February 21, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

In winner’s circle after taking over reins
General Grant on triumphant march with Blue Horse
by LEN LEAR

Grant previously won a rare four-star rating while the chef at the London Chop House in Detroit, a three-star rating while at the Polo Lounge in New York City and a coveted three-bell rating from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s critic, Craig LaBan. (Photos by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

Like his namesake, General Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War hero and later U.S. President, Grant Langdon Brown is a dynamic leader. Unlike his namesake, however, Grant Langdon Brown would much rather make love (of a culinary kind), not war.

Grant, 51, who last April became executive chef at The Blue Horse Restaurant & Tavern, 602 Skippack Pike (Route 73, at intersection with Penllyn-Blue Bell Pike) in Blue Bell, has won his share of battles but without any blood (human, that is) being spilled. For example, last July The Blue Horse was voted “Best Continental Restaurant, Montgomery County,” in a Philadelphia Inquirer readers’ poll.

A native of Detroit, Grant previously won a rare four-star rating while the chef at the London Chop House in Detroit, a three-star rating while at the Polo Lounge in New York City and a coveted three-bell rating from acerbic Philadelphia Inquirer critic Craig LaBan when Grant was executive chef at Meritage in center city in 2005. Grant’s interviews and recipes have appeared in the New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, the Washington Post, Travel & Leisure and many others. LaBan wrote that one of Brown’s beef dishes had “a truffled bearnaise sauce so rich that it made me shiver.” (Maybe he should have worn an extra sweater.)

“I’ve always been focused on doing authentic food, not trends,” said Grant when we visited the Blue Horse earlier this month. “I don’t care about doing the hottest thing at the moment, whatever it is. For example, I’m now doing a clam dish like one I had in Italy that I loved. That’s more important to me than being seen as cutting-edge.”

Grant, who has a master’s degree in urban planning and who worked in an auto factory in Detroit before cooking roped him in, now has more than 2,000 cookbooks at his old farm house, which sits on two-and-a-quarter acres in Evansburg State Park in Collegeville. “If I find a dish that I love, it doesn’t matter if it’s new or old,” he insisted. “I had a stew in Greece that had chestnuts and dill that was wonderful. Who cares if it’s not new? I guess you could say I’m more fission than fusion.”

A superb grilled tenderloin of beef served with prosciutto-wrapped fennel, Normandy potatoes and tarragon cracked peppercorn and béarnaise sauce. A colorful cocktail looks particularly sensuous in front of a river of colored ice in the middle of a long table in the main dining room. One dessert option is a classic bananas Foster, using the original recipe from Brennan’s in New Orleans — lots of gooey, sensuous cinnamon, rum and heated bananas over French vanilla ice cream.

The Blue Horse Restaurant & Tavern opened July 2, 2004. For many years until August, 2003, the almost-300 year old property had been home to Marabella’s, owned by long-time Chestnut Hill resident Gabe Marabella, who also owned a Marabella’s restaurant at 16th and Locust Streets in the 1980s and one on City Line Avenue, across the street from the Channel 6 studios.

One of the Blue Horse’s owners, Frank Ferro, of Lower Gwynedd, is the nephew of the late Frank and Kippi Palumbo, owners of Palumbo’s in South Philly, the most famous nightclub in the city’s history. “I cooked at Palumbo’s when I was still in school and fell in love with the business,” said Ferro. “Frank and Kippi were such great people, and Palumbo’s was such a fun place to be. I was proud to be a part of it.”

Another partner in The Blue Horse is Franca Palumbo, who is Frank and Kippi’s daughter. Yet another partner is Bill Sasso, former chairman of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. When this trio, all successful lawyers now, and two other business associates decided to open The Blue Horse, they clearly spent millions in a floor-to-ceiling renovation. (The name of the restaurant, by the way, is a throwback to the 1960s, when the property was called Frank & Eddie’s The Blue Horse — before it was Marabella’s.)

The first executive chef at The Blue Horse was Shawn Sollberger, formerly the executive chef at Davio’s Steakhouse in center city. Sollberger later left The Blue Horse to devote full time to Ravenna, a BYOB on Skippack Pike in Worcester, which he has since sold. After Sollberger’s departure, The Blue Horse “lost its shine,” but it has clearly been restored under chef Brown, the “Detroit Tiger.” (Brown’s brother, Cameron, by the way, is a renowned jazz bass player.)

The Blue Horse is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner seven days a week. There is a relaxed energy that makes The Blue Horse work for either a special occasion or a friends’ night out. Dinner salads and appetizers are mostly in the $7 to $12 range, with most entrees from $17 to $29. Also available is a special four-course chef’s tasting dinner, which is $49 per person, or $69 with wine pairings.

We have eaten at The Blue Horse several times over the years. During our most recent visit earlier this month, we had a true indulgence, Grant’s New England seafood chowder. (His recipe for it has been featured in Gourmet Magazine.) It was chockablock with shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops and a subtle but sublime broth ($9). A Lyonnaise salad was a simple but impressive combination of textures and flavors — with crackling homemade bacon lardons, dates stuffed with blue cheese (and what could be more fun than a Saturday night date stuffed with blue cheese?), toasted pumpkin seeds, crisp pears and a sherry bacon vinaigrette ($9).

A pan-roasted pheasant breast entree was non-pareil with a divine wild mushroom Madeira sauce ($27), while a sauteed chestnut potato gnocchi was a little on the doughy side ($19). A friend raved about his Greek lamb stew braised in red wine ($19), while a sinewy grilled tenderloin of beef was effusive with rich flavor, enhanced by a tarragon cracked peppercorn and bearnaise sauce ($31).

Dessert was a classic bananas Foster, using the original recipe from Brennan’s in New Orleans. Lots of gooey, sensuous cinnamon, rum and heated bananas over French vanilla ice cream ($7). As for drinks, the only joker in the deck was a glass of Rosenblum Zinfandel, which was flat-tasting and lacking in body, with no after-taste ($9).

Our server, Rachel , tall and thin, passionate and knowledgeable about food, is Brown’s live-in companion. Another big plus is front-of-the-house manager Jeffrey Stein, who previously managed Brasserie Perrier in center city. Liz Palidora handles catering jobs and special events.

The Blue Horse can seat over 200 in four dining rooms and a fetching bar area. There is a huge parking lot. Every Friday night, beginning at 9:30, there is Karaoke, and every Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., Chestnut Hill jazz guitarist Jimi Odell performs. Periodically there are other musical events. For example, on Saturday, Feb. 23, Frank Sinatra sound-alike Bill Ford will perform dozens of Sinatra’s hits. Every Sunday guests may bring their own wine, and every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there is a 5 to 7 p.m. Happy Hour that includes drink specials and complimentary hors d’oeuvres and tapas. In the rear of the restaurant, there is also a take-out bakery called Rita’s Gourmet-to-Go with croissants, donuts, cakes, cookies, sandwiches, etc.

It’s a safe bet that the Blue Horse will not be put out to pasture anytime soon. For more information, call 215-641-9100 or visit www.thebluehorse.net.