Reader mail

Anyone out there? Anyone? Anyone?

Talorico here. Working the day before a major holiday sometimes feels like being the last person left on the planet. No one else is around. No one is answering their phone. Or email.

Only the lonely. Or the unlucky - like me - who are still plugging away for The Man on July 3 when what we really want to be doing is sitting under an umbrella on the beach with a frosty blender beverage in one hand and some creamy guacamole and salty tortilla chips by our side.

Soon, my food friends. Very soon.

Just to give you a heads-up. In Friday's 55 Hours, you can read my review about Terrain at Syter's Garden Cafe on Baltimore Pike in Concordville, Pa. (Right across from the Shoppes at Brinton Lake.)  UPDATE: Here's a link to the review. I think this very cute cafe inside an air-conditioned greenhouse at the garden center is worth a visit. (That's a photo of a couple getting cozy at the cafe by staffer Tyler Orsburn.) The short menu (only 7 to 8 items) offers farm-fresh contemporary country-style dishes. Caveat: It's not the cheapest brunch or lunch you'll ever find. If you want a Denny's style "big breakfast" - this is NOT the place for you.

But until then, I present Friday's usual feature - Reader Mail - a day earlier. The topic today: the former Caffe Bellissimo.

Old restaurants are like old soldiers, they never really die, they just fade away......

Keep the emails coming. You ask. We answer. Every Friday. (Unless, of course, a Friday falls on a holiday, and then, well, yadda, yadda, yadda.....)

QUESTION: Hi Patricia,

First of all, I LOVE your blog. It is so informative!!!

Hoping you can help me. I think I remember reading that the former owners of Cafe Bellissimo on Kirkwood Highway had opened a place in Pennsylvania. True? If so, could you please tell me the name and where it is located. Have you been? I would kill for their quattro fromage dish, mmmmmmmm.

Thanks a bunch,

Stacie

ANSWER: Stacie, thanks for the kind words. (Can you tell the Boss Man? Talorico wouldn't mind a salary boost to fund all her "my dime, my time" restaurant hopping and European travels. Kidding, kidding....kind of. ) The Caffe Bellissimo question came up last year, in fact, right around this time. Here's a link.

But here's the low-down that we had at the time: Lora Johnson, chairwoman of Delaware Tech's new entrepreneurship program, was a former co-owner of Cafe Bellissimo restaurants on Kirkwood Highway in Prices Corner and in Springfield, Pa. She now co-owns Roux 3, a Mediterranean restaurant in Newtown Square, Pa.

While searching the archives for an answer, I found a few old Caffe Bellissimo recipes from Nancy Coale Zippe's columns. Here is some information from a 2005 column that includes two Caffe Bellissimo recipe for anyone who is interested...

Former Caffe Bellissimo owner Paul Owens said diners loved what they often referred to as "the pizza bread." He said the No. 1 comment he has received from past customers is "I really miss your bread."

He was happy to share the topping recipe, provided I would break it down from the quantities that made multiple gallons' worth.

This has been no easy task, as the recipe starts with six restaurant-size cans of tomatoes and two gallons of oil. Doing that division, by 32, was easier than figuring out 1/32 of three ounces of fresh basil or 2.7 ounces of pepper.

Then there's the problem of granulated garlic, the backbone flavor, as the recipe is titled "garlic paste."

There are more than 300,000 Google hits for granulated garlic, which is described as small granules of dehydrated roasted garlic with the intensity of fresh. Stronger than garlic salt; perfect for bread. This is available to the food industry in huge quantities, but can be purchased from specialty spice suppliers.

So with that in mind, I offer you a vague stab for your experimentation. The quantities are not exact, and no, I do not know how many spoonfuls of garlic that is!

This is a disclaimer. Proceed at your own risk

CAFFE BELLISSIMO GARLIC PASTE

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup blended oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons grated Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
2/3 ounce granulated garlic
1/4 ounce fresh garlic, chopped and browned

Crushed tomatoes seem to come in just one can size. You will only need 2 1/2 cups of the 3 1/2-cup can of tomatoes to balance the other ingredients.

In a deep bowl, mix tomatoes on low speed of an electric mixer. Add each of the ingredients one by one while the mixer is on. (By taste, I might add!) Paul Owens, former owner of the restaurant, wrote: "We used Amoroso's Italian rolls. Spread garlic paste on open-faced bread. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes at 375 degrees."

CAFFE BELLISSIMO SIGNATURE SOUP

Another much-loved offering from the restaurant is this soup, which won the Critic's Choice for "Best Signature Soup" in Delaware Today magazine in 2004. Paul Owens graciously agreed to allow me to put this more precise recipe in my cookbook, "House Specials' Soups, Salads, Et. Cetera."

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups) fresh chicken stock, or chicken broth
6 ounces poached chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
6 ounces baby shrimp
6 ounces slender asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup heavy cream
Dash cayenne pepper
Pinch Old Bay seasoning

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a smooth roux. While stirring, gradually add the stock or broth to the roux. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the remaining ingredients and heat through until the shrimp and asparagus are cooked. Do not boil. Makes 12 generous servings.