the Gables at Chadds Ford

REVIEW OF The Gables of Chadds Ford, 423 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA
January is a quiet month for dining out, but we ventured to The Gables twice last month, for both dinner and a big family brunch. So I’ll share comments on both, covering just dinner this month.
Ambiance: The setting is a converted former dairy barn going back to an original William Penn grant. Most everything about the Gables invites you to relax and soak up the country atmosphere. The patio to the left of the main entrance features big Adirondack chairs, a firepit, and outdoor heaters (all of it snow-covered now). To the right is a fieldstone retaining wall and garden with a hidden plaque indicating near proximity of a Revolutionary War battle, and lush plantings in warm seasons. In fact, there are green and flowery views calling to you at every turn, including the walled garden/grotto with water features for outdoor dining and wedding settings in season.
As you step inside the foyer, a turn to the right takes you to the maître-d stand and the bar and lounge and restaurant seating beyond; a turn to the left will take you upstairs to the huge banquet room (they just won best wedding venue 2016) or to outdoor seating.
Back to the bar: Huge antique windows, upholstered chairs and cozy tables, and a long and inviting copper-topped bar, with a pianist delivering really listenable jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. Everything is right—just about. The dining room beyond can definitely use more lighting to warm it up since it lacks direct light from windows, but they’ve worked hard at reducing noise in the big space. Aside from the lighting, the tables are dressed in cloths, and cloth napkins with good-weight cutlery and Gables-embossed glasses make a diner happy.
Service: On point, maybe even a little over the top, with coffee cups and water glasses constantly being filled. At dinner service, the food was delivered quite quickly and was very hot!
Menu: The dinner menu offers plenty to choose from, but it’s not a “Chinese menu” of endless selections. I would say it is a “curated” menu with a rounded selection—emphasis on quality, not quantity. We selected the wine, and I was thrilled to find a very nice bottle at a good price—quickly changed our minds when we learned the price was per glass! We lowered our standards and each went for glasses of Penfold’s Shiraz at $9 a glass—it tasted like a million bucks, due to the power of the mind. No, really, it was very good. Their wine list is excellent and pricey, but they also are comfortable with byob.
Experience: Since we were treating our son to a birthday dinner, we urged him to order whatever his heart desired. So we both began with Whiskey Ginger Shrimp at $10: lovely plump shrimp in a sauce which was slightly bitter but interesting enough.
Son Jay then got a very unusual dish, which he loved: Pork Volcano Shank with brown sugar and bacon fat popcorn, arranged in a generous bed of local wild mushrooms and chestnut puree. The popcorn was fun and tasted good, he loved the pork (falling off the bone, as they say), and I got the mushrooms and puree.
Fellow Cheap Eater Bob and I both ordered the wood-fired smaller filet mignon ($26 vs. $37), which was presented with a red wine reduction demi-glace, roast fingerling potatoes with shallots, truffled baby carrots (I ate the little green stems—very good), and perfect fresh green beans. I only needed to eat half of my filet to be totally satisfied, so it became a lunch sandwich at home. It was quite generous, and done just as requested, medium rare.
We skipped salads, as our meals were more than adequate, and I make salads virtually every night at home.
Yes, we all went for over-the-top desserts, and they were just that: the men got Ann’s Chocolate Espresso Cake (2015 winner at Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival) and I chose Ann’s Chocolate Banana Cake, which arrived enrobed completely in chocolate. Both were so luscious we didn’t want to share even a bite. I think Bob got a cognac, which I got to sip also.
Total Bill: Since it was a pull-out-all-the-stops occasion, our check was just over $100. We skipped cocktails, had only one wine each, Bob got no appetizer, so you could say we economized somewhat. Divided 3 ways, it was a reasonable splurge. Next month I’ll discuss the brunch at The Gables of Chadds Ford.
Anne Pounds
TheCheapEater.com