With Chef David Cunningham in the kitchen, this country inn in Yardley, Pa., serves special, approachable food.
By: Sally Silverman
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The Yardley Inn |
When a chef with a résumé like David Cunningham’s comes into the neighborhood, it sends foodies like me to the edge of their chair, tingling with anticipation. This is a man who has done tours of duty in some of the world’s great kitchens in New York and Paris: Hotel Bristol, Le Bernardin, Lespinasse and Petrossian.
The restaurant has done a good job of getting the word out about the big fish they’ve landed, and restaurant aficionados have been abuzz for months about the new toque in the Yardley Inn kitchen. Chef Cunningham joined the team in late August, and I sat on my reservation-dialing finger for four and a half months, allowing him time to settle in and iron out the kinks that inevitably plague a new relationship. So it was with great excitement that my partner and I set off recently to dine at the Yardley Inn.
I had never been to the Inn before and was warmed by its cozy entrance. We were shown to a table in one of three dining rooms. The Inn is a surprisingly large place, with three dining rooms plus a library upstairs used for large parties. The décor has an old-world feel, with crisp clothed tables and softly shaded votive lighting. A row of windows along one side probably offers a dazzling view of the Delaware River by day or moonlight. One of the other dining rooms off the bar is far more intimate, with handsome wood paneling, though the view from the windows is not memorable.
I found the menu intriguing, with unusual offerings such as crusted salmon with woodland mushrooms and salsify ragout; Bosc pear and goat cheese Danish with Moroccan olives; tuna tartare with fresh ginger gelato and wasabi remoulade. The wine list was also interesting, offering 30 wines at $30 a bottle. Only when we asked were we told that there was a Captain’s list, with an extensive selection of wines, predominantly Californian, ranging in price from $30 to $400. A very nice list of wines by the glass is also available.
Service went beyond leisurely, and it was almost an hour between the time we sat down and our first course was delivered. Then we had to ask for bread before it was delivered. When it arrived, I began to feel disappointment setting in. My salmon ($10) was ample, but not very attractively displayed, with a melting scoop of the horseradish sorbet that had piqued my interest, and a small bunch of yellowing greens that were purported to be peppercress. The salmon itself was on the thick side, with an intense flavor that was neither smoky nor cured, and a color that was deep and dark, though it looked as though it might have been sliced a while ago.
The fish, I learned, was a gravlax cured and then smoked in-house by Chef Cunningham. My husband’s Muscovy duck salad ($9) was also generous and a far better choice. A few slices of ruby-hued breast meat sat on a plateful of frisée that had been tossed with tender morsels of duck confit and dressed with a sweet-and-sour glaze that, we were told, was made of rose hips. We unfortunately didn’t learn about the special three-tier appetizer ($15, with the diner’s choice of a dozen or so selections) until after our appetizers were delivered.
When the main courses arrived, my grilled tuna ($22) was closer to raw than the medium rare ordered, and I sent it back. It was returned cooked more than I like it, but still pink in the middle. The large, thick steak was handsomely grilled and finished with a creamy green peppercorn sauce that played well against the slivers of sweet fennel, though it lacked the peppery bite I looked forward to. The dish was underscored nicely with a bed of spaghetti squash. We didn’t know what to expect from the lamb gnocchi ($22) that my husband ordered, so weren’t surprised to see one large dumpling in the middle of the plate. A light traditional gnocchi dough of creamy potato was wrapped around a serving of intensely flavored lamb stew, what Chef Cunningham calls a lamb marmalade. The sauce, too, was rich, sweetened with golden chunks of turnips.
After a meal with a few service glitches and dishes that were just short of our expectations, dessert left a sweet taste in our mouths. Our waitress, truly concerned that service was not up to the quality she clearly took pride in delivering, treated us to a three-tiered dessert (all desserts, $7.50 each). The Granny Smith apple pizza, thin slices of apple on a paper-thin crust, was perked up with a scoop of homemade cinnamon ice cream. The chocolate marquise was dense and dark, its dryness offset by banana ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. The favorite, however, was the double lemon tart, which delivered first a pucker, then a smile.
The Yardley Inn is offering a Valentine’s Day menu Feb. 14-15, with a number of special entrées, among them, crabmeat stuffed veal escalope and roasted rack of New Zealand Lamb. As appetizers, Chef Cunningham also is planning a foie gras and chicken liver paté, and Raspberry Point oysters. For dessert, a banana split for two ($11) features the restaurant’s own homemade ice creams and sauces made from exotic fruits, such as passion fruit.
Chef Cunningham clearly knows his ingredients and isn’t afraid to bring them together in ways that make them zing. He says that his vision for the Yardley Inn is a special place that focuses on food, but not necessarily special-occasion food. "Not high and mighty," he says, "but approachable."
With expectations high, however, disappointment can be as simple as an overcooked steak or yellowing green garnish. And although the dishes didn’t quite deliver at the level I had hoped for, I intend to give the Inn another chance. The management seems genuinely committed to the customer. The food is inventive, with generous portions and reasonable prices, and the chef has the experience and background to pull it all together.
For directions to The Yardley Inn, click here.

