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| FROM LEFT: Mica chef and owner Chip Roman; manjari chocolate filled with passion fruit |
Top Table
At first glance, it is easy to pigeonhole Aimee Olexy (of Kennett Square’s Talula’s Table fame) and Stephen Starr’s new collaboration, Talula’s Garden, as an exercise in trendy farm-to-table dishes and garden party décor. But one bite of the grass-fed beef and braised rib that yield to the tines of your fork, accompanied by fleetingly seasonal fiddlehead ferns (during a late spring meal), will impress that executive chef Michael Santoro isn’t making delicate finger food. The result is perfectly cooked proteins, exotic green-market finds and expert pairings, like spiced lamb shoulder with mace-scented baby carrots and yogurt-swirled polenta. At Talula’s, cheese is literally put on a pedestal: At the helm of the restaurant stands a granite counter topped with bold artisanal cheeses ensconced in glass cloches and displayed on cake stands, to be artfully crafted into tasting plates. If you crave sweets at the end of the evening, slowly nibble the seasonal cookies alongside a pot of French-pressed coffee, underneath the twinkling lanterns in the outdoor dining room. 210 W. Washington Sq.; talulasgarden.com
