Knight House

Get past the service here, and the food, from lobster-crab cakes to decadent desserts, is sure to delight.

By: Richard Burns

   You would think that starting the evening by finding a parking place on a busy Doylestown, Pa., street right across from the restaurant would be a good omen. If we had been interested only in the food at the Knight House, that would have been true.
   However, in any restaurant the food, however good, has to be served and the customers attended to. While the Knight House provided us with good food, the service was some of the worst we have experienced. Dirty plates from the first course remained on the table through dessert. Delays between courses were excruciatingly long. Dishes arrived lukewarm and had to be sent back. Water glasses were left unfilled. A wine other than the one ordered was served. Bread was never brought to the table, despite requests. The several servers who appeared were polite, friendly and apologetic, but for whatever reason they and/or the kitchen could not seem to get it together. Perhaps it was because, for most of the evening, we were alone in the large dining room on the second floor.
   The Knight House has been under the new ownership of Tom Frank for about six months. The general manager is Jim Hatfield and the chef is Will Lewis. They appear to have the food end of the business under control but, if our experience was typical, there is a lot of work to be done on the service side of the house before an acceptable level is reached.
   The Knight House restaurant and bar takes its name from the historic building in which it is housed, built in 1846 for Jonas Knight, a hatter. The restaurant features several dining rooms, with the main one (largest) on the second floor. The pub area offers high round tables and stools. There is patio dining in the front and rear of the house. Overall, it is an appealing and good-sized restaurant.
   The food is described as "New American Cuisine" and the menu reflects that description. The menu itself, which changes daily, is limited in terms of number of offerings, but provides a good range of choices. There were, for example, only eight appetizers and four salads available. About a dozen entrées are offered, and there were no specials the night we visited.
   Among the appetizers was a house-cured cold smoked salmon ($10) that we wanted to try, but they were out of it. Instead, we chose the sautéed lobster-crab cake ($14) and the sautéed Prince Edward Island mussels ($10). The lobster-crab cake was good-sized and served with a chipotle cream and basil oil sauce. It was delightful. The abundant bowl of mussels had been cooked in tomatoes, garlic and shallots, and was served with slices of good grilled garlic bread. The mussels were properly cooked and the sauce was very flavorful.
   My wife, Rose, and I shared a baby spinach salad ($9) with toasted walnuts, bacon and mushrooms with a blue cheese dressing. Unfortunately, the salad, while good, had been dressed for some time and was soggy.
   The range of entrée items included a chilled seafood platter with crab legs, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallop ceviche, oysters and lobster/crab avocado salad ($40). It is recommended as an appetizer for four or a dinner for two. Another dish that sounded interesting was an air-dried crispy breast of chicken with a ragout of vegetables, French fries and warm garlic vinaigrette ($20). Our guest ordered the grilled Black Angus rib eye steak ($29). It was served with horseradish and blue cheese mashed potatoes, and a mix of mushrooms. The steak was lukewarm but very tender, cooked to order, and greatly enjoyed. Rose selected the broiled veal loin chop ($30). It was served with an heirloom tomato salad and seasonal vegetables with a lemon-herb vinaigrette. However, the chop was lukewarm at best when it arrived. We sent it back and it was replaced with a new chop that was cooked to order and hot.
   Somewhere in the shuffle, the tomato salad got lost. I tried the cilantro-lime marinated East Coast swordfish ($28). It included a fricassee of black beans, chorizo and little neck clams, and a crab and avocado mini-taco. This was a first-class dish with tender and moist fish and delightful accompaniments.
   There is a small dessert menu of about half-a-dozen luscious-sounding dishes. The warm apple crisp with ice cream and caramel sauce ($10) was excellent. The key lime mousse cake ($8) was a good-sized wedge of a soft, moist and flavorful cake. The "Gwen chocolate oblivion cake" ($10), a flourless cake with a truffle filling and a caramel sauce, was a chocolate lover’s delight.
   The restaurant also offers a pub menu, which is available for both lunch and dinner. It parallels the dinner menu in appetizers and salads, and includes sandwiches and a few entrées. There is a full bar and a small but wide-ranging wine list. Live music is offered Friday and Saturday evenings.
   This is a restaurant that, based on our visit, offers good food but does a very poor job of taking appropriate care of its customers. Perhaps they had an off night with us, but clearly attention needs to be given to the service level. Otherwise, the restaurant will fulfill its slogan, "A Unique Dining Experience," in a way I am sure they do not intend.