I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant with a good friend and 3 others that I hope I can now call friends. It seems these 4 friends get together once a month at the Birchrunville Store Cafe for a multi-course extravaganza cooked up by the chef and owner Francis Trzeciak. Julie Blank and I have been friends for as long as I have been selling real estate. We met when we were both new and before I even had children. Julie left the business and went into the restaurant business, where she owned and operated Vickers Tavern in Lionville. Julie is now happily footloose and fancy free, having built the restaurant up to a wonderful standard, sold it and is now ready for whatever happens next. Julie and I reconnected a year or so again and one of the things I am thankful for, this Thursday, and everyday, is her friendship. Julie is a great person, a fellow dog lover and a big time philanthropist. It's a pleasure having her friendship in my life.
Another leg of the quartet is Harry Havnoonian. Harry is a great guy and we had a lot of fun talking at the table. Harry owns and operates Cycle Sport, in Media. Harry was a lively dinner companion and I am thankful today for having met him. Lidia Antista of Marco Polo Travel was also at dinner. This is the first time I've met Lidia, who was Julie's travel agent when Julie went to Italy last year. Her travel business is in South Philadelphia, my home town, not very far from where my mom and I lived when I was 20 and until I got married. It's a small world. Originally from Palermo, Italy, it was so much fun having Lidia at dinner since the chef cooked up a special multi-course Italian meal that sounded beautiful being pronounced in Italian by Lidia! Last and certainly not least was the delightful Lauren Mongiello, Vice President of Falcon House Mortgage, located in Havertown. Lauren was very entertaining, very knowledgeable about the food and it was very nice meeting her.
Now, I've got to talk about the food. You have never tasted food like this, or at least I haven't. Growing up Italian, we always ate what I would consider hearty, home cooked Italian food. This was Italian food on a completely different level. Course after course came out artfully designed to please the eye and delight the palate. The first course was an anti pasta Italian trio! Cannillini bean salad with baby shrimp. Wild mushroom with citrus vinegar, cremini mushrooms and red water cress salad with ricotta salata cheese. The last of this trio was Bruscetta with tomato and buffalo mozzarella. Yummy! I groaned and moaned throughout the entire course! I am not a quiet nor unappreciative eater!
The second couse was gnocchi that were, of course, homemade, with butternut squash and pumpkin oil, sage and pancetta. Very different and absolutely wonderful
The third course was homemade (what else) lasagna, with wild mushrooms, truffle and ricotta salata.
The chef sent over, on the house, a shrimp appetizer that defies description in writing. Even a loud moan couldn't convey how wonderful this gigantic shrimp was prepared.
The fourth official course, which was really the 5th if you count the delectable shrimp dish was veal scaloppine pizziola. Oh my God, is all I can say about this dish. The veal was fork tender and the pizziola sauce was to die for.
The dessert was so good, and I was so appreciative that Harry asked me if I wanted to take it home!! Chocolate hazelnut dacquoise, strawberry tartlet with white chocolate and pastry cream and last but not least sorbet with fresh blackberries! This trio was served on a beautiful plate and I have to tell you the chocolate hazelnut dacquoise was probably the best thing I've ever eaten!
There you have it, my t Thankful Thursday for today. Any mistakes in spelling or description of this meal are entirely my own, and I am sure I made plenty (although I asked the waitress to write it out for me). I thank Julie for inviting me and I thank Harry, Lidia and Lauren for welcoming me into the group. This was a special dinner prepared by the chef and not on the menu. To check out the menu and the location of the Birchrunville Store Cafe, click the link. Located in historic Birchrunville at the intersection of Flowing Springs Road and Hollow Road, this quaint historic building is something to see. Francis Trzeciak, the chef knows Julie and her friends and he was kind enough to come out and talk with us and he was very gracious. Reservations are a must, the food is French/Italian cuisine and the ambiance is lovely. The Birchrunville Store Cafe serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday evenings. On Friday and Saturday nights they have two seatings, 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Reservations are accepted daily via phone 610.827.9002. The website says that the dress is "smart casual" and you should plan to spend 2 to 2 1/2 hours for a leisurely meal. it is also a B.Y.O.B. Because of the popularity of this restaurant, you'll probably need to call a few weeks in advance. I guarantee you it will be worth the wait!
Thanks for reading!
