Majolica in Phoenixville

[Hendricks Farms]

One of our cheese customers has given rave reviews on this 6 month old BYO. We are considering checking it out first hand, but as rarely as we get away without the kids, we would prefer a good experience!

[philadining]

It's right around the corner from me, but I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't made it over there yet. Although I can't vouch for the quality personally (yet) I did read a couple of things that made it sound interesting:

Katherine Quillman in the Inquirer

The Artful Diner

I'll post here if I go, please do the same if you do!

[percyn]

Are they open for lunch? I might check them out tomorrow...

[philadining]

Are they open for lunch? I might check them out tomorrow...

←

I'm 99.9% sure they're dinner-only.

[philadining]

Maria Gallagher gives Majolica a very favorable write-up in the September Philadelphia Magazine (review not on-line)

and

Craig LaBan gives them Three Bells in the Inky.

Odd that they sent a burnt piece of Salmon out for both photographers.... (edited to correct: burnt salmon for one, burnt foie gras for the other...)

So yes, all the reviewers are still traveling in packs! Actually, given the very different production schedules of a magazine and a newspaper, this is an odd coincidence...

Both Percy and I have had a few very nice meals here too, (reports soon.) Sadly, we'll probably never be able to get a reservation again, after those two good reviews... it's not that big of a place!

Edited August 31, 2005 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

This is truley a great little BYO.

Here are some pics from a visit a few weeks ago...

Amuse Bouche - Rabbit something (if I remember correctly, it was shredded pieces or rabbit topped with what seemed like prune puree).

The Mussels - This was a recommendations in the Philly Mag review as well....very nice broth.

Steak Frites - This was the most tender hanger steak (onglet) I have ever tasted, including the ones I have had in France.

Hope to visit them again soon...if I can get a reservation.

[KatieLoeb]

Good Heavens! That Steak Frites is amazing looking!

As soon as I'm not so busy I'm going to take up a certain Frequent Dining Companion's invitation to trek out to the exburbs to check this place out.

[philadining]

I'll add my voice to the chorus lauding that Steak Frites at Majolica, it really might be the best one I've ever had. The meat is indeed amazingly tender, despite having that nice hanger steak chew-factor. The sauce underneath is dark and winey, but it's the butter melting over the top that really pushes this over the top. It's full of herbs, and according to Philly Mag, a bit of anchovy. I'm pretty sure there's crack in it. Or heroin.

And I too loved those mussels, but we almost got in a fist-fight with the waitress when she tried to take the bowl away. Of course, dipping bread in the broth is one of the best parts to any mussel experience, but this stuff was especially good: extra buttery and herby. Wait a minute... I'm seeing a trend... there's some sort of addictive drug in this broth too.

They change the menu a bit each month, but I hope they don't mess with those two standards too much, I could go back for those every week or so...

But they did a fine job with more elegant dishes than those bistro classics too. I'm not a huge salmon fan, but the version that sits atop a brioche crouton over a truffle-butter sauce? I'd eat that any day. I stole a taste of a roasted halibut dish that was quite nice as well.

I almost always order duck when it's on the menu, but sadly I had the same experience as quoted in the Philly Mag review, in that they undercooked it a bit. I like it rare-ish, but not THAT rare... but now I know, i'll ask them to keep it on the fire a little longer. The spicing and apricot concasse that came with it made it pretty darn good regardless!

I haven't tried the rabbit-prune thing that Percy showed, but both times I was there we got a nice dollop of tuna tartare on a homemade potato chip. We were joking that if we could just get a bag of those chips and a jug of mussel broth, we'd be happy for weeks...

I really liked the roasted scallop appetizer, served on a bed of lentils, scented with bay leaf. And I'm guessing it will only be a summer offering, but the cold lobster starter was really nice too, perfectly cooked, and nicely plated.

I've only been there twice, and was very impressed with almost everything. Little touches, like a truly refreshing complimentary intermezzo of citrus sorbet with basil and olive oil, made it clear that they're serious about the food, and playful too.

The owner mentioned that they're willing to do a tasting menu on weeknights, so it could be worth calling and asking about that. Or just go and order off the menu.

They're just a few doors down and across the street from the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, so if you time it right, you could get a nice meal, see an art film, and think for a minute that you're in Center City. Except you didn't get a parking ticket.

You guessed it: www.majolicarestaurant.com

[Capaneus]

I'll add my voice to the chorus lauding that Steak Frites at Majolica, it really might be the best one I've ever had. The meat is indeed amazingly tender, despite having that nice hanger steak chew-factor. The sauce underneath is dark and winey, but it's the butter melting over the top that really pushes this over the top. It's full of herbs, and according to Philly Mag, a bit of anchovy.  I'm pretty sure there's crack in it. Or heroin.

And I too loved those mussels, but we almost got in a fist-fight with the waitress when she tried to take the bowl away. Of course, dipping bread in the broth is one of the best parts to any mussel experience, but this stuff was especially good: extra buttery and herby. Wait a minute... I'm seeing a trend... there's some sort of addictive drug in this broth too. 

They change the menu a bit each month, but I hope they don't mess with those two standards too much, I could go back for those every week or so...

But they did a fine job with more elegant dishes than those bistro classics too. I'm not a huge salmon fan, but the version that sits atop a brioche crouton over a truffle-butter sauce? I'd  eat that any day. I stole a taste of a roasted halibut dish that was quite nice as well.

I almost always order duck when it's on the menu, but sadly I had the same experience as quoted in the Philly Mag review, in that they undercooked it a bit. I like it rare-ish, but not THAT rare... but now I know, i'll ask them to keep it on the fire a little longer. The spicing and apricot concasse that came with it made it pretty darn good regardless!

I haven't tried the rabbit-prune thing that Percy showed, but both times I was there we got a nice dollop of tuna tartare on a homemade potato chip. We were joking that if we could just get a bag of those chips and a jug of mussel broth, we'd be happy for weeks...

I really liked the roasted scallop appetizer, served on a bed of lentils, scented with bay leaf. And I'm guessing it will only be a summer offering, but the cold lobster starter was really nice too, perfectly cooked, and nicely plated. 

I've only been there twice, and was very impressed with almost everything. Little touches, like a truly refreshing complimentary intermezzo of citrus sorbet with basil and olive oil, made it clear that they're serious about the food, and playful too.

The owner mentioned that they're willing to do a tasting menu on weeknights, so it could be worth calling and asking about that. Or just go and order off the menu.

They're just a few doors down and across the street from the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, so if you time it right, you could get a nice meal, see an art film, and think for a minute that you're in Center City. Except you didn't get a parking ticket.

You guessed it: www.majolicarestaurant.com

←

To save you time, I'll just put in my application for that tasting party now, if I may?

And good luck finding a repertory movie theater in Philadelphia proper.

[percyn]

OK, just don't go without me

[R Washburn]

Those steak frites do look good. I wish that place was there when i worked in Phoenixville in the late '90's. We used to trek out to Green Hills Inn for fine dining.

[shacke]

OK, just don't go without me 

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Or me if I am in town

[mike volker]

Me too!

Best,

Mike

[VictorFiorillo]

trent, aren't your cheeses on the menu at Majolica???

[Hendricks Farms]

Yes, we can't decide if our cheese got them 3 bells instead of two, or three bells instead of four!?! All humor aside, we are happy to be a part of their success. As a matter of fact, we have the great pleasure of dining there tonight. Perhaps we can share some reflections tomorrow.

[philadining]

They did a very nice presentation with the cheese plate the night I had it, with a nice array of accompaniments, like honeycomb, nuts, fruit, etc. And the cheeses themselves were excellent.

I'm embarrassed to say that I can't recall which ones they were, it was the end of the meal and we were near the bottom of the second bottle of wine, and I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have been. But as good as they were, the selections were a bit too close in character for the purpose of a cheese plate. I liked them all, but they felt like variations on a theme, rather than the broad range of density and ripeness and style that is more enjoyable in that particular context. I'm eager to get it again and see if that combination was a fluke.

But that's not a complaint about the cheese, and barely one about the plating, it was still quite tasty. But in a perfect world....

So Trent, please report back on your meal. And I can't quite imagine you would order the cheese plate, but if you happen to see one go by, tell us what's on it!

[philadining]

Four of us had a nice dinner at Majolica recently, and although our experiences were somewhat mixed, overall it reaffirmed our earlier opinions that this is an exciting addition to the dining scene. The menu hasn't changed much since we had first visited a few months ago, but given that they received glowing reviews in both Philadelphia Magazine and the Inquirer, it's probably smart to not change it much for a while! As a result, we returned to a few of our favorites, it's a good menu, but not huge, about seven apps, seven entrees.

The kitchen sent out a complimentary amuse-bouche, little gougere pastries filled with a soft, creamy cheese.

To start we had crisply fried sweetbreads, served over a bed of finely-minced apples and celery. I thought these had great flavor, and a nice textural contrast between the creamy centers and crunchy exteriors. I might have liked these just a tiny bit less-crunchy, but that's a small quibble.

A classic frisée salad featured a tangle of fresh greens, a strip of bacon instead of the classic lardons, a simple hard-boiled egg, and absolutely perfectly-fried cubes of potato. There was a bit too much of the excellent vinaigrette, but it wasn't a tragedy. The combination of flavors was very pleasing, especially those potatoes...

A creamy, summery corn soup was poured around some crunchy fried clams, a clever expression of the typical clambake flavors. We were happy to see this still on the menu, even though summer has officially passed.

For entrées, we had a double-portion of the cold lobster salad that is usually offered as a starter. Tender poached lobster was paired with blanched haricots vertes, and a brightly flavored lemony aoili.

Grilled salmon is set over a buttery brioche crouton, which in turn rests on celery, which suspends it over a pool of truffled butter sauce.

An island of roasted halibut jutted from a verdant pool of parsley purée, tender white asparagus washing up on shore (AAAGHH! I just got tasered by the metaphor police!!) The fish itself was nicely cooked, pretty mild, but perked up by the good sauce.

Rabbit Confit was served as a leg and delicate medalions of mild meat, accompanied by fingerling potatoes, some frisée, and dots of grainy mustard. Sadly, this didn't have much flavor at all, and although it appeared to be carefully cooked, it really looked and tasted like a boiled chicken. The leg was better than the... hmmm..what was that other part, the saddle? The mustard was good, but it still needed some more spicing or sauce or something.

We were a bit too full for dessert, so we settled for a pot of good Kimberton Roasters coffee, served in a really cool, large, insulated french-press pitcher. I've got to get one of those!

Everything we had was at least very good, except maybe the rabbit, which wasn't bad just a little lackluster. I still think my favorite things are the mussels and the Steak Frites, which for some weird reason, none of us ordered. Hey, more reason to go back.

Service was very friendly and professional, with good attentiveness to refilling wine from the mysteriously remote ice bucket. There was an uncomfortably long pause between appetizers and entrees, even though the restaurant was not very full, which is not the server's fault, then another very long pause at the end before we could manage to get the check, which was.

Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant dining experience, with good food in an attractive place, I'm looking forward to getting back there soon. I'm confident that the menu will change soon, it's still pretty summery right now, so I'm sure there will be some novel dishes to try soon. (And we still need to think about rounding some eGulleteers up for a tasting excursion, keep an eye on the ISO thread!)

Big thanks to Percy for getting this together, it was a lovely evening all around with good company, good conversation and good food!

Edited September 30, 2005 by philadining (log)

[shacke]

Four of us had a nice dinner at Majolica recently, and although our experiences were somewhat mixed, overall it reaffirmed our earlier opinions that this is an exciting addition to the dining scene. The menu hasn't changed much since we had first visited a few months ago, but given that they received glowing reviews in both Philadelphia Magazine and the Inquirer, it's probably smart to not change it much for a while! As a result, we returned to a few of our favorites, it's a good menu, but not huge, about seven apps, seven entrees.

The kitchen sent out a complimentary amuse-bouche, little gougere pastries filled with a soft, creamy cheese.

To start we had crisply fried sweetbreads, served over a bed of finely-minced apples and celery. I thought these had great flavor, and a nice textural contrast between the creamy centers and crunchy exteriors. I might have liked these just a tiny bit less-crunchy, but that's a small quibble.

A classic frisée salad featured a tangle of fresh greens, a strip of bacon instead of the classic lardons, a simple hard-boiled egg, and absolutely perfectly-fried cubes of potato. There was a bit too much of the excellent vinaigrette, but it wasn't a tragedy. The combination of flavors was very pleasing, especially those potatoes...

A creamy, summery corn soup was poured around some crunchy fried clams, a clever expression of the typical clambake flavors. We were happy to see this still on the menu, even though summer has officially passed.

For entrées, we had a double-portion of the cold lobster salad that is usually offered as a starter. Tender poached lobster was paired with blanched haricots vertes, and a brightly flavored lemony aoili.

Grilled salmon is set over a buttery brioche crouton, which in turn rests on celery, which suspends it over a pool of truffled butter sauce.

An island of roasted halibut jutted from a verdant pool of parsley purée, tender white asparagus washing up on shore (AAAGHH! I just got tasered by the metaphor police!!) The fish itself was nicely cooked, pretty mild, but perked up by the good sauce.

Rabbit Confit was served as a leg and delicate medalions of mild meat, accompanied by fingerling potatoes, some frisée, and dots of grainy mustard. Sadly, this didn't have much flavor at all, and although it appeared to be carefully cooked, it really looked and tasted like a boiled chicken. The leg was better than the... hmmm..what was that other part, the saddle? The mustard was good, but it still needed some more spicing or sauce or something.

We were a bit too full for dessert, so we settled for a pot of good Kimberton Roasters coffee, served in a really cool, large, insulated french-press pitcher. I've got to get one of those!

Everything we had was at least very good, except maybe the rabbit, which wasn't bad just a little lackluster.  I still think my favorite things are the mussels and the Steak Frites, which for some weird reason, none of us ordered. Hey, more reason to go back.

Service was very friendly and professional, with good attentiveness to refilling wine from the mysteriously remote ice bucket.  There was an uncomfortably long pause between appetizers and entrees, even though the restaurant was not very full, which is not the server's fault, then another very long pause at the end before we could manage to get the check, which was.

Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant dining experience, with good food in an attractive place, I'm looking forward to getting back there soon. I'm confident that the menu will change soon, it's still pretty summery right now, so I'm sure there will be some novel dishes to try soon. (And we still need to think about rounding some eGulleteers up for a tasting excursion, keep an eye on the ISO thread!)

Big thanks to Percy for getting this together, it was a lovely evening all around with good company, good conversation and good food!

←

I am SO there.

[percyn]

As usual, I'll add the pics to Philadining's great commentary...

Four of us had a nice dinner at Majolica recently, and although our experiences were somewhat mixed, overall it reaffirmed our earlier opinions that this is an exciting addition to the dining scene. The menu hasn't changed much since we had first visited a few months ago, but given that they received glowing reviews in both Philadelphia Magazine and the Inquirer, it's probably smart to not change it much for a while! As a result, we returned to a few of our favorites, it's a good menu, but not huge, about seven apps, seven entrees.

The kitchen sent out a complimentary amuse-bouche, little gougere pastries filled with a soft, creamy cheese.

To start we had crisply fried sweetbreads, served over a bed of finely-minced apples and celery. I thought these had great flavor, and a nice textural contrast between the creamy centers and crunchy exteriors. I might have liked these just a tiny bit less-crunchy, but that's a small quibble.

A classic frisée salad featured a tangle of fresh greens, a strip of bacon instead of the classic lardons, a simple hard-boiled egg, and absolutely perfectly-fried cubes of potato. There was a bit too much of the excellent vinaigrette, but it wasn't a tragedy. The combination of flavors was very pleasing, especially those potatoes...

A creamy, summery corn soup was poured around some crunchy fried clams, a clever expression of the typical clambake flavors. We were happy to see this still on the menu, even though summer has officially passed.

For entrées, we had a double-portion of the cold lobster salad that is usually offered as a starter. Tender poached lobster was paired with blanched haricots vertes, and a brightly flavored lemony aoili.

Grilled salmon is set over a buttery brioche crouton, which in turn rests on celery, which suspends it over a pool of truffled butter sauce.

An island of roasted halibut jutted from a verdant pool of parsley purée, tender white asparagus washing up on shore (AAAGHH! I just got tasered by the metaphor police!!) The fish itself was nicely cooked, pretty mild, but perked up by the good sauce.

The porcini dusted on the halibut gave off an enticing aroma.

Rabbit Confit was served as a leg and delicate medalions of mild meat, accompanied by fingerling potatoes, some frisée, and dots of grainy mustard. Sadly, this didn't have much flavor at all, and although it appeared to be carefully cooked, it really looked and tasted like a boiled chicken. The leg was better than the... hmmm..what was that other part, the saddle? The mustard was good, but it still needed some more spicing or sauce or something.

We were a bit too full for dessert, so we settled for a pot of good Kimberton Roasters coffee, served in a really cool, large, insulated french-press pitcher. I've got to get one of those!

Everything we had was at least very good, except maybe the rabbit, which wasn't bad just a little lackluster.  I still think my favorite things are the mussels and the Steak Frites, which for some weird reason, none of us ordered. Hey, more reason to go back.

Service was very friendly and professional, with good attentiveness to refilling wine from the mysteriously remote ice bucket.  There was an uncomfortably long pause between appetizers and entrees, even though the restaurant was not very full, which is not the server's fault, then another very long pause at the end before we could manage to get the check, which was.

Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant dining experience, with good food in an attractive place, I'm looking forward to getting back there soon. I'm confident that the menu will change soon, it's still pretty summery right now, so I'm sure there will be some novel dishes to try soon. (And we still need to think about rounding some eGulleteers up for a tasting excursion, keep an eye on the ISO thread!)

Big thanks to Percy for getting this together, it was a lovely evening all around with good company, good conversation and good food!

←

[philadining]

Yet another rave review for Majolica, this time from Maxine Keyser in The City Paper

[percyn]

Went to Majolica yesterday and was treated to:

Sweetbreads and truffle on truffled cabbage and parsnip puree - Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside

Softshell Crab on Citrus Fennel and Blood Orange Emulsion - Great summer dish. The sauce was excellent and the fennel shavings with citrus paired very well with the softshell crab.

Cucumber Sorbet - Had to be one of the best sorbets ever !! It was so refreshing and yet so smooth and almost creamy.

Striped Bass with Broccoli Rabe and Olive Tapenade Puree - The skin was crispy and while it was a good dish, the tapenade and sometimes the rabe can over power the fish.

Mascarpone Sorbet with Strawberries and 30yr Balsamico - So glad I listened to my waitress and forced myself to have this dessert...just heaven !!

Lets just say I was really full when walking out of there !!

[philadining]

Yowza! That looked great, Percy. I'd drop by just for the sorbets!

[philadining]

At last! We finally managed to convene a group for a tasting menu at Majolica. It's really not such a big deal, one does not need a certain sized group, or even much advance notice. (They do prefer that you arrange it when you make a reservation, but we were told that they might do it on the spot if the kitchen is not too busy. They do ask that the whole table gets the tasting menu.)

You can get 6 or 8 courses. Want to guess which one we went for?

Amuse: cheese-filled Gougeres

An airy puff of pastry, filled with Brie, I think, or something like it. A nice accompaniment for the Petit Chablis we had started drinking.

Raw Oyster served with Champagne/Shallot Mignonette

The oyster was from Virginia, of all places, and was really one of the better oysters I've had in a long while: big, firm, plump, salty. The sauce was a bit more assertive than I would have guessed, and if I had another oyster I would have just put a tiny splash on, but even the heavier dose I applied brightened it in a complimentary way.

Mussels

I think this is not normally part of the tasting, but Percy wisely asked to add a couple of orders for the table to share, and indeed, these were amazingly good, especially the buttery sauce.

For the oyster and the mussels, we were drinking a Basque Txakolina, from Txomin Etxaniz.

Squash Soup

This was almost too cute, but it was tasty enough to carry it off, especially as we hit nuggets of lobster hidden within the silky liquid.

We drank a Hermann Wiemer Gewurtztraminer with this course, a wine that's just ideal for squash soup, if you ask me.

Seared Tuna

This was beautifully done, a nice sear on one side, still pristinely rare on the other, seated on a bed of fall vegetables and a stripe of olive sauce.

Crispy Sweetbreads with Lobster Mushroom

We've had crispier sweetbreads here previously, but any reduction in crunch was offset by the great flavor the of the veal demi coating them. A creamy tarragon emulsion added a pleasantly contrasting note.

Foie Gras

Beautifully seared foie, the richness cut by a nice concassé of mango. Simple. Delicious. I really enjoyed the dots of Five-Spice Gastrique

We were a bit at-sea for wines during those last three courses, we had a couple of red Burgundies open, and some of us were preserving the Gewurtz (which worked surprisingly well with the tuna). I'm not sure anything was matching perfectly, but somehow we muddled through!

Pineapple Sorbet, Olive Oil, Fried Sage

Chef has a way with sorbets, they're always interesting, surprising, and quite tasty. This was no exception, the texture and flavor of the sorbet itself was wonderful, only amplified by the mellowing olive oil and crisp sage.

Pork Belly

It's amazing that this is almost becoming routine on menus around here, but I'm not complaining! This was a fairly restrained version, its subtle smokiness meshing nicely with the French Lentils. The fat hadn't rendered down to that barely-there custardy creaminess that I've come to love, but it was still a very enjoyable dish.

An Arrowood Cab (details Percy?) that seemed a little rough at first actually went really nicely with the pork, and I enjoyed it with the cheese and dessert as well.

Hendricks Farms "Cow Pie" Cheese

We're not entirely sure what kind of cheese "cow pie" is, except that it's really good... The presentation was lovely, although some of the fruits were pale shadows of their in-season selves... I would have been happy with just the honeycomb and the almond!

Chocolate Soufflé

Textbook: perfectly-done, airy-creamy, rich, luxurious. No real way to improve upon that. Oh wait - how about some caramel sauce?

Might be gilding the lily, but it's not like we rejected it! It was actually very nice addition.

I think we all surprised ourselves when the chef came out and asked us what our favorite course was, and we all just kind of sat there spinning our wheels: it was consistently delicious across the board, so it was hard to single anything out. None of the courses completely knocked me out of my chair, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of ten (!) of them, which is no small accomplishment. Everything we had was carefully, artfully prepared, from fine ingredients, and so it's no surprise that it was all so satisfying.

This was really a terrific meal, with excellent service as well. We've praised this restaurant before, and I'd only amplify that now, and recommend trying the tasting menu if you have the opportunity. It was $100 plus tax and tip for the 8 courses (+), which was a perfectly reasonable price for a LOT of food, and pretty luxurious ingredients, as you can see. I believe the 6-course is $80.

Big thanks to Percy for getting this together, and especially for persevering through all our various cancellations and excuses and delays and rescheduling, and getting it done! Thanks to the folks at Majolica too for the warm welcome and fine food, and putting up with a few of our quirks....

I'm eager to do that again, so to those of you who didn't make this one: let's go!

Edited October 26, 2006 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

Philadining, thanks for the great pictures and commentary...as usual !! Like your signature line ... "uh, the little one is a mushroom... " .. what does that mean?

The Cab was an unfiltered 2001 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon, which I picked up from the state store last weekend. At first it seemed too young, but after a while, it opened up quite nicely. I have a few bottles left and might go buy some more tomorrow.

I agree that no single dish stood out as the clear winner, but that is a testament to the quality of all the dishes, including the sorbet !!

Since a few eGers could not make this tasting, there will be another one in the coming months, which I hope to be at.

[percyn]

The Cab was an unfiltered 2001 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon, which I picked up from the state store last weekend. At first it seemed too young, but after a while, it opened up quite nicely. I have a few bottles left and might go buy some more tomorrow.

I stand corrected. After visiting the state store yesterday and picking up a few more bottles of this great wine, to make a demi glace and Marchand de Vin sauce, I realized that it was a 2001 Arrowood Grand Archer Cabernet Sauvignon.

Edited to fix name of Marchand de Vin.

Edited October 29, 2006 by percyn (log)