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TICKET TO DINING: Coleman Restaurant celebrates its fifth
anniversary: Beer & BBQ, grilling classes enliven summer fare
By: Frank D. Quattrone - Ticket Editor
06/18/2008
Email to a friend Post a Comment Printer-friendly Award-winning Chef Jim Coleman still remembers the first week that Normandy Farm was open to the public.
"Man, oh man - it was the second night the hotel was open. There were only 10 people here. But one was a mother who brought her baby. We had no cribs!" he recalls with a hearty laugh. "But we went out and got one, and had it here by midnight." He also laughed when he remembered the first Valentine's Day at Coleman Restaurant. "It was totally crazy! So many people. So much going on," he said, his eyes as wide as dessert plates. "But we learned from that first one. Now we have it under control."
"Another year," he said, "the sprinkler system broke in the porte-cochere in the lobby, creating a little flood. But we pulled it off and dried out and got back to business." On the eve of Normandy Farm's fifth anniversary (it opened on July 18, 2003), Chef Coleman - taking a rare break from his routinely busy schedule - took some time to assess where the restaurant, hotel and conference center is today.
"All restaurants are an evolution," he said. "They're never a finished product, never done. But we've built a loyal clientele. Instead of everything for everybody - then you'd be a diner - we try to be selective while offering as much as we can.
"Like Friday nights, we offer half-price bottles of wine in the dining room with dinner. No bottle of wine is excluded," he continued. "And we like to accommodate our guests. If they call in before-hand and want something special that's not on the menu, like duck, we'll do it!"
During the regular season, Coleman also loves doing his cooking classes in the Silos Ballroom. This season's Weber Grilling Classes, which take place on Normandy Farm's attractive terrace and cost $69 per person, include Fourth of July Grilling Class on June 24, Summer Deck Party & Wine Pairings on July 15, Game, Fish & Meats on July 29 and Labor Day Grilling Class on Aug. 5. Coleman, a world-class raconteur who loves to tell stories with his instruction, says, "It's more like dinner and a show. Many first-timers show up because of gift certificates they've received from happy customers at our restaurant. People get a hoot out of them.
"It's still kind of a secret, but it's so much fun. It's very entertaining."
The cooking classes include complimentary beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres plus a four- to six-course dinner. For such an accomplished chef, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America and served as executive chef at great establishments ranging from the Rittenhouse Hotel to the Great Wall Hotel in Beijing, China,
Coleman is unbelievably modest about what he knows.
Since 1996, he has also been hosting a weekly NPR radio show called "A Chef's Table" (also the title of his weekly column in the Philadelphia Daily News).
"I love doing the radio show. I learn so much. It's quite a privilege. It's awesome, really, to be able to interview nationally recognized chefs, authors and food personalities.
"A few weeks ago, for example, my guest was the historian Mark Kolanski, who wrote a book on Gloucester, Massachusetts and oysters. I learned all about the medical background behind certain foods. Amazing how much there is to learn! I love the history." This from a man who's already authored three cookbooks - "The Rittenhouse Cookbook: A Year of Seasonal Heart-Healthy Recipes" (Ten Speed Press, 1997), "Flavors of America" (1998) and "Flavors" (2001), both companions to his PBS television programs. He's now at work on "Healthy Flavors," a
companion book to his latest PBS series.
Jim Coleman, the genial Texan who now makes his home in our area, has been the culinary star and the welcome, weathered face of Normandy Farm, whose history was celebrated in the last issue of Ticket. A fifth-anniversary celebration party for the whole Normandy Farm complex is in the offing for sometime
this year. Look for information on it. To open the grounds even more to the public, Coleman's Restaurant has begun its second summer series of beer & BBQ events on the terrace, starting with a kick-off BBQ Bash on May 29 and continuing with its second, Hawaiian Luau, on June 26.
For $32.95 (plus a tax and service charge), guests can sample an incredible array of summertime treats, including Grilled Opihi Limpet, Drunken Onaga with ginger, Saki and Fried Maui Onions, Grilled Sesame Chicken & Papaya Salad with hoisin-balsamic vinaigrette, Grilled Tuna with yellow rice, green mango and
coconut curry, Grilled Grit Cakes with grilled corn and green chili relish, Kim Chee, Char Soi, Haupia, Poi, plus mango bread, banana bread and Macadamia Fudge Torte, with featured beers from Victory Brewing.
Similar events, all beginning at 6 and ending at 9 p.m., will take place on July 10 (Jimmy Buffet BBQ, featuring Anheuser Busch), July 24 (Backyard BBQ, featuring international beers) and Aug. 14 (True Southern BBQ, with beers from Old Dominion Brewery). Call 215-616-8300 for reservations and more
information.
The restaurant itself, which offers inspired American country-style dining, remains one of the finest in the region, with dinner daily from 5 to 10 p.m. and lunch six days a week, except Sunday, when a lavish brunch rules the roost, and boasts one of the busiest banquet schedules imaginable. Featured lunch items range from "Jail Island" Salmon BLT and Crab Cake Sandwich (both $10.95) to
Apple-Wood Smoked Duck Salad ($17.95), with poached pears, toasted pine nuts, crumbled chevre and spring mix in an orange-Frangelico vinaigrette, and Petite Filet ($17.95), served with roasted potatoes and jumbo asparagus over a red wine reduction. The spectacular Sunday Brunch ($25.95 for adults; children 10 and under, $13.95) includes a juice station, seafood station with raw bar and smoked fish), cold salads (including frissee, apple, walnut and blue cheese), hot buffet items (from French toast to Egg Strata with spinach, onions, tomatoes and cheese), omelette station, Eggs Benedict station and dessert station.
Dinner appetizers include Wild Mushroom Napoleon ($11), with double-smoked bacon and sautéed leeks in a Madeira sauce; Lobster Spring Roll ($132) with blackberry, orange and mustard dipping sauces; and Spicy Seared Tuna ($11) with seaweed salad, pickled ginger vinaigrette and wasabi.
Among the specialties of the house are Pan Seared Scallops ($29) with warm corn and asparagus salad and roasted garlic nage; Colorado Rack of Lamb ($38), with rosemary polenta, caramelized onions and dried figs in a lamb reduction; and Pan Roasted Grouper ($27), with spring onion risotto and rock shrimp stew.
Chef Coleman is delighted at the reception his restaurant has received since it opened and with the response to the hotel and banquet facilities as well. "It's nice to know we're open this long," he said.
"There's no question about it. We're here to stay."
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News Bouche: Summer Chef Dinners
June 18, 2008
By: Adam Erace
Or head out of the city to Blue Bell, where Jim Coleman—yes, that Jim Coleman—is reprising the Normandy Farm Famous Beer and BBQ this summer. First up is a traditional Hawaiian luau scheduled for June 26, with Southern-style and Jimmy Buffet-themed ‘cues following on Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm. Sip on an icy Victory (or six) on the hotel’s scenic terrace and rest easy in the fact that you can stumble right over to the onsite hotel. With the barbeque costing only $32.95 per person, you’ll be able to afford one of the Carriage House Suites.
Also at Normandy Farm, chef Cole hosts Get Your Grill On, a series of cooking classes on the barbie. Sessions include Fourth of July grilling, game meats and fish and include complimentary beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres and a four-course meal. It’ll cost you $69 per person—ahem, belated Father’s Day gift; call 215.616.8300 for reservations.
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June 6, 2008
Hi Suzanne,
I just want to say thank you, for the outstanding service that was provided to me and my guest on Saturday. The food, waiters and hospitality was excellent. Please extend my thanks and pleasure to your staff.
Blessings,
Joann Joward
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May 19, 2008
Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for our wonderful surprise 50th anniversary dinner at your restaurant on April 12, 2008. Everything was just wonderful, the room, the delicious dinner, the service the cake, the flowers. You really helped us to celebrate. The party was a gift from our eight children.
I thought you might like to see the bill from our wedding reception 50 years ago. How things have changed! Maybe you will share this old bill with your staff. They can have a laugh.
Again our heartfelt thanks,
Mary and Harry Stinger
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March 26, 2008
To The Restaurant Manager,
My husband and I consider ourselves “regulars” to your restaurant and send many people. In face while there on Sunday there was 3 tables of our friends there on our recommendation. We appreciate your selection of food, preparation and presentation. Most of all we have come to feel like family, by the way we are greeted and received by Donna Beisel. She always has a great smile that welcomes. When she brings us to our table it is as though she is welcoming us to entertain us in her home. It is a pleasure to see how personal she makes everyone feel.
we thought you’d like to know just how pleased we are to attend your restaurant and that we notice the attention to detail you maintain. But most espe4cially we appreciate the comforts provided by your staff, including Donna Beisel.
Thanks, keep up the great work!
Cheryl & Nazar Aldin
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March 24, 2008
The 'Burbs: Coleman Restaurant
By: Ken Alan
kalan@aroundphilly.com
Blue Bell may very well be the perfect Delaware Valley town. One: It's upscale. Two: Those pockets of rolling be-mansioned Piedmont hills. Three: Great shopping.
Good schools, a clean environment and safety make the fourth, fifth and sixth reason why this place is so relative. Even the name, Blue Bell, is so melodic, so chime-y. That’s seven.
Good restaurants are the eighth way in which this Montgomery County suburb is so special. In it are such notables as the venerable Blue Bell Inn, my favorite under-75 seat Montco star, Alison at Blue Bell, and Trinacria, that fine Sicilian along Route 202.
And there’s Coleman at Normandy Farm, the most visually stunning of all, a well-funded operation which possesses the region’s most recognizable chef and WHYY star Jim Coleman. These combinations create dynamic potentials.
The 75-acre manicured estate that makes up Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference center is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The original horse and cow barn date back to 1875, housing the oldest working barns and (three) silos in the state. They are now jaw-droppingly renovated, comprising part of the 22,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces (a fave of brides-to-be), with 141 well-appointed guest rooms, luxurious new carriage house rooms, and the Coleman Restaurant.
The grand property is easily recognizable – just look for the imposing whitewashed stucco-covered stone wall surrounding it.
That outside architectural aspect is also its core interior one; Normandy Farm stands strong, castle-like even, thanks to those two feet of contiguous massive stone walls holding it all up. The environs look Britannica circa late 1900’s with touches of Spain, Italy and Morocco incorporated into the motif. Exquisite deep burgundy-colored Oriental carpets run along solid oaken floors. Oak is enveloping here; rafters, furniture and that welcoming sturdy bar. European and early-American style artwork are ensconced in thick, curly-cued wooden frames which paint idyllic scenes throughout the windowless restaurant. Tapestries suspend in the dining room, in three courtly private rooms, and in the bar.
The stately enclave looks like it belongs in Cinderella’s Castle, sans Mickey and his brood of course. A gas fireplace and the glow of amber hues from hanging Moorish chandeliers cast a regal air.
A recent Friday-night crowd was mainly comprised of very stylishly dressed groups of 35 to 55 year-olds enjoying a night without the kids. At the bar, lots of very attractive locals were enjoying one of the area’s happiest hours.
Jim Coleman is one of my favorite live ingredients in a large local pot of area chefs. From his days stoking in Treetops at The Rittenhouse to his thousands of hours on “A Chef’s Table,” Jim has always been a boundless advocator of putting food and people together. That’s what Normandy Farm developers Hanson Properties have invested in. “Coleman” means business.
I recall my first visit there, a dinner sometime in 2003. Chef was there and I remember his focus was on regional cuisine and local farms and producers at the time. This was a few years before chefs were locavores, and prior to that word becoming an actual one in Webster’s. Pork, beef and fowl came from Lancaster County. Lehigh Valley produce covered the menu. I think I had a Pennsylvania Brook Trout that night.
Jim still makes executive decisions though it’s chef Ed Hancock who runs the nightly show at Coleman. He has helped meld the menu from local into a regional American one, with a few area nods here (Philadelphia cheesesteak rolls) and there (the trout’s still on the menu).
The rest of the fare is far from esoteric: New England clam chowder, though thin, was full of minced flavor; the wedge was as crisply traditional as it gets; and a fun-food chicken quesadilla was tasty. More interesting was a dining partner’s Thai pork salad with micro-thin soba and ginger peanut dressing in a crispy noodle bowl.
Entrees, too, show restraint (steak, chops, seafood, pasta) but the quality of meats and substantial sauces are flavorful inducements. A quality filet mignon was made even more flavorful with the help of a red wine reduction. A hearty lemon roasted chicken and sweet sausage with spring vegetables and pine nuts over pappardelle possessed an evident JC-inspired Southern touch. And what was the perfect pork chop, locally raised and expertly grilled, had a light tinge of charred, smoky flavor plus lots of mustard and herb reduction drippings. Outstanding!
The kitchen talent doesn’t stop with the food line. Pastry chef Colleen Winston is one to watch. Her chocolate espresso dome with mocha chip ice cream and the white chocolate key lime triangles with raspberry coulis are meal-capping winners.
A word about the service that night doesn’t do our waiter, Andrew, justice.
He is a young man who knows the standards of the business and he carries them off accurately and in a friendly (but not too, too) fashion. The rest of the dining room staff we encountered was all-pro as well.
Menu prices, for the most part, are Blue Bell prices. You wouldn’t expect much less.
Yet Hanson Properties has alluring promotional ideas they inject to create value for your potential visit. Half-priced bottles of wine on Friday nights (a Stephen Vincent cab for just $17.50!), “Parents-Night-Out” once a month (child care on site for kids ages four to 12), and a plethora of cooking classes (some with Jim) help to turn this dramatic stunner into more reasons why it is a culinary destination. That you can make it an overnighter is another, as well.
Look for menu changes soon: smaller and medium plate offerings and a bigger bar menu. The food has some complexity, yet it could use an infusion of “The Now”/offer more creativity/let Chef Hancock go a little wild.
As we left, driving past the old stone edifices, I ruminated how that white wall will be here long after I’m gone. Then we headed east past picket fences, by Blue Bell Golf Club, and finally, a McDonald’s.
I guess we were no longer in Blue Bell anymore.
Visit Coleman Restaurant
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November, 2007
Ray,
It was a pleasure meeting you at “Dinner with Jim.” The property is beautiful. Thanks so much for your hospitality, great food and plenty of fun & good Conversation.
Hope to see you again soon –
Best,
Shaun
Law School Admission Council
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November, 2007
Hi Ray,
It was nice to meet you last night. Thank you for all your great recommendations for dinner in Coleman Restaurant, they were all winners. I also appreciate you coming in on your day off to join us. I hope to see you again soon.
Jodi Markizon
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October 25, 2006
Hi Ray,
Thank you again for taking care of our Wyeth dinner last night. The group had a wonderful time and the food was exceptional. We plan to be back in the near future.
Jack Morrison
Wyeth
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October 5, 2006
Hi Jessica,
I would like to sincerely thank you for the superb dinner you provided for
our group on Tuesday evening! I've never heard such complimentary feedback
from how great the food was to the wonderful service to the perfect
atmosphere and ambiance! So thank you again for providing such a wonderful
evening for our Worldwide Preformulation group from Merck on Oct. 3rd,
especially after a full day of brainstorming and mental exhaustion!
We will certainly continue to use your facility in the future -- you guys rock!
Laurie Rittle
Admin Asst
Pharm Research, PR&D
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December 27, 2005
Dear Coleman Restaurant Manager,
You stopped by our table to say hello during dinner. We enjoyed our
conversation with you.
This is a "Testimonial" to the delicious preparation of our dinners and
the personal attention from our servers which made our dining experience
a #10.
As I mentioned to you, "... This is the first time we have dined here
but it will not be our last!"
Sincerely,
Doris B. Kelly
Robert R. Leimer
Jean C. Kelly
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November 11, 2005
Dear Coleman Restaurant Manager,
Thank you for your assistance with our luncheon yesterday, in the Liberty Room,
at Coleman Restaurant. Donna and the staff provided wonderful service and
personality so we could relax and enjoy the meal and environment. I hope
we have the opportunity to come there again.
Best wishes for a successful holiday season ahead!
Jean L. Perry
Merck
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