The Italian Bistro at Jarrettown Hotel Features Authentic Real Deal Cuisine

If you drive by it on Limekiln Pike in Upper Dublin Township, you will notice that the old Jarrettown Hotel had a complete, much-needed renewal and make-over and its restaurant and bar reopened after a lengthy shutdown. The once open porch has been closed-in with walls and large picture windows and made part of the attractive new dining rooms, which can be seen through openings in the thick stone outer walls. 

The historic hotel was established in 1847 in the village then named for Levi Jarett, an early local farmer. The building, said to be haunted, was recently investigated for the presense of ghosts by the Philadelphia Ghost Hunters Alliance, and found to be indeed haunted by at least one presence. However, I give you my word that you will not encounter any during normal dining hours, or so the ghost hunters assured me.

The restaurant is now in the skilled hands of a true Italian restaurateur, Giovanni Agresti, from southern Italy, and his executive chef, Mark Ziebis. Having myself spent time in Italy during several visits to that beautiful, wonderful country, I can tell you that the food at this restaurant is the ‘real deal,’ much like many of the delicious meals I enjoyed while in Rome, Tuscany, etc. 

The pastas are homemade fresh on the premises. The red tomato sauces, wine sauces, and the main dishes are all made with fresh ingredients (many imported), and lightly - never heavy-handedly - seasoned with garlic or pepper, so the flavors of the main featured foods come through.

On my first visit, my party of four was comfortably seated on the “porch,” in a cream vinyl booth set with fresh linens. The Saturday night crowd’s noise level was moderate, the ambiance pleasant. Our very attentive server announced the specials, and later he competently filleted the beautifully baked whole pompano special entrée for my LDC. She lucked out – this was one of the most delicious, sweet fish dishes we had tasted anywhere!

We four started with a shared antipasto Italiano ($13) – just like in Rome: no mounds of lettuce – of cured sliced meats, roasted veggies, olives, and cheese nicely presented. Then two hot appetizers more than satisfied: an excellent, rich seafood bisque ($6) that got better with each spoonful, and a superb bowl of sautéed cozze – “mussels” – all turned face-up, an unusual touch ($9), in a wonderful white wine-garlic-pepper sauce. A basket of good Italian bread was on hand for dipping.

A close second to the pompano was the vitello al marsala entrée ($21), a generous portion of tender veal medallions sautéed with shitake mushrooms in a heavenly marsala wine sauce. This personal fave was truly one of the most palate rewarding I have had. And I was able to substitute a lovely side of sautéed spinach for the mixed veggies and roast potatoes it came with.

Less outstanding, but satisfactory, was the vitello alla Romana ($21), the veal less tender but partially redeemed by the Parma prosciutto it featured.

The stars were aligned with the constellation veal that night, and our third veal dish was good old veal alla Parmagiana ($19). Here – a much lighter preparation than the typical Italian-American version – it is lightly breaded, light on the mozzarella, and topped with a mild-on-the-garlic “pink” tomato sauce.

 Sides of homemade pasta – cappellini, linguini, and penne, which were requested in lieu of potatoes and veggies – were enlivened by a delightful garlic butter white wine sauce.

At meal’s end, our server brought a tray of Italian dolce (“sweet desserts”) from which we picked and shared a rich wedge of Viennese cake, layers of vanilla sponge and chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and powdered sugar. Who could resist? Some creamy vanilla gelato, and good cappuccino and coffee, along with great conversation, capped a very delightful, three-hour dinner Italian style for the four of us.

On a more recent visit, a special appetizer, bacon-wrapped bay scallops ($8), was a bit too well done, but the great flavor of the orange-ginger sauce pleased immensely. Garden salad ($4 with entrée) had a full variety of fresh, crisp ingredients lightly dressed in a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.

The splendid wine list offered up two excellent wines to match these starters: a bubbly prosecco from the Veneto ($8/glass), and a crisp sauvignon blanc ($7).

Our two entrées were pasta dishes – both delicious: sweet, succulent mussels over capellini (angel hair pasta), in buttery white wine garlic sauce; and the paccheri (large rigatoni pasta) alla Siciliana ($17), sautéed eggplant, zucchini, with garlic, capers, mixed olives, mozzarella, fresh basil in a light tomato sauce topped with shaved parmesan. Just writing these down is making me hungry to go again. (See photos).

This time, believe it or not, we passed on the tempting tray of Italian dolce pictured in the photo set.

Overall Rating: mmmm ¼ (out of 5 m’s) authentic Italian cuisine in Upper Dublin Township.

Location:  1425 Limekiln Pike (Route 152), Dresher   Phone:  215.654.6880 Web site:  www.jarrettownrestaurant.com

 Cuisine:  Authentic Southern Italian

Hours: Lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily. Dinner Monday to Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Dinner Prices:  Appetizers, Soups, Salads $6 - $13; Pastas $16 - $22;    Entrées $17 - $27

3-course Dinners $19.95

Ambiance: Historic stone building, handsomely restored inside and out

Reservations: Recommended     Credit Cards: Most major accepted

Alcoholic Beverages: Full service bar, extraordinary wine list. BYOB Sunday and Monday nights.           

Wheelchair Access: YES

Special Features: Happy Hour 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Discount drinks and eats.

E-mail Mitch Davis