flatbreads. Angelique could not imagine a croque madame, that classic hybrid of grilled ham-and-cheese and French toast, as a flatbread, but BOhèm showed how it can be done: with ingredients (including whole-grain mustard béchamel and pea shoots) spread judiciously atop the chewy, yeasty bread, and a slightly runny, “dippy” fried egg on top. A traditional croque madame is satisfying, but this was superb. Mac-and-cheese may be close to the end of its run as the It Dish of gourmet comfort foods, so it’s just as well that BOhèm transformed it even more than we’re used to. When the menu mentioned spinach, we expected some leaves threaded amongst the noodles and gooey cheese, but instead the dish was more like pasta Florentine, lightly creamy and thoroughly infused with spinach’s earthy, mineral notes.
Executive chef Mark Thompson
The menu doesn’t claim to be seasonal, but most of the items evoked the onrushing fall. An exception was swordfish in a citrus-basil beurre blanc, redolent of Mediterranean climes, on a bed of autumnal beet spätzle together with springlike petite haricots vert. Confounding or not, the flavors worked together (perhaps united by preserved lemon’s unique profile), but with two flaws. The spätzle was under-salted and, like any boiled starch, it was hard to correct at table, and the fish itself was just a touch overdone. Swordfish is always firm, but it usually retains juiciness; in this case, it seemed that a smaller piece — for which we praise the kitchen, as proteins are too often oversized — had simply cooked through too quickly. The far North Hills have become the region’s second hotbed of excellent dining, with suburban outposts of many successful city restaurants and others that follow their lead. In this context, BOhèm Bistro’s approach isn’t uncommon, but it is appealing and worthwhile, and its space, indoors or out, is among the finest in the region. INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M
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On the RoCKs
{BY HAL B. KLEIN}
HEAD TO HEAD Two new breweries open, blocks apart, on Butler Street Matt Gouwens, owner of Upper Lawrenceville’s just-opened Hop Farm Brewing Company, decided to become a brewer in 2005 while he was living in Germany. “I noticed every town had its own little brewery,” he recalls. “I decided that’s what I wanted to do.” In 2009, he enrolled in a year-long training course with the American Brewer’s Guild. After several years of working as an apprentice brewer for Delawarebased Iron Hill, he felt ready to open his own brewery. Although it took several years to get the brewery up and running, Gouwens says it was worth the wait to brew in the right space. And he’s capitalizing on the farm-to-bottle trend by growing his own hops. He currently has more than 125 plants at his house, and has contracted with a farmer to expand the operation to more than 1,000 plants at a new hop farm, located just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Cranberry. Just a few blocks down Butler Street is monthold Roundabout Brewery, owned by veteran brewer Steve Sloan. Sloan has worked for corporate giants (Coors) and local favorites (Church Brew Works), but this is the first time he’s run his own show. “It’s a pretty old-school approach,” he says of his bare-knuckles operation that uses an open fermenter and some used dairy equipment. “We’re not trying to wow anyone” with newfangled approaches, he says. “We just want to make good, clean, fresh beer.” Because he’s brewing in such small quantities, Sloan is able to experiment with a diverse array of styles. The Oktoberfest is a particular standout on the current menu of top-notch beers. Gouwens says that camaraderie is the name of the game between the owners of the two new breweries. The good feelings were evident when he and Sloan recently had lunch down the block at beer-heavy Industry Public House. “He’s the veteran brewer, and he’s been really helpful,” he says.
CAMARADERIE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME BETWEEN THE OWNERS OF THE TWO NEW BREWERIES.
INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Hop Farm Brewing, 5601 Butler St., Lawrenceville. www.hopfarmbrewingco.com Roundabout Brewery. 4901 Butler St., Lawrenceville. www.roundaboutbeer.com
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