Richard’s Thornton House

An Italian-inspired menu reigns in the space once occupied by Jean-Pierre’s French restaurant in Newtown, Pa.

By: Sally Silverman

Richard’s Thornton House

101 S. State St.

Newtown, Pa.

(215) 860-6648

Food: Ordinary to good

Service: Attentive but rushed

Prices: Inexpensive to upper moderate

Cuisine: Continental with an Italian accent

Ambiance: Cozy, traditional

Hours: Lunch: Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner: Mon.-Sat. 5-11 p.m., Sun. 4-9 p.m.; Bar menu daily 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

Essentials: Accepts VISA, MasterCard and American Express; not wheelchair accessible; smoking in the bar only, and upstairs Mon.-Thurs.; reservations taken for Mother’s Day but not normally accepted.

Directions

   Opening a restaurant in the former home of a venerable culinary institution takes guts. Richard’s Thornton House opened its doors in the building where Jeanne-Pierre overfed countless satisfied diners with classic French cuisine for many years. It would be hard to compete. Richard’s, though, is completely different. Smart move.
   Unlike its predecessor, Richard’s focuses on homey dishes with a global influence, according to Shannon DeFelice, who owns the restaurant in Newtown, Pa., with her husband, chef Richard DeFelice. The couple also owns Sebastian’s, a restaurant with a similar menu on Madison Avenue in Warminster, Pa. Despite the freshly whitewashed walls and white-clothed tables, the atmosphere is more relaxed. The entranceway bar now holds a few more tables, a lot more smoke, and the noise of an over-bar television.
   Though the main dining room is attractive and cozy, with a handsome fireplace on one wall, the approach is odd, through a bending, narrow passage that leads guests right by the open window to the kitchen. We sat in the back room, a bleak, tiny space with a couple of tables and no decorative amenities. The carpet was full of crumbs, and a built-in display case that could have offered some eye appeal filled with pretty things instead held extra salt and pepper shakers, partially filled water glasses, and a cooler with a spent wine bottle. One lonely painting took up a small space on one of the white walls.
   The menu at Richard’s is manageable and fairly simple, with a half-dozen or so appetizers and about 15 entrées including the specials. We started our meal with a shared warm radicchio salad ($7). The wilted radicchio was tossed with arugula and some leaves of baby spinach. Small slivers of roasted fennel added a sweet contrast, and the vinaigrette, though poured on with a heavy hand, was light with a slight citrus zip. The little neck clams ($11) I ordered were plump and tender, in a white-wine sauce heavy on butter and salt. My husband’s crabmeat crepe ($12) was superb: a hearty helping of big lumps of sweet crabmeat wrapped in a light, paper-thin crepe. A judicious drizzle of tomato béchamel was tasty but light. The dish was served attractively on a square plate, accessorized with a few bright chive stems.
   I opted for the Stefano’s pasta ($16) for my main course. The ear-shaped orecchiette pasta was tossed with a bit of olive oil and garlic, and a stingy portion of white beans and spinach leaves. The shaved Locatelli promised on the menu was absent. The result was boring and almost tasteless. My husband’s crab cakes ($25) were better. The pair of crab cakes were packed with meat, and pan sautéed to a nice, brown finish that unfortunately left them a little tough. A white saffron sauce was brightened with a confetti of tiny diced red and green pepper for a colorful presentation.
   The delicious crepe we enjoyed for our second course spurred us to choose a crepe for dessert as well. The banana crepe ($6.50) featured the same light and delicate pastry, with a filling of pure banana slices. My husband thought the vanilla cream sauce was overkill. I thought it was nice. A slice of pecan pie ($6.50) was respectable, though not a stand out.
   The waitstaff at Richard’s was attentive but seemed to confuse good service with fast service. At one point, the tiny table was so full that my husband seemed in danger of knocking his appetizer dish to the floor, so I slipped my dressing-wet salad plate from the previous course under my appetizer plate to make more room on the table. As we took the last bite of our appetizers, the waiter turned up with our dinner plates. He stood looking at us.
   "There’s no room," I said.
   "I’ll take those things," he replied, and looked around as he realized he couldn’t take them with two hot platters in his hand. Our experience was not unique. We noticed the diner at the next table rushing to finish his salad, as the waiter stood by with his entrée.
   Richard’s opened less than four months ago. According to Shannon DeFelice, there is still much they would like to do with the space. Creating a patio for an additional bar and outdoor dining is one wish-list item they hope to realize before the end of summer. Their goal is to create a casual restaurant with a lively bar that offers good food, a place where guests can feel at home. They have some work to do.
For directions to Richard’s Thornton House, click here.