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The 'Burbs: Talula's Table
June 30, 2008
By: Ken Alan
kalan@aroundphilly.com

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” or so the saying goes.

As someone who makes restaurant reservations for a living, take it from me; I can assure you, this credo is quite correct.

Those I may know are certainly the catalysts that assist me in helping my clientele to get through hallowed doors and into coveted seats at some of the toughest-to-land tables in town.

Yet there is a place where scoring success becomes a futile

exercise in empty returns; a special Fort Knox-of-a-restaurant that is nigh impossible to breach with less than a year’s notice, regardless of whether it’s via a professional reservation service (like Open Table), crossed-key holding concierges, or the indefatigable foodie with that quick-draw speed-dialing finger.

Since autumn of last year, Talula’s Table, the gourmet specialty foods shop in quaint Kennett Square has become “the country’s hardest-to-get-reservation,” according to Condé Nast Portfolio. More difficult than landing one at Per Se or Babbo in New York City, Napa’s French Laundry or Picasso at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Talula’s, you see, only offers but one table, where it serves eight-courses prix fix - a single seating each night for parties of eight to 12 people.

The fact that chef Bryan Sikora is producing what is consistently being termed “The Meal of the Year” by so many who are lucky enough to have dined there coupled with that gushing Philadelphia Inquirer review which helped put the place over the top since last fall means that you now have to call precisely one year from your requested date (a prayer to the deity of your choosing just before punching in the numbers doesn’t hurt, either.)

In the morning, sunny Talula’s is a cheery local’s spot for coffee or tea, tarts and biscuits. It’s a cozy nook in the very hub of Victorian-esque K-Square, where locals convene and where inquisitive culinary folk venture from points-everywhere.

Talula’s is a gourmet market in the truest sense of the word. More than 100 artisan cheeses and fresh, house-cured meats are featured as are baked breads, light meals, and scores of pastas, salads, cakes, pies and other divine gastro-whatnot.

All the food comes from local gardens, top-quality purveyors and artisans, and everything is organic and of impeccable quality. Lunches, take-out and catering, obviously, are big business there.

It’s what’s to be expected from CIA-grad Sikora, his wife, Aimee Olexy, and their partner, pastry chef extraordinaire Claire Shears. And after all, these folks once ran Django which, until 2005, was considered to be Philly’s best and most-revered BYOB.

Rather than cater to scads of ravenous diners, though, this team did a total turnaround, turning to greener acres for the opening of Talula’s in 2007, and now are offering up that ever-craved Farm Table.

My wife and I were two in a happy dozen of diners there on a recent weekend evening.

As the last of our party arrived, our hosts’ pulled the shade over the door. Though I consider myself a giving person, I now admit to inner-gloating when seeing several hungry noses pressed to the glass as people tried peering in. “Our wine” I thought greedily. “Our braised crepinette and lettuce puree. Our Table!”

And it was, right from the time we first started sipping at 7pm till just past midnight, our bellies full and our eyes a bit crossed from all that food and drink.

This meal of the year was paced perfectly by servers Sarah and Chris and by Aimee. They swiftly replaced silverware, refolded napkins when somebody left that magnificent farm table, and before each course, they explained each rich yet sublime plate constituent in front of us.

Highlights included a salad of poached wild Alaskan Spot prawns – simple buttery pop-in-the-mouth swimmers, chased lovingly down with licorice root, all bundled with new potatoes, fried almonds and herbs from our host’s garden.

Wild river salmon, given a hot oil bath, was married in olive remoulade, bean puree, preserved lemon and flecked with the tiniest slivers of (true Kashmir) saffron in the broth.

Line caught Tobago wild blackfin tuna, braised beef cheeks kissing it, each nestled next to wild rice frites, and all in a blissful red Burgundy reduction.

Roasted Chester County leg of lamb followed, and then “The Ripening,” an assemblage of five nibbles of cheeses, ordered from young and ripe, to old and deliciously stinky, served with savory jam pairings.

Our dessert wines combined with wild strawberry ice cream “spumoni” in a layering of Armagnac, chocolate almond Jaconde, and local berries, that and the hardly-trifling Eclat caramels and truffles, made our rocked world all sweet and sticky.

Worth the $116 (all-inclusive) total per person?

Well, two stated the tuna dish was a bit too peppery for such a supremely delicate piece of fish, and one person preferred the nuttier smoothness of La Colombe coffee over Talula’s more acidic Hausbrandt grind.

Meaning: You’re damn right it was worth it. A room of food writers, restaurant reviewers, bloggers and others who just love a great meal all seemed to agree that the overall experience, wonderfully captured there alone - friends having a great meal, some really incredible wines and being among our low-key and darling hosts - all lent to the finest experience of its kind anywhere in this region.

So pick a date in mid-to-late 2009 and start dialing.

You may be wondering how I was able to land a spot at Talula’s Table, especially when the opportunity had only come about less than two weeks prior to the reservation.

Like I said before, it’s not what you know…

Visit Talula's Table

Previous "'Burbs" Articles:
The 'Burbs: Ron's Original Bar & Grille
The 'Burbs: Da Vinci's Pub
The 'Burbs: The Great Outdoors
The 'Burbs: Old-School Ice Cream Parlors
The 'Burbs: Plate

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