Jarrettown Hotel - Italian Restaurant and Bar

If you drive by the old Jarrettown Hotel on Limekiln Pike in Upper Dublin Township, you will notice that it had a complete, well-needed renewal and makeover; its restaurant and bar reopened after a lengthy shutdown. 

The once open porch was closed in with walls and large picture windows and made part of the attractive new dining rooms, which can be seen through openings in the thick stone outer walls, which were the original windows. 

The historic hotel was established in 1847 in the village then named for Levi Jarett, an early local farmer.  The building, said to be haunted, was recently investigated for the presence of ghosts by the Philadelphia Ghost Hunters Alliance (PGHA) and was found to be haunted by at least one presence. However, I give you my word that you will not encounter any during normal dining hours, or so the PGHA assured me.

The restaurant is now in the skilled hands of a true Italian restaurateur, Giovanni Agresti, from southern Italy, and his executive chef, Mark Ziebis.  Having spent time in Italy during several visits to that beautiful, wonderful country, I can tell you that the food at this restaurant is the “real deal,” much like many of the delicious meals I enjoyed while in Rome and Tuscany.

The pastas are made fresh on the premises.  The red tomato sauces, the wine sauces and the main dishes are all made with fresh ingredients and lightly, never heavy handedly, seasoned with garlic or pepper so the flavors of the featured foods come through.

On my first visit, my party of four was comfortably seated on the “porch” in a cream vinyl booth set with fresh linens. The Saturday night crowd’s noise level was moderate, the ambiance pleasant.

Our very attentive server announced the specials, and later he competently filleted the beautifully baked whole pompano special entrée for my LDC. She lucked out — this was one of the most delicious sweet fish dishes we had tasted anywhere.

We started with a shared antipasto Italiano ($13) — just like in Rome, no mounds of lettuce — of cured sliced meats, roasted veggies, olives and cheese. It was nicely presented. Then, two hot appetizers more than satisfied: an excellent, rich seafood bisque ($6) that got better with each spoonful, and a superb bowl of sautéed cozze — “mussels” — all turned face-up, an unusual touch ($9), in a wonderful white wine garlic pepper sauce. A basket of good Italian bread was on hand for dipping.

A close second to the pompano was the vitello al Marsala entrée ($21), which was a generous portion of tender veal medallions sautéed with shiitake mushrooms in a heavenly Marsala wine sauce. This personal fave was truly one of the most palate rewarding I have had. And I was able to substitute a lovely side of sautéed spinach for the mixed veggies and roast potatoes it came with.

Less outstanding, but satisfactory, was the vitello alla Romana ($21); the veal was less tender, but partially redeemed by the Parma prosciutto it featured.

The stars were aligned with the constellation veal that night, and our third veal dish was good old veal alla Parmagiana ($19). Here — a much lighter preparation than the typical Italian-American version — it is lightly breaded, light on the mozzarella and topped with a mild-on-the-garlic “pink” tomato sauce.

Sides of homemade pasta, cappellini, linguini and penne, which were requested in lieu of potatoes and veggies, were enlivened by the delightful garlic butter white wine sauce.

At meal’s end, our server brought a tray of Italian dolce (“sweet desserts”), from which we shared a rich wedge of Viennese cake, layers of vanilla sponge and chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and powdered sugar. Who could resist? Some creamy vanilla gelato and good cappuccino and coffee, along with great conversation, capped a very delightful three-hour Italian-style dinner for the four of us.

On a more recent visit, a special appetizer, bacon-wrapped bay scallops ($8), was a bit too well done, but the great flavor of the orange-ginger sauce pleased immensely.  The garden salad ($4 with entrée) had a full variety of fresh, crisp ingredients, lightly dressed in a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.

The splendid wine list offered up two excellent wines to match these starters: a bubbly Prosecco from the Veneto ($8 a glass), and a crisp sauvignon blanc ($7).

Our two entrées were pasta dishes, and both were delicious:  sweet, succulent mussels over capellini, in buttery white wine garlic sauce; and the paccheri alla Siciliana ($17), sautéed eggplant and zucchini with garlic, capers, mixed olives, mozzarella and fresh basil in a light tomato sauce topped with shaved parmesan.  Just writing these down is making me hungry to go again. 

This time, believe it or not, we passed on the tempting tray of Italian dolce.

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Overall rating: mmmm ¼ (out of 5 m’s) Authentic Italian cuisine in Upper Dublin Township.

To contact Mitch Davis, e-mail him at MdavisMainCourse@aol.com.

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Location:  1425 Limekiln Pike, Dresher Phone:  215-654-6880

Website:  www.jarrettownrestaurant.com                          

Cuisine:  Authentic southern Italian

Hours: lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily; dinner, Monday through Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.

Dinner prices: appetizers, soups, salads, $6 to $13; pastas, $16 to $22; entrées, $17 to $27; three-course dinners, $20

Ambiance: Historic stone building, handsomely restored inside and out

Reservations: Recommended           

Credit cards: Most major accepted

Alcoholic beverages: Full-service bar, extraordinary wine list; B.Y.O.B. Sunday and Monday nights

Special features: Happy hour — 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, discount drinks and food