The ‘Burbs: Alison Two

It’s so easy, because, within our regional restaurant gene pool, former glory boy Stein was once the DNA strand that helped to bind Philly’s food scene together, turning it into a serious dining destination during the last decade. His Striped Bass, Rouge, Avenue B, Fishmarket and Bleu—they all produced a litany of talented chefs, managers and future restaurateurs who have ultimately made an indelible mark here.

Pick almost any notable eatery in and around town, and chances are good that someone within had been previously connected with Stein and most likely, by just a degree, two at the most.

 

Which leads us to the lovely and talented Alison Barshak; she’s just one tick away from Stein, having famously opened as his exec chef at Striped Bass back in 1994. The restaurant became a smash hit. National acclaim soon followed. Since those heady days, Barshak’s own star has risen skyward, and today she’s a two-restaurant-owning red-tress sorceress of the stove.

 

After a solo city effort in 2001 that didn’t pan out (Venus and the Cowboy), Barshak soon set her sights toward the suburbs, first, with a Skippack café (too tiny!), which quickly led to the larger (though still fairly compact), Alison at Blue Bell, which has been a total success since Day One. And now, up and away her rise continues today with the recent opening of Alison Two in Fort Washington. The results, from a gastronomic standpoint, as well as an operations one, are stunning.

 

Barshak’s new Alison, for one, has possibly the most plumb location imaginable in this part of the region, situated a couple minutes off the PA Turnpike, next to the Septa station and within a five-mile radius of a vast, upscale corporate and residential population.

 

Plus #2 is the restaurant itself, the former Marita’s Cantina (“Holy tequila-shots flashback, Batman!”), now done up as sophisticated yet comfortable, with plenty of seating (130+) and two private rooms, a full bar and lots of on-site parking.

 

The third aspect A2 has going for it is its staff, and here’s where it gets nicely incestuous: Barshak employs Anthony Bonnett as her GM, who worked under her as a line cook at Striped Bass back in the day. Later, Bonnett chef-ed at Opus 251 with Alison’s pastry chef, Amelia Dietrich, who has also worked (and roomed) with Barshak in the past as well. And there’s also beverage director, Tom Pittakas, an industry vet from the former Restaurant M…

 

It’s all connected dots.

 

The old Cantina space has been impressively refitted to reflect the yin/yang, light/moody personality of its eponymous star, or, at least that’s my take. Midnight blues are brought out in sconces, along chair fabrics and in the deeply painted walls. Other surfaces are a lively yellow in color. Wide windows along one side of the structure bring in much light during daytime hours.

 

Walk in and there is a cozy waiting room off to the right; a wall of wine lockers (almost all spoken for already) is also nearby. The alluring bar awaits, with a smoky jazz soundtrack as its background.

 

I’ve had the chance to make two visits within one week, a delightful business lunch one day, and a chef’s menu tasting (complete with perfectly matched wine pairing thanks to Pittakas’ savvy direction) another night. Nearly flawless kitchen executions brought about several memorable dishes.

 

During the first experience, I got to sample a starter of light Burrata cheese (like a fresh, smoky mozzarella) with roasted red peppers and herb pesto. The “Bahn Mi” hoagie was one of several Vietnamese inspirations Barshak brought home with her after a trip to South Asia last year (a “Cha Ca” grilled tuna on the dinner menu is another). The sandwich, with its slivers of slow-roasted pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro and hoisin mayo was a perfume-y and filling thing, sided by a crispy-thin nest of house made potato chips.

 

Then, last week, I went back to observe the dinnertime mood of Alison Two. After being seated, I eavesdropped on the discourse of the staff there as they were preparing for the impending crowds: discussing the evening’s specials, sharing wine tasting notes and, in general, sounding like a rock-steady group of seasoned pros who have worked together for years, which, in fact, most of them have.

 

My tasting was a good cross section of what the menu is like there.

 

Appetizers: Charmoula (paprika, pepper, garlic)rubbed lamb loin with cucumber mint relish, amid a ladling of creamy chick pea puree; woody roasted wild mushrooms by a pool of grits, in a sherry reduction, topped with Sonoma jack cheese shavings; a bowl of mussels with a tangle of carmelized onions and chorizo in a blushing Rioja broth.

 

Entrees: A delicate fan of skate wing with cauliflower puree topped with a roasted lemon, fennel and radish salad; wild red snapper, smoked cipollini onions, roasted fingerling potatoes and a spiced shallot veloute; roasted chicken breast in a sweet/lightly salted cider reduction and a healthful mound of carmelized Brussels sprouts and pearl onions.

 

Desserts: decadent double-chocolate mousse, apple upside down tart and crème fraiche ice cream.

 

The fare was outstanding—elevated cuisine that transcended almost everything else I’ve enjoyed in the suburbs this year.

 

Room for improvement was evident though hardly glaring. And what I noticed, I’m not complaining about. This place is shaking out its newness each and every day. Thus, I don’t list these rare opportunities for you. I do it for Barshak’s benefit.

 

The interior’s darkness levels can be pervasive at night, especially in the bar, creating a somewhat eye-taxing experience. Adding to this, Alison’s crew prints out their daily menus on mustard yellow-colored stock, its listings are a clustered black font—my 20-20’s had difficulty picking out all the words on the pages because of the jarring contrasts. While struggling to read, my mind began to think about my parents, their friends and many others in that age bracket who would surely be squinting as well. Food-wise, everything rocked, except the mussels, which were, well—they were stick-to-the-shell mucous-y.

 

Now for the good stuff: The food is outstanding and will only get better; the prices, in this first stage of business, are soft enough, with built-in cushion to grow; the staff, as stated, has great mojo. At the bar, there’s a fine list of wines to choose from by the bottle or glass and 30 beers, a few macros and all are interesting. (Nice work, Tom.)

 

In all, I find Alison Two to be the most exciting new restaurant opening of the year here in the ‘burbs. Few if any operations can compare with the depth of the flavors she mines from her menu, with one exception being her own Blue Bell original, which, incidentally, is temporarily closed for renovations.

 

For all his past indiscretions, Neil Stein has indeed made a marked impact on the Philadelphia food scene. His work here has not only helped shape the culinary mecca we’ve become, it has also served to fashion career after exciting career for so many who are just a degree or two away from the man himself. Like Barshak, who has become our own sort of Kevin Bacon within our small world of restaurant professionals.

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