Table Talk: Updated market-cafe keeps farm charm (in In Other Food News)

Table Talk: Updated market-cafe keeps farm charm

By Michael Klein

Inquirer Columnist
Guillermo Tellez and Rob Boone, veterans of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and the top hands in Striped Bass’ kitchen at the end of its run, have surfaced in Chester County after buying the old Northbrook Orchards and installing a market/cafe. Their wives, Christine Boone and Leslie Tellez, work with them.

Northbrook MarketPlace (1805 Unionville-Wawaset Road, West Chester, 610-793-1210) is set up in a two-story space in an old barn. They’ve kept Northbrook’s familiar farm stuff and added a smokehouse for barbecue as well as a moderate-priced regional American menu. They serve lunch seven days a week and dinner every night except for Sunday. There’s prepared food available to go, and doors open at 6:30 a.m. for light breakfast, including the farm’s famous cider doughnuts.

Starting July 8, they plan to offer fixed-price dinners ($65 a person, reservations required) at their 24-seat chef’s table upstairs.

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Mary Bigham, the creator of wcdish, is a self-admitted sushi and travel addict. She has a crush on just about every food but refuses to eat American cheese.

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5 Comments So Far

Sarah – Jun 28, 2008

hmmmm…sound like a Talula’s Table rip off? I think so!
Sarah – Jun 28, 2008

Sounds like a Talula’s Table rip off!
Andy Gadaleto – Jun 29, 2008

They sound pretty accomplished to me Sarah. Let’s give them a chance to open first, than we can formulate an opinion. We sell fish stock at Gadaleto’s for 2.99 a qt. Talula’s sell fish stock for $8 a quart. Although I do enjoy Talula’s some of the prices are a little to high. I have fond memories of Northbrook when i was a little kid we would pick strawberries there and pumpkins in the fall. If you guessed the weight of a pumpkin over ten lbs right you would get the pumpkin for free.
Sarah – Jun 30, 2008

I’m sure they’ll do fine - the customer base for high-end markets are definitely there. I just can’t see the originality in opening what is, by definition, the same thing as Talula’s. Obviously I have an affinity but - really. Who knows, maybe they’ll blow everyone out of the water. Good luck to ‘em. (Sorry for the double post earlier!)
Pat Mapps – Jul 20, 2008

My husband and I were the very first (and only that night) diners at the Chef’s Table. Let me start by saying that we eat in restaurants a lot and really appreciate high quality and originality in the ingredients and the preparation and this gets our high praise for both. The dinner we had on 7/18/08 at Northbrook was outstanding in every way. The tasting menu is designed to present as many local ingredients as possible and the flavors build throughout the 6 courses. The plan for the communal experience is to have a brief informal social time at which delicious hors d’oeuvres were served. The table for 22 is made of local wood and beautifully set. I won’t try to review all the individual courses. The portions are perfect for the overall size of the meal and we were left wanting more of each until we tried the next one. Each one was unique and beautifully presented. The accompanying sauces and emulsions made us want to lick the plates! The meal finishes with no less than two wonderful deserts which was our only constructive criticism - one would have been more than enough to end the memorable meal. We suggested perhaps a very small cheese course instead of one desert if the goal is to extend the evening.

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