The Weekly Entrée 7-5
Patagonia Bar and Grill
Rating: 
Owner and executive chef Daniel Lucci opened his first restaurant in Argentina with his mother, a professional chef, who taught him the art of making sauces.
After he moved to America, he worked in a number of restaurants around the country, picking up skills to make the best dishes at each stop. This explains the menu, and its fusion of various cultures.
The bar and grill in the restaurant’s name is misleading. The bar is a separate room that is non-obtrusive, allowing for quiet dining made tranquil with a water wall — a glass wall between the dining rooms that encloses falling water.
While Lucci and his sous chefs concentrate on the soups, appetizers and entrées, the desserts are prepared on the premises by Culinary Institute of America graduate Stefanie Weselovs. She spent eight years as sous pastry chef at Le Bec Fin before she joined Patagonia when it opened just over three years ago.
To get an idea of how Lucci prepares his dishes, we began with coconut shrimp served with homemade orange marmalade and fried calamari.
The shrimp were lightly coated with a nice hint of coconut flavor, allowing the taste of the shrimp to come through. The marmalade was pleasant, but not overly sweet.
I’m a creature of habit, so I wondered why the calamari was not served with the usual side of marinara. My first bite answered the question.
When the calamari was removed from the fryer, it was coated with Lucci’s special clear sauce and definitely did not need anything else.
They were fabulous and imparted warmth on the finish. We also had an appetizer medley of fresh-made bruschetta, chicken quesadilla, fried brie with a raspberry sauce and fresh melon.
The brie stole the show as it was lightly breaded, and the raspberry sauce was sparingly used providing a nice contrast to the warm brie. The fruit added to the presentation with its rainbow of colors.
The tomato bisque and sweet potato jalapeño soup were excellent representations of what Lucci can do with seasonings. The bisque was full-bodied and the sweet potato soup had a slight heat without being overpowering.
My spouse chose the well-seasoned lobster ravioli in a blush sauce that contained scallops, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and diced tomatoes.
I ordered the mixed grill from the “Steak House” section of the menu. The shirt steak, boneless chicken breast and chorizo were covered with fresh Argentine chimicurri sauce that was delicious. It was served with roasted fresh vegetables and whipped potatoes.
We couldn’t resist trying the homemade desserts. Most of them come in full and mini-size, which is great for testing a variety.
We satisfied our sweet cravings with mini- size hazelnut dacquoise — chocolate truffle mousse between crispy hazelnut meringues, traditional crème brûlée with a paper-thin caramelized topping and chocolate ice cream in a crispy tuile cup. I was smitten by the full-size Argentine chocolate cake because they were out of the smaller portion.
It was a very delightful chocolate cake with puff pastry that added a unique texture and dulce de leche — imported Argentine caramel — was sandwiched in between the layers.
The nicely seasoned dishes and great desserts in this tranquil setting rate an AHHHHH (5) out of 5 AHs.
E-mail Jim Clark at weeklyentree@verizon.net.
Location: 59 Almshouse Road, Richboro Ambience: Upscale casual Cuisine: Argentine Fusion Phone Number: 215-354-9400 Web site: www.patagoniabarandgrill.com
Hours: Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Prices: Soups, appetizers: $4.50 to $12; Pasta: $10 to $23; Fish: $20 to $26; Steakhouse menu: $18 to $32 Alcoholic Beverages: Full-service bar
