The Gist: http://barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/
The Why: Part of the 13th Street collection of restaurants owned and operated by Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran I’d been debating visiting BarBuzzo for lunch earlier in the day but having made the unfortunate decision to instead visit Fountain I’d originally figured that BarBuzzo would fall on my ever growing ‘next time’ list but as it would turn out instead an early end to the conference, a late reservation at Bibou, and beautiful al fresco weather proved to be a perfect combination as I wandered the streets with the original intention of stopping by Capogiro.
The Reservation: None was made – just a spur of the moment decision landing me a two top on the sidewalk.
The Setting: Admitting that I only walked into the restaurant for a few moments in order to use the restroom before departing and walking to Bibou the cramped space certainly seemed to have great energy – everyone from the patrons to the servers to the kitchen smiling and conversation lively. Speaking to the patio, a small strip barely seperated from the foot traffic and slightly further from the cars on the street I will say that there were times I would have liked a bit more distance from the rushhour commute, especially those opting to smoke or speak far too loudly on their cell phones but all things being equal the patio is quite pleasant with comfortable chairs and excellent shade from the nearby trees.
The Service: Noting that the restaurant was quite busy and servers were splitting time between outside and in the service at BarBuzzo was surprisingly fluid and my primary server, Douglas, did an excellent job of keeping up with the majority of the full patio on his own. Friendly and efficient, though admittedly one of those “everything is good” sorts when asked to make recommendations I’ll simply say that while I originally came to try perhaps two small plates he did his job well enough to sell me four.
The food and drink: 2 appetizers, 2 desserts.
Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse with spiced apple marmalade and duck fat fried almonds: Always a sucker for cold foie gras preps and equally charmed by spreads served in jars this was the dish I’d targeted when approaching Barbuzzo that evening and with the creamy mousse studded with smoky almonds this was everything I’d hoped for as liver’s sapor was prevalent without being overwhelming while the almonds added both texture and balance. Excellent on its own but all the better with cinnamon apples on a piece of crostini the only thing lacking here was more bread – a situation remedied with a simple request at no extra charge.
Pan Seared Gnocchi with Braised Lamb Shank, Winter Greens, Whipped Feta, and Almond Mint Pesto: Having not seen this one on the online menu but equally fascinated with gnocchi as I am with duck liver mousse it did not take much for Douglas to sell me on this one and while the flavors were not quite as good as the other options of the late afternoon the potato dumplings were superlative, a caramelized exterior giving way to creamy potatoes within. Moving past the pasta to the tender lamb and bitter greens where this dish stumbled for me was unfortunately in the mint, a flavor that would have probably been fine on its own but one that paired oddly with the tang of the feta for me leaving a slightly acrid finish on the tongue with each bite.
Salted Caramel Budino with Dark Chocolate Crust, Vanilla Bean Caramel, Sea Salt: Seen on many menus ever since Mozza’s received such raves part of my reason for visiting Barbuzzo was the rumors that this pudding in a jar was amongst the best desserts in the city and true to the hype it was indeed excellent – a deft balance of sweet and salty brought a step up from the version in Los Angeles by the crunchy bittersweet base. A true budino well worth a stop at Barbuzzo for any fan of the dessert I’m not sure it is as good as incomparable version at Osteria but I’d gladly try both of them side by side in the future to decide.
Warm Lancaster Apple & Raisin Bread Pudding with warm caramel and apple cider gelato: Keeping in mind that I’d planned on just the foie gras and the budino when I sat down at Barbuzzo things got a little bit complicated when I saw the bread pudding on the dessert menu; my first thought being to pass on the budino but then coming to my senses and deciding to simply order both – a decision both inspired and ridiculous given my pending dinner plans, yet one I would not regret as the custard soaked bread was met with perfectly baked apples rife with cinnamon, golden raisins, and spicy cider gelato topped with salty caramel nearly identical to that of the budino. Large in portion and enormous in flavor – a contender for my personal bread pudding “top 10” list.
The Verdict: On the whole I think I can look back on my experience at Barbuzzo in one of two ways – the cynical first being “of course I liked it, I ordered four things that I love” while the second line of thinking would be “I ordered four things that I always order and only one of them was anything less than a standard bearer for the genre” – and at least as it relates to the food I think the truth lies somewhere in between while the lovely day, outdoor setting, and service all contributed positively to the experience as a whole. Featuring a small menu with many staples and a few seasonal changes I’m not sure I’d rush back to Barbuzzo the way I would to other Philadelphia spots at a similar price point but I’d certainly not hesitate to recommend it to a friend with the advice to order what you know and love…and don’t skimp on a dessert or two (…though I gotta admit the La Colombe Tiramisu also sounds pretty divine.)