September 25-October 1, 2003

food

Beauty and the Bistro

Pear-ed down: Bella’s simple bistro beauty is on the inside. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Bella’s worldly cuisine works hard to live up to a fairy tale.

by Maxine Keyser

We all know the definition of a bistro. It's a little neighborhood spot, usually in France, that serves honest, dependable food, mostly to the locals. They offer a plat du jour, so that if one is in the mood for lamb shanks, he knows that Tuesday is lamb shank day, and he dines accordingly. We've all heard how the name came about -- that when the Russians were in Paris during the Napoleonic Wars, they would come into the nearest bar and pound on the table, shouting, "beestra, beestra!" meaning "quickly" in Russian. The restaurant complied with rapid service, and the name morphed into "bistro," so that one can expect, rightfully, that a bistro meal will be quick, simple, cheap and predictable.

What then can one make of an American bistro? Bella, at the corner of 20th and Lombard in the old Waldorf Café spot, bills itself as just that. Forget rapid service, for one chooses to linger here in the pleasant, bright, shoestring surroundings. Waldorf Café was dark and moody, but they've brightened it up with sunny yellow walls, green striping and a different little pear on each table -- there are even wire mesh pears in the cozy bar at the entrance. Pears are always a good theme, for they denote abundance and sensuality -- pictured earth goddesses are usually holding ripe, juicy pears. The two goddesses here are Amanda MacWilliams, the chef, and the owner, Ali Waks, who have cut out a monumental job for themselves. Given that a bistro should be reliable, and Bella has had some off days in the past, they forge ahead, confident that their neat little menu will please nearly everyone. And please it does, on many levels.

First, the requisite fun cocktails at the bar, which everyone makes much of these days, but I bypass in favor of a nice wine -- a Bogle Petit Sirah from California from the small, thoughtful wine list.

We then glance through the "nibbles" section of the menu, and think it rather a good idea. You can make an entire antipasto for yourself, or just have individual dishes. Examples include a marinated beet salad --gorgeous garnet chunks, sweetened with orange juice and honey -- or simply a plate of crisp frites with a mustardy aioli to complement it. Or there's the old favorite of pigs in a blanket, made from local sausage wrapped in flaky pastry. Bella tries to use local, organic and naturally raised ingredients whenever they can, as in the local sausage, which is made by Amish farmers, and is mild but pleasantly spiced. The mushrooms in the dumplings come from Kennett Square, but why fry the dumplings when the filling is so intense and flavorful on its own? Shrimp wrapped in bacon with maple barbecue sauce is another old favorite, which gets a new twist from a tender polenta cake to sop up the juices. Sweetness in an appetizer is not my thing, so I much prefer an equally overdone offering -- smoked salmon and goat cheese on fresh corn cakes. The reason it's so popular is obvious -- it's so good. A cheese platter will include aged Vella Jack cheese, crumbly and strong, robust cave-aged Lancaster cheddar and that new hot one from San Francisco: runny, barnyardy Humboldt Fog goat cheese.

When it comes to entrees, MacWilliams will stuff a burger with Maytag blue cheese and mushrooms and send it out on a kaiser roll with fries, if you've been pigging out on the nibbles or just feel like a quick bite. Or you can opt for meaty and spicy Cajun crab cakes that come with a remoulade with crayfish in it (hopefully) and a peppery slaw on the side. A duck breast is strawberry-glazed, and comes out very rare and tender, but the duck leg confit that shares the plate steals the show with its unctuous flavor. Even the wild rice has cracklings in it for texture, aside from the sauteed corn, cherry tomatoes and baby carrots that grace all the dishes. They are mass-produced, but are a welcome change from coins of squash and a few roasted potatoes. There's also Cuban-style pork chops with melon salsa, and grilled skewered B&L Grasslands lamb with handmade goat feta -- both sound excellent and true to the tenets of the restaurant (local, organic, etc.) The only thing I have doubts about is the cowboy spiced Piedmontese T-bone. MacWilliams and Waks swear by this beef from Piedmont, grass-fed and all that, but we all found it chewy, although full of hearty beef flavor. This comes with a huge tower of fried Walla Walla onion rings and fried zucchini and it is a manly platter. The menu is certainly American, but is it truly a bistro?

No one cares, as long as the food is good and plentiful. I just wish they were a bit more focused, and didn't run all over the place with their styles: Italian, Cajun, Cuban, French -- it's a bit much.

For dessert, we enjoy banana spring rolls with a melting center that finds a home in the chocolate dipping sauce. The Lancaster poached pear with saffron and vanilla bean is dull; the raspberry and honey semifreddo with peach puree is also strangely lacking. The chocolate indulgence: Flourless dark chocolate cake with chocolate soup is definite overkill unless you're a hopeless chocoholic. I found the cake too dense -- more like fudge -- but some people will die over it. This may be the time for a sweet drink -- say, a s'mores martini that is made of Absolut Vanilia, cream and chocolate sauce, and sports a graham cracker rim. It takes our old campfire buddy to new heights.

Bella may not be a bistro, and it has a great many loose ends, but if you want a nibble or a nosh, or a full meal, you could do much worse than dropping in on these two hard-working kitchen goddesses. Not only are they both bella, but they will treat you well and with enthusiasm.

Bella

20th and Lombard sts., 215-985-3222

Nibbles, $2-$5; appetizers, $5-$10; entrees, $9-$25

Mon.-Wed., 5:30-10 p.m.; Thu.-Sat., 5:30-10:30 p.m.

Not wheelchair accessible. Smoking is permitted in the bar area. Reservations suggested. All major credit cards except Discover.