The Summer Kitchen

In this Penn’s Park, Pa., restaurant — a good choice for any season — Cuban-inspired specialties mingle in a setting of pure Americana.

By: Sally Silverman

   IT may seem a bit incongruous, the Summer Kitchen as an autumn — or winter or spring — dinner destination. The restaurant has an ambitious menu with more than a dozen entrées, with seating for just 40 diners. Further, the establishment features Cuban-inspired specialties, served in a setting of pure Americana. Applaud the incongruities. They are indications of how this Penn’s Park dining spot breaks the mold.
   With its back to Second Street Pike (Route 232), The Summer Kitchen opens onto the center of The Gathering Shopping Village, with a tangle of paths and patios that make for delightful dining among the petunias. The name, however, reflects not the setting but the ancestry. Part of a historic building complex, The Summer Kitchen adjoins the original summer kitchen of the gracious main house, where cooking took place when summer months made firing up the oven in the home’s main kitchen an unpleasant experience.
   Today, the décor is simple, with lots of windows taking advantage of the garden views, rough hewn ceilings and Americana accents tucked into recesses and on ledges. A gallery of work by local artists changes, like the menu, with the seasons.
   While the setting is comfortable, especially when sharing a bottle of wine waiting for a table, this is a place to come for the food. Chef Mario Korenstein opened The Summer Kitchen a year ago with David Van Ess, the distinguished looking host. A native of Cuba and a Jew, Mr. Korenstein delights in preparing varied cuisine, both traditional and those that reflect his heritage. He calls it "Cuban with a Jewish twist." He is also committed to using seasonal ingredients and taking advantage of the bounty of nearby Bucks County farms for his produce. The result is a menu chock full of choices.
   Making a decision is difficult with a dozen entrées, almost as many appetizers, plus salads, soups, a prix fixe offering and a $9 supper menu. Just when you think you have it all sorted out, the waiter shows up with a handful of specials.
   We started with an appetizer assortment. Three huge, golden corn fritters were served atop a chunky sauce of fresh tomatoes ($5). The fritters were crisp, though a bit greasy. Thankfully, the sauce was mild enough not to overwhelm the subtle flavor of the plentiful plump kernels of fresh corn, picked right up the road. The Maryland crab cake salad ($9.50) was a meal in itself. A large bowl of mixed baby greens, overdressed with a very subtle vinaigrette, provided a generous bed for a single, large crab cake. The crab cake itself was underwhelming. It was smooth inside, almost pasty, belying an overdose of filler and slightly soggy on the outside. A dollop of tartar sauce came on the side.
   The third appetizer was the charm, three hefty potato pancakes that would make chef Mario’s Jewish Bubby proud ($8.75). Almost all potato, with a hint of onion and just a bit of batter to hold the shredded pieces together, the entire cake was pan-fried till deep brown and very crisp, served with three huge mounds of sour cream, a few slices of mild smoked salmon and a sprinkling of capers.
   The appetizer portions are so large, it would be tempting to skip the entrée and go straight to one of the handmade pastries that beckoned from the glass case just inside the front door. But I am glad not to have missed the Cuban classic ropa vieja ($16). Again, the plate was heaped full, with plenty for dinner and lunch the next day. The beef, shredded after long hours of cooking, was blanketed by a rich tomato sauce married with onions and the hearty cooking stock. It was just right: tender, but still toothsome. The side of black beans, sparked with bits of sautéed onion, pepper and just a bit of spice, was the perfect accompaniment for the meat. The beans and meat were offset by sticky white rice and a trio of thickly sliced plantains, lightly fried but not quite sweet enough to provide the juxtaposition intended for the spicy beans and savory beef.
   My partner ordered the Cuban paella ($19), another smart choice. The waiter warned he had better be hungry. When the meal was delivered, it was daunting. Close to two dozen shiny black mussels almost overflowed from the large bowl. The other goodies were nestled beneath: fat, fresh scallops, chunks of Chilean sea bass and salmon, a few small shrimp and pieces of calamari, large chunks of chicken breast, all held together with a thick, chewy rice. The dish took on a reddish-brown color from the tomatoes, flavored by the requisite Cuban sofrito seasoning: garlic, peppers, onions and cilantro. This was a hefty version of the Spanish classic. The hint of saffron mentioned on the menu was almost lost, but not missed, in the mix.
   A third dining partner chose the rack of lamb. Served an entire rack, she quickly calculated that if she ate a normal-sized portion, she would have enough for another dinner later in the week. The chops were rare, as ordered, crusted on the bone side with basil bread crumbs, crisp and tasty. The side of mashed potatoes was thick and starchy, flavored with lots of butter and only a bit of garlic. Perfect, to my taste. The promised side of haricot verts, however, was a disappointment. The slender, crisp, vibrantly green beans, consumed with pleasure, were stretched with limp, yellow wax beans.
   The Summer Kitchen offers a $9 Supper Menu, featuring a number of the dishes from its extensive lunch menu including quiche and salad, stir fries, and mussels in white sauce. A fourth dining partner was pleased as punch to find his favorite on the list and ordered the meatloaf without a second thought. Again, the portion was generous, topped with gravy and served with the same garlic mashed potatoes and mix of green and yellow beans. The gravy was thick and rich, and when he asked for more, was accommodated immediately. The meat itself, however, was bland, and so finely chopped it resembled paté, not the hearty, chunky bite that seems right for this homey dish.
   Once all of our dinners had been packed up to come home with us, full as we all were, we couldn’t resist at least a taste of one of the homemade desserts, made by Mr. Korenstein himself. For me, choosing the four-layer carrot cake ($4.25) was a no-brainer. It was dense and moist, flavored with the appropriate autumn spices, set off by a modest amount of cream cheese icing between the layers and on the top and sides. The fresh whipped cream on the side was superfluous.
   The waiter suggested we also try the key lime pie ($4.75). Though the filling was a little thick, it had a pleasant citrus bite and a glorious, buttery crumb crust that maintained its crunch. The only disappointment with both was that none of us had room to do them justice.
   A prix fixe menu is offered for $16 Wednesday and Thursday, when three courses, the selection of the chef, are offered. The night we visited, the menu included soup or salad, chicken Marsala and mixed berry cobbler.
   The Summer Kitchen is a good choice for any season. It is also available for private parties and offers catering. While every dish we sampled was nicely executed, Chef Mario’s strength is apparent in the ethnic dishes that reflect his heritage. Here, he seems more confident and bolder with spices, marrying flavors that give these dishes real character.
For directions to The Summer Kitchen, click here.