Jasper Restaurant ~ Downingtown, PA

Reviews

Philadelphia Inquirer ~ May 11, 2008

Dining Review - by Craig LaBan

"I was thrilled to discover, though, that DiFonzo's [Owner/Chef] solo act is already up to speed in the kitchen.

It was clear from the first sip of the amuse-bouche, a silky potato-leek soup that was served hot from an espresso cup.

The meals that followed were just as eye-opening. Deceptively light tubes of gnoccchi came in a delightfully bisquey tomato broth infused with olive oil. Crab cakes filled with sweet meat and bound with a delicate seafood mousse took on a confident Asian flair beside a glass-noodle salad blushing sweet and spicy with caramelized sriracha.

Crepes came elegantly rolled around a mushroom puree so concentrated, it had the intensity of a good rich soup. And the perfume of mini-Kobe Rossini burgers splashed with demi-glace was so heady, the entire table inhaled their truffled aroma when those foie gras-topped sliders landed before me.

... Jasper is one of the last fine dining spots that still gives a complimentary house salad with every meal ... But DiFonzo, a Restaurant School grad and veteran of Tacquet, Passerelle, and the Rose Tree Inn, doesn't just serve the perfunctory spring mix blahs. I found shaved root beets, black radish, slivered fennel, and oven-fried strawberry chips in mine, not to mention a lovely Champagne-pear vinaigrette ...

Jasper ... Owner Nick DiFonzo did all the renovating himself, spending a year and a half converting a Victorian home in downtown Downingtown into a 45-seat restaurant. ... He personally sources all his ingredients on regular trips to the Regionl Produce Market in South Philadelphia."

Restaurant Jasper~ of Chester County, PA
78 West Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335

(610) 269-7776