuna, rice, beans and a tomato sauce $22
Fajitas – served with flour tortillas, rice, beans
and green tomatillo salsa (Chicken $18, shrimp $22 or beef $22)
A la carte menu is also available.
gypsysaloon.com
Stella Blu, normally closed on Sundays, will open for Mother’s Day and serve their brand NEW Spring Menu featuring Thai Peekytoe Crab Salad and Seared Scallops with Cilantro Pesto. Moms will also enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne. Dinner is served from 5-9PM. Call 610.815.7060 for reservations.
stellablurestaurant.com
Blackfish Chef Chip Roman’s “A Tasting of Lobster” Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Every Monday Blackfish chef/owner Chip Roman creates a 4 Course Chef’s Tasting for $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The menu focuses on a single ingredient each week. Last night, it was Lobster…and it rocked!!!
A Tasting of Lobster
lobster “oeuf a la coque”
poached lobster, spring vegetables, hazelnuts, coral emulsion
roasted lobster, english peas, morel mushrooms, madras curry
lemon “pudding”, blackberries, brown butter
Upcoming Chef Tastings…
May 4 – A Tasting of Scallops; May 11 – A Tasting of Crab; May 18 – A Tasting of Fruits de Mer
119 Fayette Street * Conshohocken, PA * 19428 * 610-397-0888 * blackfishrestaurant.com
Upcoming Chef’s Tastings at Blackfish Friday, April 24, 2009
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Spring Specials from Ansill Thursday, April 23, 2009
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Blackfish Stone Harbor Opens Mother’s Day Weekend Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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Maia Closes… Monday, April 20, 2009
The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reports that Maia has closed on his blog, The Insider:
Maia, the ambitious Villanova cafe/restaurant/marketplace that opened just off the Blue Route only last May, has shut down, acknowledges general manager Nicole Pizzi.
The landlord is interested in putting in a new tenant in the upstairs and downstairs, says another manager.
In March, Maia closed its posher upstairs room to focus on downstairs.
Bella Luna Pizza Kitchen Menu Available at Stella Blu. Plus Stella Blu’s New Lunch & Dinner Menus! Monday, April 20, 2009
Bella Luna Pizza Kitchen Customers
Bella Luna is temporarily closed for construction. During this time, you can order your favorite Bella Luna sandwiches, salads,wraps and more from Stella Blu. Pizza will not be available while Bella Luna Pizza Kitchen is under construction.
Call 610.825.7151 for pick-up or delivery at Stella Blu, Monday – Friday from 11AM – 3PM.
And check out Stella Blu’s new Lunch Menu featuring even more great salads and sandwiches! Call 610.825.7060 to make reservations.
New Spring Dinner Menu at Stella Blu
This Friday, Chef Ralph Pallarino celebrates the season with his new Spring Menu. Menu items include…
Ahi Tuna Caprese fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, heirloom tomatoes, Ahi tuna and roasted pine nuts, drizzled with a ginger-citrus vinaigrette ~ $14
Grilled asparagus with roasted red peppers, shaved parmesan cheese and poached egg drizzled with extra virgin olive oil ~ $10
Grilled Shrimp with watermelon slaw, watercress, jalapenos, radishes and lime ~ $13
Wild Mushroom Pizza wild mushrooms, ricotta cheese, prosciutto, roasted garlic, chilies and aged balsamic vinegar ~ $12
Mini “Grilled cheese” brioche sandwich with taleggio, buffalo mozzarella and goat cheese, and tomato marmalade ~ $8
Salmon “Kung Pao style” peanuts, carrots, zucchini, celery and red pepper in a spicy brown sauce with rice ~ $22
Grilled Scallops with pineapple risotto and a cilantro pesto ~ $23
Stimulate your appetite with the NEW
Italian Delight Menu!
Stimulate your appetite with Stella Blu’s new Italian Delight Menu. The new Italian menu will be offered for dinner beginning at 5:00pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
All entrees are priced under $20 and include soup or a salad and garlic bread.
Garlic bread
Choice of: White Bean and Escarole Soup or House Salad
Entrees
Spaghetti and Mama Mary’s Meatballs in our slow cooked gravy 14 Cheese Ravioli and meatballs 15 Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken 16 Mussels Fra Diavlo 16 Potato Gnocchi with sweet sausage and Broccoli Rabe aioli 16 Penne Vodka with Prosciutto, red onion in a tomato vodka blush sauce 18 Shrimp Scampi over linguini 19
at Stella Blu’s Star Bar
The late night scene at Stella Blu’s Star Bar is in full swing. Starting at 9:00pm on Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights enjoy live acoustic music, while sipping on $5 specialty cocktails and $8 wine flights.
The Star Bar is a great alternative for cocktails, conversation and live acoustic music.
101 Ford Street * West Conshohocken, PA 19428 * 610-825-7060
stellablurestaurant.com
Michael Klein Reports that Savona is closed for renovations Friday, April 10, 2009
After 12 years, Savona owner Evan Lambert says, “It’s time to evolve” at the Gulph Mills destination.
It’s closed for renovations and is expected to reopen mid-May, in time for graduations and Mother’s Day.
The evolution means that Savona will break out a 30-seat fine-dining room, where traditionalists can order from Andrew Masciangelo’s refined Riviera-inspired menu.
The rest of the restaurant — including a new, expanded bar and outdoor patio — will serve a more casual Italian menu focused on locally available ingredients.
Prices are and will be $100 a person for fine dining. Lambert expects a tab for two in the casual section to run about $80.
The economy? “We can’t avoid talking about it,” says Lambert, stressing that Savona’s a la carte business is “strong. We’re successful in a quiet way. Our biggest hit has been in private dining. Not as many companies are doing events anymore.”
Wine-by-the-glass list, under sommelier Melissa Monosoff, will expand to 50 by the glass.
The Insider: Official site
Blackfish in Conshohocken featured in Philadelphia Gay News Friday, April 10, 2009
There is something rich and soothing about Blackfish, 119 Fayette St. in Conshohocken. Maybe the abundance of painted white wood, crisp linen and minimalist but comforting décor brings back memories of vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard when I was a kid.
Award-winning chef/owner Charles “Chip” Roman describes the fare at Blackfish as seafood-centered, progressive-American cuisine with French influences. Roman has been cooking since he was 3 — and hasn’t grown weary of it yet. In addition to a thriving catering business, Roman also teaches culinary-arts courses at Drexel University, where he earned his business degree while attending the culinary program on a scholarship from Le Bec-Fin, where he worked for five years. Next month, Roman and his business partner, John Sprandio, will open Blackfish Stone Harbor, the seaside sibling to Blackfish Conshohocken.
It’s an order-at-will menu at Blackfish, divided into three sections: two for appetizers and the third for entrées. We started our meal with the mussel cauliflower soup ($9). One of the things our server stressed was that Roman takes pride in creating dishes you won’t find elsewhere. Well, I’ve had cauliflower soup in other places, but it didn’t compare to this. The soup was poured tableside out of lovely silver teapots, silky and smooth with a subtle, smoky undercurrent of mussel. But the best part was getting to the saffron-pickled mussels at the bottom of the bowl.
Blackfish is a BYOB, so luckily I had a bottle of Ruffino Reserva stashed in my car.
To help get us back on track, the chef sent out an amuse-bouche, which translates to “amuses the mouth.” A small bite before the meal, this was a mini portion of carrot, honey and tangerine soup — a lip-smacking, tangy little palate pleaser.
After our server uncorked the bottle, we ordered the Parmesan “panna cotta” ($12) with roasted local beets. Panna cotta is an Italian dessert, but Roman takes out the sweetness and adds a savory touch with Parmesan cheese, red beets, balsamic oil and pistachios.
Our next appetizer was the yellow-tail kingfish ($16), served sashimi-style with a lemon-curry sauce made with yuzo kosho, a zesty Japanese spice; and sansho, a kind of pepper from the pod of the prickly ash; all accompanied by pickled radish and kiwi. This combination created an interesting flavor.
The last appetizer was the house-smoked loch duart salmon ($14). The loch duart is a high-quality salmon from the Scottish Highlands, a region that practices sustainable and environmentally responsible fishing. The salmon was wrapped around a deep-fried egg with sour cream and topped with a potato crisp. Layered atop the crisp was a nest of micro greens from Blue Moon Acres, and underneath was a dabble of crème fraîche — a stirring juxtaposition of tastes and textures.
For our entrée, my dinner companion ordered the bouillabaisse ($32), Blackfish’s signature dish: a large bowl chock full of mussels, shrimp, mahi-mahi, scallops and skate in a saffron-based broth. A long, toasted baguette slathered with saffron-potato mayonnaise rested across the top of the dish.
I ordered the slow-cooked chicken ($28), which was free-range and served with pearl onions, bacon and sour cherries. Roman didn’t disappoint with this unique approach to your average poultry. The chicken was tender yet robust, with a palate-pleasing contrast of tangy cherries and salty jus.
For dessert, my dining companion ordered the warm chocolate cake ($8), rich with a crunchy exterior and filled with what our server Ed called “molten chocolate love,” and paired with a scoop of homemade chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was served on a mound of malt (as in Whoppers malted milk balls) and the cake was served atop a layer of chocolate sauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar. A single raspberry completed the ensemble.
I ordered the beignets ($9), which are basically fancy doughnuts but without so much grease. The beignets at Blackfish were a sight to behold: a small tower of delicious orbs piled high and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They were light and fluffy, yes, but what put them over the top were the sides: two small bowls of chocolate sauce and crème anglaise made for dunking.
Blogalicious features Blackfish Stone Harbor Opening… Friday, April 10, 2009
Presenting (Mostly Because We Can’t Wait For Summer) The Blackfish Stone Harbor Menu
Good grief, Chip Roman. You’re on this blog more than Miley Cyrus is The Soup. (It’s Chip!) Still, on a day like today, the Margate sea hags seem so close we can smell their Panama Jack and Marlboro Reds, and it makes us happy to mull over what we’ll order at Blackfish at the shore, recently relocated from Avalon to Stone Harbor in the old Henny’s spot on 9628 Third Ave. We’ll be starting with the cute-as-a-button Cape May salts—you know their story, right?—then follow up with the foie gras terrine (real Sicilian pistachios?! Yes!) For entrees, it’s a toss-up between the rib-eye and the dourade. We have a sweet spot for sweet Jersey corn. Come correct, Chip, and make summer ’09 one to savor.
Gazpacho, crushed avocado, opal basil
House Smoked Scottish Salmon, crispy potatoes, deep fried egg, crème fraiche
Tuna Tartar, spicy kimchee, micro greens
Baby Arugula Salad, Bulgarian feta, local blueberries, walnut vinaigrette
Jersey Tomatoes, handmade mozzarella, local basil
Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine, sour cherry, compressed Anjou pears, Sicilian pistachios
Cape May Salt Oysters, carbonated Meyer lemon, watermelon, pink peppercorn
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Dry Aged Rib Eye, summer vegetables, red wine sauce
Roasted Scottish Salmon, lentil salad, lemongrass emulsion
Dourade Royale, sweet corn, soybeans
“Surf and Turf”, glazed beef short ribs, day boat scallops, parsnip puree, horseradish
Roasted Free-range Chicken, morel mushrooms, white asparagus, ramps
Bouillabaisse (seasonal fish poached in a saffron broth, crusty bread and rouille)
Ansill’s happy hour features wallet-friendly $1 oysters, $5 drink specials Monday, April 6, 2009
By Robert DiGiacomo
The bar at Ansill Food + Wine
At Philadelphia’s Ansill Food + Wine, where the innovative small plates menu easily can add up to a big check, the weekday happy hour offers some very wallet-friendly specials.
Available from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Queen Village restaurant’s bar are oysters for $1 each, Finlandia martinis and glasses of prosecco for $5, and Yards Philadelphia drafts for $3.
In related money-saving news, Ansill on Tuesdays only, is BYOB, with no corkage fees.
Robert DiGiacomo is an examiner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can see Robert’s articles on Robert’s Home Page.
This week’s Chef Tasting at Blackfish: Beets Saturday, April 4, 2009
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Blackfish Chef Chip Roman’s Study of Asparagus… Thursday, April 2, 2009
A Study of Asparagus
Last Monday, Chef Chip Roman of Blackfish in Conshohocken explored the possibilities of asparagus. The outcome was positively fabulous!
White asparagus soup, champagne, smoked salmon
Asparagus tempura, sweet and sour sabayon
Mahi Mahi, porcini mushrooms, asparagus coulis
White asparagus ice cream, chocolate, malt
119 Fayette Street * Conshohocken, PA * 19428 * 610-397-0888 * blackfishrestaurant.com
Blackfish & Savona Chefs in today’s Daily News Thursday, April 2, 2009
Cooking up holiday value: How to save on Easter & Passover feasts
APRIL HAS arrived, and with it Easter and Passover, two holidays where the big focus is food – from braised brisket to spiral ham, rack of lamb to matzo ball soup.
With families crunching their budgets and food prices on the rise in supermarkets this year, we sought out experts’ tricks and tips to make the traditional Easter dinner and Passover seder more cost-effective – without compromising quality.
Substitute cheaper cuts of meat for pricey traditional cuts.
Blackfish Chef Chip Roman Shares Recipe for Chocolate Soup on blogalicious Thursday, April 2, 2009
“Chartreuse, The Only Liqueur So Good They Named A Color After It.”
If we were the graphic-novel-writing types, we think we’d have to christen our badass heroine Chartreuse. She’d be an exotic dancer turned vigilante when her twin stripper sister Chanteuse is murdered by the head of an evil crime syndicate. She’d be blonde with green streaks, and her weapon of choice would be a brass pole. Her costume would be tastefully sheer. But we’re not the graphic-novel-writing type. We are, however, the drinking type, and Chartreuse the liqueur is as bewitching as the heroine in our pretend comic. The green (there’s also a yellow variety) elixir, made from 130 herbs, spices and botanicals, is the preferred tipple of Jay Gatsby and Stuntman Mike alike. But it also works well in cooking, according to Blackfish boy Chip Roman, who recently turned out a chocolate soup with Chartreuse gelato and malt for the finale of his Monday night $45 four-course pre-fixe. “Sometimes you try something and it works,” says the chef. “I was just experimenting.” These set suppers are happening every Monday night, so make some rezzies, or make the chocolate-Chartreuse soup home. If you’re fresh out of Chartreuse gelato (and really why would you be?) just follow the manufacturer’s instructions on your ice cream maker, or go and beg the nice people at Capogiro to spin some up for you. Enjoy.
