Restaurant Review: Fairmount: The New and the Old -
Best of Both Worlds
Nestled snuggly between Girard Avenue, Broad Street, Spring
Garden Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue lies the eclectic
neighborhood of Fairmount, home to some of the most delightful
bars and restaurants in Philadelphia. While perhaps lacking
the buzz, traffic and excitement of Center and Old City
nightspots, the Fairmount neighborhood offers a friendlier,
more relaxed dining experience.
When you enter Rembrandt's bar and restaurant (Corner 23rd
& Aspen Streets), one of the neighborhood's older
establishments, you cannot help but feel that you have
departed Philadelphia for the old world charm of an Amsterdam
Brown Café. The warm, wooden interior, ornate lighting
fixtures, stained glass windows and Rembrandt prints (most of
which were lovingly collected in Europe by the restaurant's
owners) create an inviting, homey atmosphere.
According to Rembrandt's proprietor, Jan A Zarkin, Rembrandt's
building was probably built in the mid to late 1800's. His
earliest knowledge goes back to 1915 when a gentleman named
Harry A. Brogan bought the property and opened a bar. The
establishment was well known for a sign that hung over the
corner door that read: "Harry A. Brogan - Have A
Beer." Although Zarkin admits that Rembrandt's is not the
oldest restaurant in Fairmount (this distinction probably goes
to London Grill - established in the early 1970's), he does
proudly proclaim that he is the longest running owner of any
restaurant in the Fairmount neighborhood - celebrating his
20th anniversary next May.
Upon being presented with our menus, my famished party of
eight had a difficult time deciding what to order - so
tantalizing were the choices. For appetizers we finally
settled upon a selection of soups, a spiced walnut salad,
pan-seared scallops with crabmeat, escargot bruschetta, and
crispy goat cheese and artichoke spring rolls. The spiced
walnut salad presented with delicate slices of pear atop a
heap of mixed greens and Gorgonzola cheese in a honey-Dijon
vinaigrette, was flavorful and tangy. The escargot bruschetta
had a rich garlic flavor that was to die for, and the soups
(clam chowder, corn bisque and French onion soup) were hearty
and creamy. While the crabmeat was scrumptious, the pan-seared
scallops were too oily for our tastes, and we found that the
goat cheese filling in the spring rolls was so overpowering
that we failed, alas, to taste any evidence of a single
artichoke.
Our selection of entrees ranged from a succulent wood-fired
Cornish game hen that exuded an exquisite lemon-garlic flavor,
to a maple-Dijon glazed half rack of lamb in a sweet shallot
fig vinaigrette with almonds. While the lamb was tender and
juicy, my male guests grumbled that the portion was too small,
the sauce too sweet and the couscous too cold. There were no
complaints about the European chicken Marsala - it was perched
atop a pile of garlic-mashed potatoes and drizzled with a
tantalizing sauce that danced on one's palate. The
cinnamon-sage salmon filet, fillet mignon and herb-roasted
Portobello mushroom were equally satisfying.
Pastry chef extraordinaire, Melissa King, succeeded in
tempting us with her delectable array of desserts despite our
full bellies. The blueberry peach galette served with crème
Anglaise, the chocolate pecan bourbon tart, the flourless
chocolate torte in raspberry sauce, and the vanilla Ricotta
impostata cheesecake were all superlative; the perfect ending
to a memorable evening. Even delivery of the check - $420
(including 18% gratuity and many alcoholic beverages) - had us
leaving Rembrandts in excellent spirits.
A block or so west of Rembrandts, at 2321 Fairmount Avenue, a
backlit, blue neon sign announces the arrival of the newest
member to the Fairmount restaurant scene - Illuminare.
Formerly a dead storage facility, the space was purchased in
1993, and painstakingly transformed, over an incredible
seven-year process, into the magnificent location it is today.
As you walk in, you stroll through a classy bar area, pass the
coal pizza oven and enter a dining area decorated with
mustard-colored walls, green terracotta floor tiles, and an
unusual tin and mahogany ceiling. The room is infused with
light that streams through skylights, hand-blown light
fixtures, Frank Lloyd-Wright-styled stained glass windows, and
tall glass doors that open onto a charming Magnolia courtyard.
Despite the sophisticated interior, there is nothing snobbish
or elitist about Illuminare - service is friendly, and it has
the ambience of a relaxed, neighborhood hangout. The
restaurant declares in its mission statement that it aims to
"maintain a clean, cozy atmosphere, provide courteous and
knowledgeable service and use only fresh quality ingredients
in its dishes." The truth of this statement permeated all
aspects of our experience.
We began our meal with the daily special: delicate red pepper
pasta purses stuffed with chicken in a rich, smoked cheese
sauce, and also could not resist indulging in a warm
mozzarella, roasted eggplant and tomato stack. Both appetizers
were delicious. For entrées we both opted for brick-oven
pizza, having been captivated by the smells emanating from the
oven as we entered the restaurant. My artichoke heart pizza
was topped with sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, Fontina
cheese, artichoke hearts and mozzarella. While the pizza base
was thin and crispy just the way I like it, I found the
topping rather dry and overly tart. As for the artichokes, I
couldn't tell whether they were fresh artichokes that had been
marinated, or the canned variety - either way they tasted
vinegary. My companion, who decided upon the five-cheese
pizza, was not disappointed. Her pizza was an exquisite
combination of Gorgonzola, Provolone, whole and shredded
mozzarella topped with juicy Roma tomatoes and fresh basil.
The pizzas were so large (11 inch diameter, 6 slices), that by
the time the dessert assortment was brought over for our
perusal, we had to reluctantly pass. The array included a
decadent banana-chocolate chip peanut butter bread pudding,
chocolate cake, pecan pie and a fruit tart that looked rather
tired.
It would not be fair for me to pass judgment on the overall
merits of Illuminare's menu having sampled only a very small
portion of it. Despite my disappointing artichoke pizza, the
rest of the meal was most satisfying; the service was good,
and the setting simply breathtaking. I would definitely visit
Illuminare again - this time to partake of their homemade
pasta, fresh fish, chicken, beef or veal entrees.
Rembrandts:
www.rembrandts.com
Illuminare:
http://illuminare2321.com/
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