Remembered Fondly

Welcome to the newest member of Philly's BYO elite.

by Trey Popp

[ review ]

Mark Stehle FULL CIRCLE: From start (Lee Styer's veal sweetbreads with arugula, Asian pear and cinnamon gastrique) to finish (Jessie Prawlucki's coffee-liqueur soufflé, the cooking at Fond is superb.

Let me say it up front so that no one thinks the fix is in: The lentils were overcooked. True, pancetta magnified their earthy depth. And a red wine jus amplified their mid-palate heft. But the walls of the legumes collapsed just a little too readily against the teeth. They weren't anything to obsess about — not when king oyster mushrooms glowed like pale bronze above them and the monkfish made you think of liquid pearls — but it showed that Fond's Lee Styer was capable of mistakes. Otherwise I would have had to wonder, because that was the only one I caught in a meal encompassing almost every dish on the menu of Passyunk Avenue's newest BYO.

Named after the caramelized bits stuck to a pot bottom before it gets deglazed, Fond is the joint venture of Styer, who was previously sous chef at Le Bec-Fin; Jessie Prawlucki, who was executive pastry chef there; and longtime Lacroix captain Tory Keomanivong. Their résumés and timing will inevitably invite comparison to nearby Bibou, where fellow Le Bec-Fin alum Pierre Calmels has won lavish praise. I've yet to try Bibou, so if you're looking for a head-to-head appraisal you may be disappointed. But if the weeknight dinner I had is any indication, the 30 seats at Fond will soon be just as highly prized.

It began with a teasing glance backward at summer: a shot-glass of cold watermelon soup spiced with chilies whose finish reverberated in waves of heat and sweetness for a full 10 seconds on my tongue. It ended with snow-crunch bites of lemon-poppy seed meringues. In between, Styer and Prawlucki composed a three-course ode to autumn that was nearly flawless in execution and design. Their tonal palette ranged from the watery crunch of Asian pear to the molten spill of butternut squash purée encased in ravioli, and from the intense fruitiness of passionfruit-stuffed crêpes to the revelatory bourbon backbone in a full-flavored frozen coffee-liqueur soufflé. Yet at no point did the broad span of their short menu lapse into braggadocio. The spirit invigorating this simply decorated place showed through in the adorable delight with which Prawlucki fielded praise for her desserts — as if she were almost startled by the enthusiasm they'd inspired.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Fond's desserts are well worth a visit on their own account, but the savory courses are deeply satisfying, as well. The squash ravioli couldn't sound any simpler — sage, pecans, brown butter — but what elevated these was Styer's trust in the squash itself, resisting the temptation to dumb it down with sugar or cheese it up into semisolid flab. Likewise, there's nothing showy about grilled asparagus topped with prosciutto and a soft-cooked egg. Balance those flavors and textures on the sweet fulcrum of sherry-roasted shallots, though, and you've got an appetizer that could almost inspire nostalgia at dessert. Elsewhere, Styer doubled down on the decadence of veal sweetbreads by means of a cinnamon gastrique — but doubly offset that combo with a refreshing dice of Asian pear and peppery arugula. Here is a chef who knows equipoise.

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The same focus carried through to the entrées. Styer isolated a rope of lamb leg muscle and treated it almost like a tenderloin, cooking it medium-rare and dressing it faintly with allspice. The side of braised red cabbage was nearly port-like in its intensity, contrasting perfectly with tiny roasted Brussels sprouts. On the other end of the spectrum was an odd but compelling marriage of seared scallops with truffled celery stalk slivers and raisins, whose sweetness was checked by a meatless celery root velouté.

Fond's main courses are fairly priced between $18 and $26. Dessert edges up from the $7 that's more or less standard for Philadelphia BYOs, but Prawlucki's talent for effective juxtaposition justifies the premium. Her apple tart boasted a perfectly crispy pastry shell, a rich globe of cream-cheese mousse lurking beneath the fruit, and a scoop of brilliantly sweet-spicy ginger ice cream on the side. Cinnamon-spiked caramel custard enlivened a cakey chocolate brownie. A clean, light coconut sorbet almost stole the show from the passionfruit crêpes. That Irish coffee frozen soufflé put the you-better-give-this-back-to-me-after-I-share-it look on my spouse's face for the second time in three courses (the ravioli did it first).

Except for the lentils that spent a couple extra minutes in the pot, it's hard to think of a way I could have enjoyed Fond any more. The pacing was as good as the food. The down-to-earth service bore the stamp of full investment. While we ate, Keomanivong ran out to his car to dig up an invoice for the restaurant's stemware, at the behest of a woman who wanted to know the name of its manufacturer. (I liked the wine glasses, too, but didn't get around to asking.)

The last restaurant to occupy this pocket-size space was Clementine's, which lasted scarcely more than a year. The shuttering of that bistro saddened me, so I hope there's not a hex on the address, because I like Fond better still. Perhaps more flaws would have cropped up had I chosen a busy Friday evening rather than a slow weeknight, but there is no mistaking Styer and Prawlucki's potential. Since opening in late August they've replaced nearly every item on their inaugural summery menu, apparently without losing a step. I'm looking forward to seeing what other treats they might have in store.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Fond | 1617 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-551-5000, fondphilly.com. Mon.-Sat., 5:30-10 p.m.; closed Sun. Appetizers, $9-$13; entrées, $18-$26. BYOB. Reservations recommended.