Ansill

Ansill Food & Wine’s corner location in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood is flanked by two distinct traits that have come to typify the city.  On one side are the hip, urban shopping and entertainment offerings of South Street and on the other are the stately historical residences and cobble stone streets that steadfastly remain from colonial times.  Philadelphia has maintained this balance of new and old, innovation and tradition with graceful ease over the decades and this same delicate harmony extends into every dish Ansill has to offer.  Chef David Ansill seamlessly weaves the rich culinary traditions of Europe with the fresh inventiveness of the New World, creating a menu that elicits the joy of unexpected discovery by blending both classic and unique flavors in every small plate served.

Chef Ansill’s roots in traditional culinary cuisine have been evident throughout his career. Prior to opening Ansill in 2006, Chef David and his wife Catherine also owned a much-feted South Philly French bistro, Pif.  The restaurant served classic French fare made from ingredients gathered daily from the nearby Italian Market, although it (fittingly) served its final customers on Bastille Day in 2007.  Now this husband and wife team concentrates all their efforts on making Ansill a place where the enjoyment of food is paramount, adding fresh new twists to time-honored, European inspired menu items.  

Once inside the restaurant’s doors, we were welcomed by the host—who was standing ready with menus in hand—and led directly to one of the tables in the minimalist main dining room.  Ansill’s interior was gorgeously illuminated by the warm rays of the setting summer sun streaming through the large square windows that dominate the length of the outer wall.  We settled in slowly, surveying our new surroundings and silently hoping that the pleasingly refined décor was an indication of what the kitchen had to offer.  The long, dark, mahogany bar, reminiscent of luscious red velvet cake, stretched almost the entire length of the room and had ample space for both drinking and dining.  The bar’s rich luster was further accented by walls the color of turmeric and Granny-Smith-apple green.  The rest of the main room consisted of a line of shining wood tables, which could be pushed together and pulled apart to accommodate parties of all sizes, from couples to larger groups.  A smaller room at the end of the bar provided a more intimate setting in which to dine, enhanced by the placement of a table laden with fresh, crusty artisanal bread loaves and blessed by the succulent scents wafting out from the kitchen that opened up at the far end of the room.

Our waiter, Jillian, promptly delivered a plate of sliced baguette served with a white bean spread that was gently spiked with a spicy drizzle of red-pepper-flake-infused olive oil.  As our taste buds were kicked into action, we perused the varied and decidedly international drink list of premium beer and wines.  A wide selection of wines are available by the glass, and a reasonably priced house red and white are served by the half and full carafe.  Draft beers, from both craft breweries and long-established European mainstays, usher forth from sleek stainless steel taps behind the bar.  Knowing that our food selection would be diverse, we chose two wines by the glass that we thought would complement a variety of flavors.  I went with the Broadbent Vinho Verde NV, a green-tinged white enlivened with a refreshing spritz; my dining companion ordered a glass of the 2004 Caracol Serrano Jumilla, a well balanced Spanish blend of Monastrell, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Following the arrival of the wine, we made our selections from the menu, which was divided into three simple categories: “cold,” “hot,” and “cheese.”  As the upbeat disco notes of the Bee Gees segued into the melancholic melodies of Radiohead, our first cold dish arrived, an Arugula Salad with shaved parmesan.  The mound of vibrant, emerald-green leaves shimmering with olive oil was utterly fresh, with each gentle crunch releasing the rich, peppery flavor of the arugula.  The shavings of aged parmesan provided a perfectly salty tang to this refreshing salad. 

As we swept up the last of the arugula leaves, Jillian delivered the dramatic, blood-red Roasted Beets with oranges.  Molded into a round and presented on a stark white plate, the dish appeared almost luminescent in nature.  The cool, moist chunks of sweet beet were enhanced by the mild acidity of the orange slices.  Surrounded by a sinewy moat of reduced balsamic vinegar, the dish provided a perfectly sweet counterbalance to the savory salt and pepper of the Arugula Salad.

The last of our cold selections to arrive was the Steak Tartar with a cognac and purple mustard sauce.  Fashioned in the same round mold as the roasted beets, the raw, moist, rose-petal-pink steak glistened seductively in the center of the plate.  Nested on top of the hand-chopped steak was a small, speckled, uncooked quail egg with its top delicately cut-off.  A trail of sauce made from cognac and purple mustard, and dappled with dark green capers, swept off to the side of the meat.  My companion poured the yolk of the egg over the steak which lent the dish a hint of creamy sweetness.  From there, we proceeded to take turns brushing the slippery steak through the cognac and mustard sauce and innocently muse over the alleged aphrodisiacal properties of raw quail eggs.

Jillian then began bringing out our hot selections.  The fish was the first to arrive, the Bronzino with panzanella.  As soon as she set it on the table, its freshly cooked scent permeated the air, as if a breeze had just blown in off the Mediterranean.  Served skin side up atop a fresh salad, the firm white flesh of the fish was moist and tender, its texture nicely contrasted by the crunch of the pan-seared silver skin.  A stripe of green pesto further accented both filets and connected the fish with its bed of greens and grape tomatoes.  The vibrant Vinho Verde was a perfect accompaniment to this fine dish. 

The Hangar Steak with onion marmalade arrived shortly thereafter.  The soft pink and purple hues of the dish were reminiscent of those found in the impressionistic paintings of Renoir or Degas.  The medium rare slices of steak, scattered with jewel-like studs of coarsely ground sea salt, melted in our mouths along with the lightly sweet onion marmalade.

The last of the hot selections presented to us was the Shirred Duck Egg with truffles.  This dish proved to be the night’s culinary revelation.  The large golden yolk of the egg jiggled noiselessly as Jillian set the warm ramekin on the table.  Armed with a crunchy triangle of toast, I punctured the generous yolk and watched as its contents silently spilled forth across the white of the egg, mixing with the small shavings of truffle that were scattered over the egg’s surface.  My dining companion and I proceeded to devour the dish with abandon.  Conversation stopped as our triangles of toast dueled against one another, rapidly swiping around the circumference of the ramekin in an effort to absorb every last drop of the rich creamy yolk and deliciously nutty truffle shavings. How could an egg taste so good, one may ask?  The answer lies squarely in the culinary expertise that Chef Ansill applies to his menu items and the ingredients he puts into them. 

Our meal was made complete by the Crème Brulee Trio, which consisted of a miniature blackberry, honey vanilla, and lavender flavored crème brûlée.  This trinity was distinctive, subtle, and rich and paired perfectly with a strong black espresso.  After setting down our spoons, my dining companion and I sat back and laughed to see that the blissful contentment we were both feeling was mirrored in the other’s wide grin.  We voiced our mutual desire that every dining experience could be this pleasurable.

The combination of Ansill’s ever-evolving food and drink menu, hip décor, fun music, and knowledgeable staff makes it the type of restaurant that one may visit time and again.  It is the type of restaurant where gastronomic discovery leads to a sort of sensual enlightenment.  The dishes found on the menu are far from commonplace, making it an exciting place to dine and simultaneously dismantles any culinary inhibitions one may be harboring when they walk through Ansill’s front doors for the first time.