Talula's Table Now Open in Kennett Square

[David McDuff]

Excellent review David and I daresay pictures almost as good as Philadining.

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Thanks, Jeff, on both counts. I'm still figuring out the nuances of food photography and PhillyD's photos are top notch, so I appreciate the comparison.

[philadining]

The buzz just continues to grow: Alex Chadwick from NPR visits Talula's Table and declares that it might be the best meal he's ever eaten. The radio piece is available for listening on this page along with some photos, and even a recipe.

It's a little bit surprising that the Pope didn't drop by and canonize them while he was in the states, but hey, he had a busy schedule.

[TarteTatin]

Great article in today's Sunday New York Times Magazine.

All about Talula's...

Super for them!

I'd give you a link if I knew how to do it.

[robert40]

Great article in today's Sunday New York Times Magazine.

All about Talula's...

Super for them!

I'd give you a link if I knew how to do it.

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Here you go.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/magazine...xprod=permalink

[David McDuff]

It seems this thread is about due for a kick-start, so here it is. I ventured out to TT for a look at their new Early Summer menu recently.

Snapper Crudo, Cucumber, Olive Oil, Exotic Pepper

With its light, crisp and refreshing interplay of textures, the first dish of the night highlighted Sikora's gift for crafting beautiful expressions of seasonality. Watermelon radish, watermelon gelée and citrus accents brought a shower of summer flavors to play.

Summer Squash Tart, Buttery Lobster, Lobster Emulsion and Fennel Jam

Another perfect expression of the season. The simplicity of squash played off against rich, tender morsels of butter infused lobster, while a jam of diced, braised fennel brought out the best in both. Piquant and rich, yet still light on its feet.

Organic Local Mushroom and Goat Cheese Papusa "Authentique," Wild Epazote and Sweet Corn

Smoked whiteheat and bell peppers brought an unexpected, haunting finishing flavor to the soulful earthiness of local mushrooms, all grounded by the starchy sweetness of fresh corn.

Warm Tartine of Smoked Alaskan Sable, Whipped Turnip and Chorizo Oil

A much more subtle dish than the description had me thinking; again, it's all about interplay, discourse and depth of flavor. The smokiness of the chorizo and sable were brought to earth by a creamy purée of turnip and potato.

Barbecued Squab, Creamy Squab Risotto, Quick Pickle Summer Vegetable Salad

One of the most memorable dishes of the night, the squab's gamy flavor profile was offset by spice imbued during a slow turn at the barbecue. Bryan's risotto is always a treat. This version was enriched with cheddar and squab broth, with palate refreshing zing provided by the bright snap of quick-pickled kohlrabi and carrots.

Beef Tortellini, Early Girl Tomato Sauce, Fried Eggplant

Even with hearty ingredients, the kitchen always seems to deliver delicacy and a light touch. There was amazing depth of flavor here, with the braising liquid from the beef shortribs added to enrich the tomato sauce, which was in turn brightened by oregano and basil fresh from Aimee and Bryan's garden.

World of Cheese... Seven Countries, Seven Tastes, Talula's Charcuterie and Condiments

Dinner is never complete without a sampling from the cheese monger's case. Aimee and her staff have cultivated close relationships with some of the best small dairies and specialty distributors in both the neighborhood and across the country. The selection for the evening included: Old Kentucky Tomme from Indiana's Capriole Farm; Tomme Crayeuse (Savoie, France); Comté (from the Swiss side of the border); Manchego (La Mancha, Spain); Testun al Barolo (Piedmont, Italy); Isle of Mull Cheddar (Scotland); and Stitchelton, a raw milk blue in the style of Stilton (England).

Vanilla Crepe Terrine, White Chocolate Granite and Cherry Coulis

The dessert course was ethereal, even after all that preceded it. Truffles from West Chester chocolatier Éclat put the finishing touch on a great meal.

If you'd like to see/read more, there are photos of most of these goodies plus some additional background information at: Early Summer at Talula's Table. The wine pairings for the night can also be found at: Wines at the Summer Table.

[Andrew Fenton]

Oh, good timing on bumping this thread back up! We got an invitation yesterday to dinner at TT in October. Which made me wonder: will they send you the menu in advance? I might as well (in my incompetent half-assed way) try to pick out some appropriate wines.

[wkl]

Oh, good timing on bumping this thread back up!  We got an invitation yesterday to dinner at TT in October.  Which made me wonder: will they send you the menu in advance?  I might as well (in my incompetent half-assed way) try to pick out some appropriate wines.

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you will get the menu in advance.

[Buckethead]

Oh, good timing on bumping this thread back up!  We got an invitation yesterday to dinner at TT in October.  Which made me wonder: will they send you the menu in advance?  I might as well (in my incompetent half-assed way) try to pick out some appropriate wines.

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you will get the menu in advance.

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and it will have wine pairing suggestions on it, if you'd rather not trust yourself. I followed their suggestions, all worked out nicely. I'm pretty sure they work with one of the Moore Brothers on the wine recs.

[percyn]

Last week the gastronomic Gods were smiling upon me once again as a co-worker extended an invitation to Talula’s table.

The evening started with some Prosecco and before long we were seated for a dinner which featured local-ish seasonal ingredients.

Eastern Shore Scallop in Shell, Scallop Coral Emmulsion and Caviar

I have had fresh shucked scallops before but none compared to the intense scallop flavor from the coral (scallop roe) and slight sweetness balanced perfectly with the saltiness of the paddlefish caviar while the baby enoki mushrooms added a textural component. This dish reminded me of a version made with seaweed butter at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon

Summersweet Corn and Crab Soufflé

What more can I saw about this dish other than it was a perfectly executed airy soufflé sweetened by corn and crab while the Cherokee tomato puree lent a bit of tartness to the dish.

During the soufflé course, we were presented with gougeres which were fresh out of the oven and so flaky that they melted in your mouth. Around this time they also brought out a bread basket containing some amazing mini brioche buns which did not need any butter, but how can you pass up on some amazing local butter sprinkled with Hawaiian sea salt

Handmade Orecchiette, Birchrun Hills Veal Meatballs, Roasted Cauliflower, Veal Glazed Sweetbread

The orechiette and sweetbreads were so luscious and tender that it just melted on your tongue. The bite sized veal meatballs packed quite a bit of flavor and amazingly the cauliflower brought the flavors together without overpowering any of the ingredients. I really loved this dish and made a variation with ravioli and Birchrun Hills veal this weekend.

Roasted Halibut, Swiss Chard Tart, Braised Smoked Bacon, Red Pepper Essence

This was one of the most juicy pieces of Halibut I have ever had and what can I say about the braised bacon twice smoked on premises…except that I could have eaten a big slab of it. This almost reminded me of Benton’s bacon.

Tender Guinea Hen, Dr Martin Lima Bean Terrine, Natural Hen Sauce

I think the Guinea Hen was prepared sous vide. And these Lima beans were not the ones you momma probably fed you. The sauce had a deep flavor but was a tad bit salty for my taste.

Chester County Lamb finished Three Ways

Perfectly cooked lamb. There was the obvious roasted loin and I remember the vegetables being stuffed with ground lamb, but I can’t recall what the third preparation was.

Little Stinkers (Cheese Plate)

Can’t remember all the cheese names, but I think there was a washed rind sheeps milk cheese and my favorite of the lot was the second from the right - an award winning cheese called Grace.

Chocolate Torte, Cashew Butter, Roasted Apricots, Salted Cashew

The chocolate and cashew butter combination were wonderful, especially when combined with the apricots. I guess the sorbet on top added a bit of textural and temperature contrast, but in my opinion not necessary.

We were also presented with some truffles from Eclatin nearby West Chester along with coffee and the scones which arrived with the check as a parting gift was a nice touch....and as I found out the next day...delicious.

As for wines, I was not taking notes and there were too numerous to remember – everything from a Louis Lator Chassagne Montrachet, to a Hermitage, to some excellent Bordeaux contributed by our dining partners. We just brought a bunch of bottles and let them do the pairing (except for a few courses when we wanted specific wines paired).

A few days later as I reflected on this dinner, I was struck by the intentional simplicity of the dishes which allowed the ingredients themselves to shine. Add to that the friendly and efficient service and you have a winning recipe (pun intended) that is Talula's Table. Can't wait for my next visit.

Edited September 30, 2008 by percyn (log)

[MysticMilt]

Through sheer dumb luck and cosmically awesome timing my husband and I managed to score a last-minute reservation to Talula's Table this coming Tuesday, November 18th. We have three seats currently available, and, given the Talula's love on this board, we figured we'd open it up to the fine members of eGullet.

The details are as follows:

- Dinner is at 7:00 sharp

- BYOB, $10 corking fee for the entire table

- $90 prix fixe per person, which, after tax and gratuity, typically comes to around $120-$125 per person.

My husband and I, and our friends, are lots of fun and totally not creepy, so we can pretty much guarantee a lovely evening.

If you're interested in joining us, please PM me. We haven't gotten the menu yet, but I believe Aimee said she'd send it to us on Sunday. We have to let Talula's know our final headcount on Sunday, so this offer is valid until 5:00 EST on Saturday the 15th.

We're offering the seats on a first-come first-serve basis, so before you respond please be absolutely certain that you are a) available and b) ok with the price.

Any takers?

[MysticMilt]

Ok, the spots are filled. I will happily report back sometime after Tuesday.

[Jeff L]

Through sheer dumb luck and cosmically awesome timing my husband and I managed to score a last-minute reservation to Talula's Table this coming Tuesday, November 18th. We have three seats currently available, and, given the Talula's love on this board, we figured we'd open it up to the fine members of eGullet.

The details are as follows:

- Dinner is at 7:00 sharp

- BYOB, $10 corking fee for the entire table

- $90 prix fixe per person, which, after tax and gratuity, typically comes to around $120-$125 per person.

My husband and I, and our friends, are lots of fun and totally not creepy, so we can pretty much guarantee a lovely evening.

If you're interested in joining us, please PM me. We haven't gotten the menu yet, but I believe Aimee said she'd send it to us on Sunday. We have to let Talula's know our final headcount on Sunday, so this offer is valid until 5:00 EST on Saturday the 15th.

We're offering the seats on a first-come first-serve basis, so before you respond please be absolutely certain that you are a) available and b) ok with the price.

Any takers?

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[Jeff L]

My husband and I, and our friends, are lots of fun and totally not creepy, so we can pretty much guarantee a lovely evening.

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Sorry about the above post but for some reason the edit key was unavailable for me to correct it.

I just thought this line was particularly humorous for those of us who dine with others we have never met. My kids both were amazed that I would host a wine tasting some time ago for a nice group of EG'ers, some of whom I'd met previously but others whom I'd only "met" online.

Anyway, do let us know how the evening turned out.

[David McDuff]

The early winter menu started up at Talula's this Tuesday but I had a chance to sneak in a short while ago for a late look at their autumn tasting menu. Standouts included a really subtle duck consomme, Alaskan halibut with a piquillo sauce and venison tenderloin with cocoa roasted beets.

Full details and photos can be found at: Autumn 2008 at Talula's Table.

[MysticMilt]

My husband Derek has written a full recap of our dinner on Tuesday, complete with pictures, which you can read about here:

Coming Together: An Evening at Talula’s Table

The dinner was fabulous, needless to say, and it was a real treat to meet CMN and her terrific husband.

[MysticMilt]

Breaking news from Foobooz: Talula’s Couple Re-entering Restaurant World

No word yet on how this new venture will affect the nightly dinner parties at Talula's, although I can't see Sikora doing both.