July 14th, 2011
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Author: Chef Michael Favacchia, a restless, redheaded Italian with a penchant for dishes offering up layers of flavors, is impatient with his own website’s description of his menu, which calls it “American Continental.”
The perfect expression of how difficult it is to pin down his cuisine at Marly’s BYO is his Bento Box, a starter whose contents change daily.
The bento box, a popular staple in Japanese train stations, where travelers can enjoy four distinctly different small dishes reflecting the cooking of the region, is a tapas-lover’s dream.
The evening of our visit, the Bento Box we ordered had Guacamole with homemade tortilla chips in one compartment, Moroccan Tabouli Salad with Grilled Shrimp in another, Vegetable Spring Rolls over wakame seafood salad in another and Lobster Cake with tomato remoulade and Stuffed Potato filled with a spicy Asiago cheese sauce in the final compartment — in all, a mind-boggling and taste-twisting sensation.
As Chef Favacchia describes the menu, “It’s a little Asian, a little Italian, a touch of American Southern. I call it Mike’s food,” and he laughs. “It’s not American Continental, but it’s definitely eclectic; it’s got something for everyone’s taste.”
A total foodie, he loves reading books on food and watching cooking shows on cable TV.
He says, “I keep a pad by my dresser. Ideas come to me overnight — for specials and variations on some of our regular dishes.”
As to the aforementioned Bento Box — it was one part Mexican, one part Moroccan, one part Asian and one part Cuban.
Cuban, you might ask? The Lobster Cake with spicy Asiago cheese sauce is from a Cuban recipe, designed by Favacchia’s new chef de cuisine, Hector Moya, a native of Cuba who is now guiding the executive chef in the ways of Cuban cooking as well as giving him some extra time off to spend with his family.
“We’ve only had about two days’ vacation in the three years since Marly’s opened,” says Favacchia, “and that was in the third week of June, about two weeks after Hector joined us. We love bouncing ideas off each other.”
The international flavor of Marly’s menu makes it a top draw in trendy Phoenixville, which offers a host of bar restaurants and BYOs. But eminently conscious of the current economy, Marly’s has worked hard to keep all entrée prices no higher than $30. In fact, every Monday through Wednesday at least through August, the restaurant invites families to try its three-course $25 menu while offering a complimentary menu for children 12 years old and younger.
For starters, guests can choose from among Ginger Carrot Bisque topped with cucumber crab relish; Grilled Romaine Hearts ($8 on the regular menu) served with warm pancetta-honey vinaigrette, crumbled goat cheese and caramelized onions; Baby Frisée Pear Salad ($8 normally) served with Danish blue cheese, sliced pears, candied pecans and sun-dried cranberries in a white balsamic vinaigrette; Hummus of the Day ($7 normally), with grilled pita and flatbread chips; and one of Marly’s signature dishes — Fried Green Tomatoes ($10 on the regular menu) over ricotta salata cheese and heirloom tomato salsa, topped with a dressing of whole grain mustard and basil-infused oil. Continued…
The entrées they can choose from are Sautéed European Chicken Breast ($18 normally) with oven-roasted tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, fontina cheese and lemon-butter herb sauce with potato of the day; Pumpkin Gnocchi ($20 on the regular menu) with sweet Italian sausage and caramelized butternut squash and peas in a creamy gorgonzola sauce; Pan-seared Salmon ($22 normally) in a sweet chili coconut broth over a mixed vegetable couscous; Orange Molasses Glazed Hanger Steak ($23 on the regular menu), served with corn and edamame bean risotto in a sweet chili garlic aioli — another of the chef’s signature dishes; and Shrimp Reggiano ($25 normally), served with fresh torn pasta, sautéed cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a Reggiano seafood sauce.
Finally, they can choose a dessert from a variety of freshly baked sweet treats. If they’re lucky, one of them might be the restaurant’s signature moist and scrumptious Peanut Butter Chocolate Bread Pudding, made with challah and topped by strawberries, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce ($8 on the regular menu).
The $25 three-course menu, easily one of the year’s great restaurant bargains, could be a wonderful introduction to this pulsating restaurant in Phoenixville.
Marly’s BYO is the brainchild of partners Ann Zimmerman, Chef Favacchia and the chef’s wife, Samantha Hall, all of whom met at Conshohocken’s Gypsy Saloon, owned by the chef’s aunt. Zimmerman was there when Gypsy Saloon opened in 2004; the chef came in 2005, and Hall, who worked as a waitress and hostess throughout college (she says, with a smile, “I’m hooked on the experience — I love the exercise and the money”), joined them a year later when she moved from Manayunk to a house across the street from the restaurant.
Zimmerman, a Royersford native who’s been in the business for years (including a stint with the banquet arm of Glen Hardy Country Club in Wayne), has also served as manager of Gypsy Saloon’s sister restaurant, Stella Blu, where Favacchia, a native of Norristown who now lives with his wife, three children and family in Spring City, was also the kitchen manager. His son, Michael Jr., works in Marly’s kitchen on weekends.
Favacchia, who has been a chef for 22 of his 40 years, studied at Johnson & Wales’ prestigious culinary school. Chef de Cuisine Moya has put in some valuable time at Smith & Wollensky, Moriarty’s and Rock Bottom Café.
Recent specials that bear the mark of Moya’s experience include Seafood Paella, laden with clams, mussels and red pepper, over bacon- and saffron-infused risotto served in a cast iron pan. New items on the summer menu, a collaboration between Moya and Favacchia, include Chilled Gazpacho, Assorted Beet Salad with buratta cheese and prosciutto in a roasted fig dressing, and Stuffed Pork Chop with a Cajun beurre blanc over manchego cheese and steamed baby carrots.
The menu in this dinner-only BYOB changes frequently. Favacchia says that up to half the menu changes on a regular basis, while the restaurant maintains popular favorites like Fried Green Tomatoes, Marly’s “Cheese Steak” ($30), pan-seared filet mignon topped with a Roquefort-walnut crust, served with potato of the day; and Panko-crusted Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes ($26), served on creamed corn and edamame beans with a chipotle aioli and ponzu sauce.
Other great dishes available on the most recent menu included the appetizer Crab and Lemongrass Wontons ($9) with a sambal-red miso emulsion, wasabi peas and a pickled cucumber-daikon salad, and the entrées Pan-seared Diver Scallops ($26), served over a dried cranberry risotto with zucchini linguine and a pomegranate glaze, and Birchrun Hills Farm Veal Medallions ($29), sautéed with roasted tomatoes, green asparagus and jumbo lump crabmeat over a creamy mascarpone polenta with a tomato blush sauce.
Guests can enjoy their dinner either indoors in the brick and wood main dining rooms or bright ante-room, distinguished by tasteful artwork and mirrors, or on the outdoor patio, where cozy benches, umbrellas and strings of colorful lights create an ideal setting for private parties and alfresco diners.
Marly’s BYO also hosts wine dinners every three months (including several with Black Walnut Winery just down the street) and plans to introduce a chef’s table of five or six intriguing courses in its private dining room some time this fall.
One thing is certain at Marly’s BYO: whatever your tastes might fancy, you will find them challenged and delighted by the chefs’ innovative and flavorful dishes, presented with distinctively artistic touches and served by a staff that knows the menu well and seems genuinely happy to be working at such an unpretentious gem of a restaurant.
Marly’s BYO Continued…
Chef Michael Favacchia, a restless, redheaded Italian with a penchant for dishes offering up layers of flavors, is impatient with his own website’s description of his menu, which calls it “American Continental.”
The perfect expression of how difficult it is to pin down his cuisine at Marly’s BYO is his Bento Box, a starter whose contents change daily.
The bento box, a popular staple in Japanese train stations, where travelers can enjoy four distinctly different small dishes reflecting the cooking of the region, is a tapas-lover’s dream.
The evening of our visit, the Bento Box we ordered had Guacamole with homemade tortilla chips in one compartment, Moroccan Tabouli Salad with Grilled Shrimp in another, Vegetable Spring Rolls over wakame seafood salad in another and Lobster Cake with tomato remoulade and Stuffed Potato filled with a spicy Asiago cheese sauce in the final compartment — in all, a mind-boggling and taste-twisting sensation.
As Chef Favacchia describes the menu, “It’s a little Asian, a little Italian, a touch of American Southern. I call it Mike’s food,” and he laughs. “It’s not American Continental, but it’s definitely eclectic; it’s got something for everyone’s taste.”
A total foodie, he loves reading books on food and watching cooking shows on cable TV.
He says, “I keep a pad by my dresser. Ideas come to me overnight — for specials and variations on some of our regular dishes.”
As to the aforementioned Bento Box — it was one part Mexican, one part Moroccan, one part Asian and one part Cuban.
Cuban, you might ask? The Lobster Cake with spicy Asiago cheese sauce is from a Cuban recipe, designed by Favacchia’s new chef de cuisine, Hector Moya, a native of Cuba who is now guiding the executive chef in the ways of Cuban cooking as well as giving him some extra time off to spend with his family.
“We’ve only had about two days’ vacation in the three years since Marly’s opened,” says Favacchia, “and that was in the third week of June, about two weeks after Hector joined us. We love bouncing ideas off each other.”
The international flavor of Marly’s menu makes it a top draw in trendy Phoenixville, which offers a host of bar restaurants and BYOs. But eminently conscious of the current economy, Marly’s has worked hard to keep all entrée prices no higher than $30. In fact, every Monday through Wednesday at least through August, the restaurant invites families to try its three-course $25 menu while offering a complimentary menu for children 12 years old and younger.
For starters, guests can choose from among Ginger Carrot Bisque topped with cucumber crab relish; Grilled Romaine Hearts ($8 on the regular menu) served with warm pancetta-honey vinaigrette, crumbled goat cheese and caramelized onions; Baby Frisée Pear Salad ($8 normally) served with Danish blue cheese, sliced pears, candied pecans and sun-dried cranberries in a white balsamic vinaigrette; Hummus of the Day ($7 normally), with grilled pita and flatbread chips; and one of Marly’s signature dishes — Fried Green Tomatoes ($10 on the regular menu) over ricotta salata cheese and heirloom tomato salsa, topped with a dressing of whole grain mustard and basil-infused oil.
The entrées they can choose from are Sautéed European Chicken Breast ($18 normally) with oven-roasted tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, fontina cheese and lemon-butter herb sauce with potato of the day; Pumpkin Gnocchi ($20 on the regular menu) with sweet Italian sausage and caramelized butternut squash and peas in a creamy gorgonzola sauce; Pan-seared Salmon ($22 normally) in a sweet chili coconut broth over a mixed vegetable couscous; Orange Molasses Glazed Hanger Steak ($23 on the regular menu), served with corn and edamame bean risotto in a sweet chili garlic aioli — another of the chef’s signature dishes; and Shrimp Reggiano ($25 normally), served with fresh torn pasta, sautéed cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a Reggiano seafood sauce.
Finally, they can choose a dessert from a variety of freshly baked sweet treats. If they’re lucky, one of them might be the restaurant’s signature moist and scrumptious Peanut Butter Chocolate Bread Pudding, made with challah and topped by strawberries, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce ($8 on the regular menu).
The $25 three-course menu, easily one of the year’s great restaurant bargains, could be a wonderful introduction to this pulsating restaurant in Phoenixville.
Marly’s BYO is the brainchild of partners Ann Zimmerman, Chef Favacchia and the chef’s wife, Samantha Hall, all of whom met at Conshohocken’s Gypsy Saloon, owned by the chef’s aunt. Zimmerman was there when Gypsy Saloon opened in 2004; the chef came in 2005, and Hall, who worked as a waitress and hostess throughout college (she says, with a smile, “I’m hooked on the experience — I love the exercise and the money”), joined them a year later when she moved from Manayunk to a house across the street from the restaurant.
Zimmerman, a Royersford native who’s been in the business for years (including a stint with the banquet arm of Glen Hardy Country Club in Wayne), has also served as manager of Gypsy Saloon’s sister restaurant, Stella Blu, where Favacchia, a native of Norristown who now lives with his wife, three children and family in Spring City, was also the kitchen manager. His son, Michael Jr., works in Marly’s kitchen on weekends.
Favacchia, who has been a chef for 22 of his 40 years, studied at Johnson & Wales’ prestigious culinary school. Chef de Cuisine Moya has put in some valuable time at Smith & Wollensky, Moriarty’s and Rock Bottom Café.
Recent specials that bear the mark of Moya’s experience include Seafood Paella, laden with clams, mussels and red pepper, over bacon- and saffron-infused risotto served in a cast iron pan. New items on the summer menu, a collaboration between Moya and Favacchia, include Chilled Gazpacho, Assorted Beet Salad with buratta cheese and prosciutto in a roasted fig dressing, and Stuffed Pork Chop with a Cajun beurre blanc over manchego cheese and steamed baby carrots.
The menu in this dinner-only BYOB changes frequently. Favacchia says that up to half the menu changes on a regular basis, while the restaurant maintains popular favorites like Fried Green Tomatoes, Marly’s “Cheese Steak” ($30), pan-seared filet mignon topped with a Roquefort-walnut crust, served with potato of the day; and Panko-crusted Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes ($26), served on creamed corn and edamame beans with a chipotle aioli and ponzu sauce.
Other great dishes available on the most recent menu included the appetizer Crab and Lemongrass Wontons ($9) with a sambal-red miso emulsion, wasabi peas and a pickled cucumber-daikon salad, and the entrées Pan-seared Diver Scallops ($26), served over a dried cranberry risotto with zucchini linguine and a pomegranate glaze, and Birchrun Hills Farm Veal Medallions ($29), sautéed with roasted tomatoes, green asparagus and jumbo lump crabmeat over a creamy mascarpone polenta with a tomato blush sauce.
Guests can enjoy their dinner either indoors in the brick and wood main dining rooms or bright ante-room, distinguished by tasteful artwork and mirrors, or on the outdoor patio, where cozy benches, umbrellas and strings of colorful lights create an ideal setting for private parties and alfresco diners.
Marly’s BYO also hosts wine dinners every three months (including several with Black Walnut Winery just down the street) and plans to introduce a chef’s table of five or six intriguing courses in its private dining room some time this fall.
One thing is certain at Marly’s BYO: whatever your tastes might fancy, you will find them challenged and delighted by the chefs’ innovative and flavorful dishes, presented with distinctively artistic touches and served by a staff that knows the menu well and seems genuinely happy to be working at such an unpretentious gem of a restaurant.
Marly’s BYO
108 Bridge St.
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610-933-7471
HOURS: Dinner only:
Monday – Thursday,
5 – 9 p.m.;
Friday & Saturday,
5 – 10 p.m.
Closed Sunday.
Reservations recommended
on weekends. BYOB.
All major credit cards.
Facilities for handicapped.
Available for catering,
private parties, meetings.
Indoor & patio dining.
Entrées: $18 – $30.
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