The Best of the Best - County Lines Magazine

Chefs’ Favorites
What area chefs would order from their own menus
Lise Monty
C hefs show up everywhere these
days. On cable TV’s 24/7 Food
their customers (our readers) can try
chefs’ favorites and enjoy the fun of
Network, whisk wielders share techniques
and style. Bravo’s “Top Chef,” in
seeing if they agree with the creators.
maddening reality-show mode, Big-Deal Duck
stretches the suspense of who won like From Peking Duck to Asian Fusion
a who-dun-it. “Iron Chef America” Crispy Duck, Seared Duck Breast and
presents competitive cooking as der- Duck Confit, duck dishes were the most
ring-do.
popular personal choices shared by
Chefs are in magazines, newspapers area chefs.
and on radio. Their cookbooks fill
whole sections of bookstores. There’s
even a Barbie Doll chef, complete with
“magical” oven and go-go boots. (You
know what Julia Child is doing in her
grave.) Area chefs make the pages of local
newspapers and regional magazines,
and a few show up on local TV shows.
But one place you never see chefs is
sitting at a table in their own restaurant,
checking out the menu and deciding
what to order. We were curious to find
out what they’d pick, hoping for insights
to guide us in our choices.
Though some initially reacted as if
we had asked them to name their favorite
child, they were intrigued by our
query. Several named Chef Specials
first, because these dishes get their creative
juices flowing. But we insisted
they pick from the “regular” menu, so
62
Mu-Yang Shen, Chinese Head Chef
at Yangming in Bryn Mawr, (where
there’s also a continental-cuisine head
chef), opts for Peking Duck, a high-profile
winner that is rolled out on a service
cart and served with flair. As many
ducks as he prepares day in and day
out, he would order his own, eager to
eat the pancake packages of crisp skin,
steaming dark meat, sweet/spicy hoisin
sauce and scallions. And it doesn’t
have to be ordered ahead!
At the Dilworthtown Inn in West
Chester, executive chef Aaron Wilson
didn’t hesitate. Slow-Cooked Duck
Breast, larded with strands of candied
orange zest, is what he’d pick for dinner.
He’d just been on a Philly TV station
demonstrating how he threads the
zest through flesh using a larding needle.
The savory entrée includes duck
leg confit and diced and roasted butternut
squash with juniper jus. Add a Watercress
Salad with roasted shallots in
the vinaigrette dressing, and a “Pinot
Noir that’s a little sweet” to match the
duck’s distinctive flavors.
Asian Fusion Crispy Duck is so popular
at Gracie’s 21st Century Café in
Pine Ridge that when chef/owner Gracie
Skiadas tried to take it off the menu,
her customers objected. She’s happy to
keep it on because it’s also her personal
favorite. The twice-cooked breast,
painted with a Thai glaze, is served on
a stir fry of vegetables seasoned with
Thai chilies, soy and fresh ginger. “It’s
flashed under the salamander to crisp
the skin,” she said, “and it comes with
‘exploding noodles,’” which is fitting for
this spirited, sophisticated restaurant.
Nick Farrell, chef/owner of Sovana
Bistro in Kennett Square, buys ducks
from a Lancaster farm, consistent with
his local-farm-to-table style. Seasoning
changes with the seasons when he prepares
his favored Seared Dusk Breast.
“When the weather’s chilly, I rub the
breast with allspice, cloves and cinnamon
before searing.” It’s served on
cubed celery root accompanied by a
braised duck leg over purée of pumpkin,
touched with vanilla. That’s local
pumpkins from Swallow Hill Farm in
Cochranville.
Foie Gras Passion
Two area chefs join legions of avid
foie gras aficionados, carrying on a tradition
that goes back to the ancient
Egyptians. Peter Gilmore, chef/owner
of Gilmore’s in West Chester, a BYOB
63
known for outstanding French cuisine,
affirms his love of the velvety delicacy
by selecting the Ménage à Trois appetizer
as his favorite. On a larger scale,
he’d happily indulge in one of his fivecourse
foie gras dinners—truffled
mousse in a pastry shell, seared foie
gras with apple compote on brioche
toast, and smoked terrine with housemade
port jelly. The Hudson Valley
company D’Artagnan is Gilmore’s
provider.
Gary Trevisani, chef/owner of The
Orchard, a Kennett Square BYOB,
struggled before settling on a dish from
his sophisticated menu. Pan-Seared
Scallop, an appetizer, is “one dish that
really speaks to what I feel is important
about food,” he said. Seared Hudson
Valley foie gras tops the scallop, served
Dilworthtown Inn’s Aaron Wilson Yangming’s Vince Viola and Mu-Yang Shen
Columbia Bar & Grille’s James Waters
Josh Taggart of Duling-Kurtz Gracie Skiadas of Gracie’s David Fogelman of Blue Pear Bistro
on a “velvety sauce” made with puréed
cauliflower and cream. His wine choice
would be a Meursault. “I’m partial to
the white burgundy from this small
French village.”
Antelope, Free-Range Chicken + More
The idea of a full-flavored, juicy Antelope
Steak makes Donny Merrill’s
mouth water. The executive chef at
Krazy Kats, on the outskirts of Wilmington,
enthusiastically describes his
espresso rub and how he first sears and
then roasts the meat. It sits on a bed of
roasted fennel, with chanterelles and
fingerling potatoes as sides. Merrill also
likes the espresso rub on his other favorite
entrée, the Barrel-cut Bison Ribeye
steak.
David Fogelman, executive chef at
Blue Pear Bistro in West Chester,