The Weekly Entrée 9-10-08
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Entering, we felt we had walked into a very exclusive home with its “parlor” to the left — complete with upholstered furnishings carefully arranged in front of the Mercer tiled fireplace — and the “library” on the right — with its own fireplace, equally appointed.
From here, we walked through a beautiful three-story atrium, with original hardware for opening windows at the top. In keeping with the minute detail throughout, the hardware has been refurbished to its golden finish. Off the atrium is a large deck used for alfresco dining. The dining rooms — the mansion’s ballroom (with fireplace) and sunroom — are decorated in gold and burgundy, with dark-stained molding and period chairs.
The second floor is designed as a banquet room seating 50, and the boardroom, with the fourth fireplace (All fireplaces have been converted to gas.) and original wood paneling, seats 20. All restorations were done with such great care it’s hard not to simply marvel at the workmanship.
Like the balancing feature of a three-legged stool, ambience alone is not a full dining experience. It requires quality food and service. To complete the trilogy, the Manes’ hired general manager Eric Yacker and executive chef Mark Kissinger.
Yacker, trained in management at the Hilton and Starwood hotels, is keenly aware of how to make patrons feel welcome. In addition to the à la Carte menu, he’s included a prix fixe, four-course menu offered daily for $35. To keep things interesting, he has added Tour Dinners, each focusing on a region or country of the world. One Tour Dinner scheduled for Oct. 6 is a six-course French dinner and wine pairing priced at $75 per person.
The staff will gladly prepare vegetarian or gluten-free meals. They also accommodate patrons desiring a special dish not on the menu, provided adequate notice is given.
Kissinger graduated from the Philadelphia Restaurant School and then traversed the country, working in Atlantic City, the Las Vegas Sands and as head French culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, Ariz. These positions served as a great background for the North Italian dishes he now presents with care comparable to that given to the restored mansion.
My spouse’s P.L.T. salad was an overflowing blend of pancetta, chopped tomato, red onion and Gorgonzola cheese atop a wedge of crisp iceberg served with a chilled salad fork. It was a perfect summer salad.
I could not complain about my tender Calamari Fritti, as the crispy calamari rings were extremely tender, and the fried caper pomodoro sauce was spicy, as advertised.
Our entrées were a rack of lamb for my spouse and Misto Mari, a shellfish combo in a light marinara sauce over radiatori pasta, for me. A tangy olive relish, perfectly grilled asparagus and truffled mashed potatoes accompanied the lamb that was served at the requested temperature. I was surprised to hear my spouse state she could learn to love mashed potatoes if they were always like this. She’s never been fond of any type of mashed potatoes, but tolerates them.
My shrimp, scallops, lobster tail and baby clams were fabulous. The toasted bread served on top was useful in finishing the last drops of sauce.
Completing the evening, my spouse happily had the Torta al Cioccolato, a warm chocolate torte with a rich chocolate center served with vanilla gelato. I was content with the mascarpone gelato and fresh berries, topped with chocolate balsamic sauce that added a nice sour contrast to the sweet.
The exquisite all-around dining experience affords Bella Tori an AHHHH (5) out of 5 AHs.
