Food by Richard Burns
Bucks County Time Off, April 2006
Restaurant Review - Villa Barolo Ristorante
Villa Barolo is an unusual restaurant. The setting is modern
and vary attractive. Its extensive menu features almost any
of the Italian dishes you can think of. The printed specials
menu, which changes daily. Is graced with innovative dishes,
wild game, and unusual whole fish filleted tableside. All this
front an owner-chef who was born in Hong Kong
One might assume the menu is too ambitious and that the quality
of the food could suffer. Far from it—every dish we tried
at Villa Barolo was first-rate. Owner-chef Lo has mastered
the art of Italian cooking. He previously owned the Marco Polo
Restaurant in Elkins Park. Villa Barolo has been open for about
6 months and, if the weekday evening crowd is any indication,
it is off to a good start. In addition to Chef Lo, there are
five other chefs working in the kitchen. They have been with
him for 15 years, a mark of consistency.
Villa Barolo is located in an airy, attractive building with
a very large parking lot that can he entered from either Bristol
Road or Route 611. The design inside is modem with light wood
used throughout. There are a limited number of excellent pieces
of modern art on the walls. The entry is large with seating
for those waiting for a table (reservations are taken only
for parties of six or more). Chef Lo believes that people who
are kept waiting should be rewarded, and complimentary hors
d’oeuvres are served to those waiting. There is also
an open display on ice of the fresh fish and shellfish that
will be used that evening.
An ample bar area is off he entry room with tables where guests
can eat. There is piano music in the bar Thursday, Friday and
Saturday evenings. The spacious main dining room is modem in
appearance with booths and tables, all with white tablecloths
and comfortable seating screens are used to break up the room.
One does not have the sense of being in a large hall. The restaurant
also features several separate rooms for special events.
The menu is impressive for both its size and its presentation
in a large binder. The night we visited there were 23 items — all
with prices — offered on the specials menu alone! This
menu generally includes ostrich meat ($25.95) end usually another
wild game meat, such as wild boar chops ($28.95), the evening
we visited the restaurant. The fish are brought in fresh from
as far away as Hawaii (opakapaka, $29.95) and Australia (barramundi,
$28.95). Another example is Suzuki-Japanese sea bass ($28.95).
The regular menu includes a full range of Italian delicacies.
There arc four risotto dishes with seafood in white or red
garlic-wine sauces ranging from $14.50 to $19.95. Pasta dishes
abound, including a dozen without meat or fish. Multiple dishes
are offered with chicken, beef or lamb and veal. Although the
menu is a hit overwhelming, many, but clearly not all, the
Italian dishes are familiar and can trace their origins to
various parts of Italy.
For appetizers, we chose from both the special and regular
menu. My wife, Rose, loved the chilled asparagus ($8.95) topped
with crabmeat, drizzled with lemon and olive oil, and served
with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. Our guest was more
traditional and opted for the white water mussels ($6.95) in
white garlic wine sauce. They were as tender and sweet as any
mussels I have tasted. Finally. I elected the seafood dumplings
($7.95) from the specials menu. Given that the chef was Chinese,
I assumed these would be Chinese-type dumplings. Wrong!
They were two abundant half-circles of puff pastry that had
been stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp and smoked salmon and baked.
The dumplings were served over a bed of delicious pink cognac
sauce.
The house salad included with all entrées (except the
pasta dishes) was a mix of greens served with a wonderful blue
cheese dressing, served alongside excellent, warm French bread.
For entrees, our guest selected the sea scallops ($18.95),
which were sautéed with mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, garlic
and sherry wine: another outstanding dish. Rose had a smooth
end delicious filet of sea bass ($25.95) sautéed with
scampi and sea scallops in a while wine sauce. I tried a dish
that used a cooking method I had seen in cookbooks, but never
attempted — a striped bass cooked in salt ($29.95). Chef
Lo brought the fish, which looked like a loaf of salt, tableside
where he uncased it and then filleted the delicate bass within.
It was tender, sweet and — interestingly — needed
a bit of salt.
We asked to share a pasta dish, “the house specialty,” gnocchi
al pomodoro ($13.50). It was the best I have ever tasted, including
any I had in Italy. It was tender and moist and the fresh tomato
sauce was the perfect complement. The large serving was more
than we could eat.
Desserts, while not made in house, were very good. Rose had
the carrot cake and I, of course, had to try the flourless
chocolate torte ($6 each). Both were exceptional. Gelato, also,
was a great temptation.
The service was prompt and friendly. However, the pasta dish
we shared was served with the main course rather than as a
second course as it would have been in most Italian restaurants.
Despite the attractive tableware and upscale atmosphere, the
after dinner coffee was served in plain mugs with the spoon
in the coffee. Water glasses were not kept filled. I suspect
these problems will be worked out.
There is a large and impressive wine list, A broad choice
of wine by the glass ($6 to $10) is available as is a large
selection of draft and bottled beer.
Villa Barolo is a “destination restaurant” and
well worth the trip.
Villa Barolo Ristorante
1373 Easton Road
Warrington, PA
(215) 491-9370
www.villa-barolo.com
Food: Excellent
Service: Prompt, friendly, but somewhat uneven
Prices: Moderate to expensive
Cuisine: Italian. with an. emphissis on seafood and game
Vegetarian and Vegan Options: Pastas, salads; chef will prepare
to order
Ambience: Modern, attractive
Hours: Lunch: Mon.- Sat. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner: Mon.-Thurs.
3:30-10:30 p.m., Fri. 3:30-11:30 p.m.; Sat. 3—11:30 p.m.;
Sun. 2—10 p.m.
Essentials: Accepts major credit cards; wheelchair accessible;
full bar; reservations available for parties of six or morc~
smoking section in bar areas only.
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