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By Frank D. Quattrone
Ticket Editor
Published: October 4/5, 2006
Places! "is
the theatrical equivalent of moviedom's 'Lights! Camera! Action!" And
what an inspiration it was to create an amenable place to dine adjacent
to People's Light & Theatre Company in Malvern, one of the most
successful professional acting troupes in the region.
Opened in 1999, Places! Bistro received a
huge boost nearly three years ago when gregarious, cosmopolitan, yet
totally unpretentious proprietor Shane Magee took the reins and began
to put his own stamp on the charming restaurant. The Belfast native was
himself charmed by the 226-year-old converted farmhouse that now seats
52 people comfortably indoors and another 16, weather permitting, on
the sylvan patio outdoors within view of the theater.
Despite Magee's protests that Places! is
"nothing fancy," it really is something else — a simple beauty to
behold, with an eclectic, innovative menu that changes, improbably,
eight times a year, "to give our regular theatergoers plenty of new
options to fly each time they come for a show," says Magee. "But it
also keeps us sharp and on our toes."
The "us" refers to Magee, of course, and
his lovely, talented executive chef, Jennifer Basanavage, who joined
him at Places! several months ago after an impressive round of
mentoring under world-class chefs such as Georges Perrier, Nunzio
Pairuni (Monte Carlo Living Room), Dominique Filoni (Savona) and Marcus
Samuelsson (Washington Square, where she served as sous chef just
before coming to Places!).
A graduate of the Restaurant School at
Walnut Hill College, Basanavage worked for a short time with Magee at
Places! in the midst of her culinary travels, but was reined in again
by her employer's "determination to get me back and the opportunity to
do my own menu. I just want to do fun, different things, to have fun in
the kitchen – with Shane, that's easy to do," she laughed. She said she
learned to cook – "mostly Polish, from my grandmother."
An experienced chef with 22 years in the
business, Magee said he "grew up eating meat and potatoes" until he
went to culinary school at Rockwell College in Galway, Ireland. He
gradually worked his way up the kitchen depth chart in every position
imaginable from dishwasher to pastry-maker and more.
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Before
coming to America, he held major restaurant posts in France and England
for two years each.
"It was a passion," he said. "It still
is. I have a full-time restaurant. It is my life. And we love talking
about food and wine here - the whole staff.
"And my take on food is that it should be
good, not beautiful — from a simple stew to the most complex dish. You
want to know 'how did they do this?"
This is not to say that the food reaching
your table at Places! — each adorned with a fresh flower each day — is
not appealing to the eye. Au contraire! Magee prefers to brook no
distraction from the food itself, even though he takes care to offer
each course on plates and bowls of differing shapes and sizes that best
complement its presentation.
A tour of the restaurant reinforces
Magee's point. The walls are painted off-white. Indirect lighting
creates warmth. There are hardwood floors and attractive area carpets
judiciously placed. On the walls are nice hand-sewn tapestries or
simple alt prints, and a working fireplace graces each room.
The oldest room, dating back 226 years,
retains its original wood above the fireplace and original paneling and
some uneven flooring that suggests the history of the old farmhouse.
The bar, with live plants at either end of the counter, has a soft easy
flow. There is also a cozy lounge with big sofas and a view and walkway
to the theater. Wedding or party guests can relax there during their
event.
The lounge opens into a sizeable,
2,600-square-foot banquet facility that can accommodate up to 200
people, including the patio area (tented in winter) beyond the
building. Magee never schedules more than one event a day — bar
mitzvahs, wedding receptions, corporate affairs — to allow his guests
to stretch out and relax. Even the tables in the restaurant itself are
situated far enough apart to provide guests comfort, privacy and space.
For Magee, flexibility is the key. "I've
always believed that the customer — whether it's a theatergoer or
wedding guest or someone who simply comes in for a good dinner — always
comes first. The customer is always — well, most always," he winks,
"right."
That goes for the menu as well, where the
frequent changes reflect customer tastes as much as Magee's and his
executive chef's. "Food is instant gratification," he says, "with
instant critiques. I always talk with my guests to see what they like.
And they seem to like what we're doing. I prefer to use
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herbs rather
than salt, for example. Chicken should taste like chicken and rabbit
should taste like rabbit.
"We do things like cassoulet and oxtail
soup in the winter," he says. 'We make all our own sauces and stocks
and keep everything as fresh as can be. And we accommodate all dietary
preferences."
Appetizers include the likes of Fall Crab
Napoleon ($10), super lump crab meat with roasted apple brunoise, sour
cream and tarragon layered with dried apple and finished with balsamic;
Duck Rillette ($9), served with wild cherry puree, sprouts and toast;
Scarlet Lady Mussels ($9), served with pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes and
smoked gouda; and Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls ($10),
accompanied by Chef Basanavage's quite spectacular home-made honey
mustard ice cream and a balsamic reduction.
Equally enticing are the entrees, among
them (on the current menu) Porcini Crusted Venison Loin ($27), served
with fingerling potato mashed, melted leeks and exotic mushroom jus;
Chestnut Parisienne Gnocchi ($20) with roasted pumpkin, cranberries,
spiced walnuts and wilted greens in a gorgonzola sauce; Grilled Whole
Bronzino ($27), filleted tableside and served with kohlrabi gratin,
grilled asparagus and sun-dried tomato pesto; and Places! Surf and Turf
($26), pan-seared day-boat scallops over sautéed greens and
cornbread pudding, served with tender Barolo-braised short ribs
(marinated in port wine for two days before the final braising,
rendering it so tender that you can break it off with your fork!). And
there are specials every night.
Among the ever-changing desserts are
Crème Brû1ée, Strawberry Short-cake, Chocolate
Tuxedo Cake and homemade ice cream and sorbet, made in house.
Places! also offers brunch on Sunday;
lunch during Tuesday matinees or whenever eight or more people make
reservations; "Afters" on Friday and Saturday (with light meals in a
quiet atmosphere) following People's Light productions; and a select
prix fixe menu offering a three-course meal for $35.
Open to the public whether or not there's
a play running, Places! is a real find — an attractive bistro with a
relaxed but totally professional staff and an exciting, ever-evolving
menu that melds the best in traditional French-style cuisine with
imaginative contemporary touches. And you'll love chatting with
proprietor Shane Magee, who brings the best of Irish storytelling and
natural charm to the table.
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Shane Magee . . .