T"°Frank'lin News-recorD

10
lifestyle
Thursday, March 24, 1977
Old English otmosphere,
fine French cuisine
by Gloria Ilalpern
Nothing succeeds like success.
Barbara and Omar Arbani have
proved this axiom with the opening of
their new restaurant, Hotel du Village.
Located in Solebury, it is just a short
walk down the road from their highly
successful Inn at Phillips Mill.
It is the place to dine at the first
opportunity I
The cuisine is continental -- Omar
Arbani trained in the traditional way
at hotels and restaurants in Europe.
After attending the cooking school in
Strasbourg for three years, he worked
his way up the culinary ladder. He.has
the touch and dedication of a master.
Barbara is the manager, supervising
the quick, quiet service, making sure
things run smoothly.
TIIE MENU IIAS been expanded
with the move to larger quarters -- in
succession a private country estate, a
girls’ finishing school and then part of
the Solebury School with which the
girls’ school merged.
Nothing smacks of the school room,
however. Rather, the atmosphere is
that of an English country inn, with its
exposed beams and multi-parted
windows. Two huge fireplaces bracket
the main dining room, which seats 50.
Another room, still in the process of
remodeling, will accommodate
another 50 in a garden-like atmosphere.
The sparkling white kitchen with its
hanging racks of pots and pans and
walk.in cold room, offers Chef Arbani
all the space he needs to create.
DINNER AT IIOTEL du Village
may start with clams, snails, shrimp,
mushrooms, mussels or the pate
maison. Follow it with a hearty onion
soup or the soup du jour. We tried the
latter, cream of asparagus, and found
it a real celebration of spring.
My companion chose frogs legs
Provencale, luscious with garlic
butter and tomato sauce; I found the
Escalopes de Veau Madeira a
beautifully finished dish. Other entrees
include filet of beef, sirloin with
peppercorns, cream and brandy;
lamb chops with green herbs,
sweetbreads financiere, stuffed breast
of chicken with tarragon sauce; duck
a rorange, trout or sole. A salad of fine
crisp greens comes dressed to perfection
in a vinaigrette of Omar’s own
devising.
Timmy, a Thai native with an unpronounceable
patronym, has joined
the Arbani menage as pastry chef~ His
selection of patisserie francaise is a
delight to the eye as well as the palate.
Accompanied by espresso, it is a
sublime ending to a fine meal.
Everything, it goes without saying,
is cooked to order - there is no steam
table on the premises. Hotel du Village
does not have a liquor license, but
Barbara Arbani will be delighted to
cool the bottle of wine you bring with
you.
IN ADDITION to the main building,
the Arbanis have acquired another
which will eventually offer 20 rooms
for guests. In anticipation of its
completion, the Arbanis are collecting
antiques and interesting country
furnishings.
The ~ setting, charming as it is, will
he enhanced when the drifts of spring
bulbs bloom shortly. They were a gift
from the owner of Lenteboden, the
bulb showplace just across the road.
Hotel du Village is open for dining
every day except Tuesday, beginning
at 5:50, Sundays at 3. Everything is a
la carte, with entrees priced between
$7 and $8.50. For reservations call
(215) 862-9911 or 862-5164.
;THERE’S MUCH TO BE DONE before this former school building becomes a guesthouss, but Omar Arbani is ready to dig in, between pates and
; souffles.
i:
EXPOSED BEAMS, multi-paned windows and huge fireplaces give Hotel du Village atmosphere of an English country inn. Barbara Arbsni supervises
the quick, quiet service.
,:
Mark Czajkowski photos
THEY LIVE WHERE THEY WORK and all three Arbanis, Omar, Lolls and Barbara are happy in their new quarters.