The M-y Awards

Restaurant M

by David Snyder

In the garden at the Morris House Hotel's Restaurant M, dogwoods, magnolias and a canvas of lush ivy wrap a 70-seat outdoor space in womblike serenity. A tranquil fountain melts away stress one drip at a time. After taking in the setting, and trying a bite of bruschetta and a few sips from a smart Sidecar, you may forget that the fast-paced Center City race lies just beyond an iron gate.

It’s good to have this oasis back. Hoteliers Michael DiPaolo and Gene Lefevre (Black Sheep, Dark Horse) kept M shuttered after chef David Katz (Mémé) left in 2007. But after Lefevre helped chef Pascual Cancelliere secure real estate to open his own restaurant (he’s shooting to have his 943, at 943 S. Ninth St., open in October), Cancelliere agreed to pick up the baton at M, as well.

The reincarnated M is low-key in approach. It's not open weekends; on weekdays, it closes at 10 p.m., so Morris House guests can get their shuteye. And its new menu is modest, with Argentinian- and Italian-inspired small plates. But don't let the simplicity fool you — many dishes here are surprisingly refined.

The kitchen stuffs poached figs with soft gorgonzola dolce before wrapping them in prosciutto for the ideal adult candy. Diced beets, onions and ricotta salata grant an arugula salad balance and elegance. The steak sandwich reaches impressive depth thanks to an onion roll coated with house-made chimichurri mayo on one side and gorgonzola dolce on the other.

Cancelliere’s mother, Dora, makes tender, flaky empanadas from scratch every day. The jamon y queso version, with crucolo (a tangy Italian cow’s milk cheese) and parma cotto (Italian cooked ham), is a delicious way to celebrate the clan’s dual Argentinian/Italian heritage on a single plate.

Eats like braised ribs in tuco (Argentinian pasta sauce) alongside potato salad, however, seemed out of place among their more sophisticated peers — I appreciated the homey nature of the dish, but the flavors weren’t quite vivid enough to grab me.

Lucky, then, that Cancelliere more than makes up for it with his homemade pastas. Ours is a dining scene heavy on the Italian, but it’s still a rare treat to find the traditional combo of trofie (a squiggly shaped Ligurian gnocchi) and pesto, which is applied gently to make sure the flavor of the tender, hand-rolled pasta shines through. A few edges of the generous mushroom-, chicken- and ricotta-stuffed ravioli were dry, but I can forgive that thanks to the dish’s parmesan basil cream sauce, which consists of nothing more than fresh-chopped basil, butter, heavy cream and fresh parm.

When I talked to Cancelliere about this sauce in an interview, the chef said it best: "Simpler is better sometimes." His work at M proves it.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

Restaurant M | Morris House Hotel, 231 S. Eighth St., 215-625-6666, morrishousehotel.com. Mon.-Fri., 5-10 p.m.; closed Sat.-Sun. Appetizers and bruschetta, $3-$14; salads and sandwiches, $6-$13; empanadas and platos, $6-$18. Wheelchair accessible.