Mention
to someone in Philadelphia that you write a food blog, and they'll invariably
ask if you've been to Vetri (I have, it was incredible). Mention to someone
that lives just outside of Philadelphia that you write a food blog and the
conversation usually turns to Talula's Table in Kennett Square. It's become the
gold standard of the suburban foodie, and for good reason. There is no place
quite like it - outside or inside the city limits. You have to make your
reservation one year ahead of time. That's right, one year. This is not the place for the impulsive.
It's less
a restaurant and more of an adorable little market on the main street of an
even more adorable town. Kennett Square could be the setting for a Norman
Rockwell painting. In the evening when
the market closes they offer the chance for up to twelve lucky people to sit
down at their solitary table and be treated to a luxuriously lavish meal. Every
course is meticulously thought out and prepared. When you know you are cooking
for exactly 12 people each night, you can really take your time - basically a
chef's dream scenario.
It's also
a BYO, so even though you are paying a decent sum for the meal it is not an
exorbitantly expensive affair. You do however have to think about
transportation. You are probably not going to want to pay for a cab or an Uber
ride here. Septa is not taking you here. Driving means you can't really enjoy
the meal you spent a year planning. You are going to need to hire a private
ride. It's worth the money.
Lucky for
us, we were going for a friend's 30th birthday and they just happened to hire a
party bus to take us all down. Baller style. *Note - bring sippy cups for the
champagne on the ride down. Our meal consisted of 7 courses - each described in
vivid detail and served by a small team in an utterly ghost like manner. You
would turn your head for thirty seconds and when you looked back there would be
a new dish for you to ogle.
Our
table for 12. Shabby chic.
The
rolls were actually one of the most amazing pieces of bread I've ever
eaten. They were light as helium
balloons and stuffed with a bit of gruyere cheese. Some salted butter, served
softened for spreading (bonus), and we were off to a great start.
Marinated
mackerel, pickled quail egg, microgreens/herbs and walnuts. I know what you're
thinking - "marinated mackerel, really?" It's a pretty strong tasting fish to begin
with (great on the grill, by the way) but whatever they marinade it in really
mellows out the flavor. The pickled quail egg is pure decadence. Yolky and
dense but somehow tasting of caramel.
Pretty good trick.
For the
morel mushroom soup, they do the pour-over thing in the bowl in front of you
for a bit of drama. The unbelievably earthy soup surrounds and island of wild
rice, bone marrow and pickled ramps. It is expectedly good considering that we
are in the mushroom capital of the US.
The broth alone would be enough to justify a bowl on it's own, inviting
the other guys to the party puts this into the Gatsby realm.
Probably
one of the only disappointments of the evening was the wild alaskan
halibut. And I have to qualify that by
saying that this was by no means bad - it just wasn't on the level of
everything else we ate. The fish is sautéed nicely, but it's just kind of
bland. Adding radishes, beets and wilted romaine didn't exactly take you to
flavor town. Meh.
The best
thing I ate was definitely the rabbit roulade.
It's a rolled up little hunk, that must have been sous vied, then seared
quickly for flavor. Underneath is a
snail & white bean ragout and sandwiched in the middle are fresh fiddle
head ferns which are only good for an extremely short window in the spring. The
bean ragout was incredible - reminiscent of a Tuscan bean soup but with the
flavor amped up to 11.
I swear
there is tagliolini pasta underneath that pile of house smoked onions, spring
greens and shaved ricotta salata. I wish I remembered more about the pasta, but
it kind of got lost between all the other splendid dishes. I can definitely tell you
that the onions were great.
An
incredibly tender and tasty slice of roasted veal strip loin, topping crispy
sweet breads and potato & creamed
swiss chard puree. A little of that veal reduction forms a protective moat
around the castle of protein.
Birch RunHills Farm "Fat Cat" cheese & bacon crepes, drizzled with
Meadowset honey. An impossibly luscious blend of cheese and crispy delicious
bacon. All meals should end this way.
Now by this point you've undone at least the top button of your pants. I
hope you came hungry, cause they are not going to stop bringing it.
Lemon
three ways, sweet roasted barley, almonds & thyme. Sorbet. Ice cream.
Mousse. Yumm.
Chocolate
truffles - not on the menu. Just
because.
Remember
that if and when you get to Talula's Table, none of this will be on the menu.
They cook extremely seasonally. Lot's of places claim the "farm to
table" thing, but they are doing it, and doing it well like LL Cool J.
Your meal will be completely different, based on the time of year, what is
fresh that day, and the whims of the chef.
Now I
have to qualify this whole post by saying that this was not one of the best
meals I've ever had. Although it did get me thinking about
those other meals and there's another post coming on that topic shortly. The food is amazing, but it would not be my
last meal on earth. But really, you are going for the experience.
Having the entire restaurant to yourself is pretty special. The setting is
wonderful and the service is sparkling. Your every need is catered to the
entire night. It is everything that a special occasion should be.
Food Baby
Rating: Triplets
Talula's
Table
102 W. State Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348
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