Enjoy royal treatment, outstanding food and stunning surroundings any day of the week at this classic Northern Italian oasis.
Villa Barolo Ristorante & Wine Bar
By Marcia Nye
Nouveau Magazine, October 2006
 His name is Lo, Chef Lo. Good luck prying his real name out of him. “I’ve been known for many years simply as Chef Lo. It’s a trademark now,” he says quickly moving on. Energetic and fiercely passionate about his craft, Lo is just as matter-of-fact when questioned about this irony. Although he is a native of Hong Kong, Lo hasn’t cooked Chinese food since he arrived in the United States twenty years ago. Lo likens himself to Marco Polo, the namesake of the wildly popular eatery in Elkins Park, PA, that he owned for a decade. “Marco Polo was an Italian explorer who traveled across the Far East. I’m from the Far East and happen to love Northern Italian cuisine.”
At Villa Barolo Ristorante and Wine Bar, Lo’s most recent culinary foray, he prides himself on giving customers the same extraordinary dining experiences they found at Marco Polo. Located at the corner of Easton and Bristol Roads in Warrington, PA, this new venture is, Lo says, “an exciting opportunity and a different experience for me because now I own my own space rather than renting it. Here, I have much more flexibility than ever before.”
Frenetic and Friendly
Lo’s energy level borders on the frenetic and his passion for his craft is fierce, yet his easy-going youthful demeanor tempers this intensity. Enhanced by his personal touch (if Lo’s not whipping up the house specialty, Gnocci al Pomodoro, back in the kitchen, he’s out front greeting patrons or perhaps filleting a Dover sole tableside), Villa Barolo excels in providing an enormously ambitious menu featuring at least twenty-five specials each day. Even more incredible is that his wait staff have them all memorized.
East Meets West
 Lo began his culinary training during his last three years of high school. “In the morning, I attended regular classes. In the afternoon, I interned at various hotels,” he recounts. After working six days a week, even during summer and winter breaks, he was certified in the culinary arts at the tender age of seventeen.
“I then sent my resume around the world and ultimately chose to come to Philadelphia, where my first position was executive sous-chef at the five-star Hershey Hotel (now the Double Tree) downtown. I was soon supervising a staff of thirty, plus living in a new city and trying to learn a new language. It was tough,” admits Lo, who also continued studying at the community college a few blocks away. Formally trained in French cuisine, it was during these years that Lo began his love affair with Northern Italian food, later honing his skills at Portofino in Center City and La Veranda at Penns Landing.
High School Sweethearts
Lo did find time to travel back then, making a point of visiting other five-star restaurants in such noted American food meccas as Chicago, Boston and New York City. “I’ve been to all of them! This helped me open my mind and develop my own unique style. There are some things you can’t learn from a book,” he says.
During his voyages, Lo was reunited with an old friend from Hong Kong, Maggie. “We attended the same high school and I knew she was living in Boston, so I called her. We began dating and were married eight years ago.”
Simply Stunning
Maggie has been instrumental in the interior design of Villa Barolo. “She has expensive taste,” Lo laughs. While the façade of Villa Barolo has changed little during the past year’s evolution, don’t be fooled. Once inside, the visual experience is nothing short of stunning.
The lobby is reminiscent of that seen in the trendiest urban eatery: high-gloss marble floor tiles, a towering ceiling, comfortable seating nooks, and a baby grand piano preface spacious yet intimate dining and bar areas resplendent with honey-blond wood, umber-hued lighting and deep earth tones. In a bow to classic European style, a raw bar and ice bin showcase daily seafood offerings, which include at least eight intriguing varieties of oysters and clams from both sides of the continent and beyond.
Master of Efficiency
Formerly the site of Vincent’s and later Marabella’s, the property was purchased by Lo last year and has since been undergoing a transformation, which includes a $300,000 kitchen renovation. Able to accommodate up to eight chefs working at twenty-four burner stations and featuring three walk-in refrigerators, it’s a stainless steel, state-of-the-art wonder.
Ever the master of efficiency, Lo even incorporated small refrigerators under each cooking area so that frequently used cold items can be accessed quickly.
Crazy Like a Fox
“I was often asked, ‘Why do you need all of this?’ Or told, ‘Lo, you’re crazy!’ But I knew what I wanted and why. We work very differently from most restaurants. This kitchen can turn out twenty entrees in ten seconds and we make everything to order. Nothing is prepared ahead of time.” The expected hustle before mealtime rush is more like the calm before the storm. Chefs stand quietly at arms, water simmers gently on back burners, and pasta remains stacked on shelves in cellophane packages.
“My entire kitchen staff and two managers came with me from Marco Polo. We’re tied together for the rest of our careers, I think! Training my new staff is important, of course, but the right attitude is essential. I love what I do. I’m here every morning at 9:30. And my employees love what they do, take pride in their work, and understand what my expectations are.”
Wawa Why?
Villa Barolo’s menu comprises ninety-nine items featuring organic meats, fresh fish, pasta, chicken, veal, salads, and seafood specials.
“Lunch and dinner are very different here. We’re geared toward quick service at lunch. Rather than grabbing a sandwich at Wawa or microwaving a frozen entrée, in practically the same amount of time our customers can enjoy great food, including more than thirty sandwich selections, in pleasant surroundings. Evenings are more formal. White linen, candlelight and music form the backdrop for meals.”
Be Happy
“Our goal is to be that comfortable neighborhood place that customers can count on day in and day out, whether they walk in after a late night at the office for a quick bite from our bar menu, bring the family for a big celebration or order a special occasion six-course feast. Our concern is not the number of customers we serve, but how many we make happy.” Speaking of happy, every weeknight from four to six, Villa Barolo offers drink specials and half-price appetizers in the intimate bar.
“This is a great meeting place. We’re eight minutes south of Doylestown and ten minutes north of Willow Grove. And parking is never a problem. We have 140 spaces,” declares Lo. Corporate and private parties are easily accommodated in the spacious lobby or in the two-hundred-year-old original stone structure, complete with a fireplace.
King of Wine
Chef Lo oversees most of the restaurant’s ordering himself, personally choosing the more than one hundred wines in Villa Barolo’s cellar, thirty of which are served by the glass. “I chose the name Barolo because it is the Italian red wine known as the king of wines and the wine of kings. We aim to match that standard of excellence that the Barolo name represents.”
In fact, if the wait for a table exceeds thirty minutes, complimentary hors d’oeuvres are served in the vestibule. “Very often, customers are enjoying their cocktails and the ambiance so much that they’ll ask that others be seated first,” smiles Lo. “We mean it when we say that service starts when you walk in the door.”
The only difficulty occurs when the enchantment comes to an end and patrons must return to the real world outside. But there’s always next time. 215.491.9370. |
